Alcohol involved in Ganado death

Drinking and fighting led to the death of one Ganado, Ariz., man and the arrest of another on April 25, according to a Navajo Nation Police report.

Police said they received a report that a man had been hit on the head with a training weight and was unresponsive.

When police got to the residence, located near Burnside Junction, they found Wesley Yazzie, 26.

Witnesses said Yazzie and Titus R. Begay, 22, had been drinking together that afternoon at Begay's home when they got in a fight. Police were called to the house because of a disturbance but when they arrived, they found no one home.

The two men had gone to the home of Begay's parents, where they continued to drink and fight, during which Begay reportedly struck Yazzie with a dumbbell to the back of the head, causing massive head trauma.

Both were taken to Sage Memorial Hospital for treatment of their injuries and Yazzie was later flow to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he died the next day. Begay was taken into custody by the FBI.

Gunshot under investigation

Was it an accident or a case of assault?
That's the question police are trying to determine in the case of an Inscription House, Ariz., man who received a gunshot wound to his left hand on April 29, according to a Navajo Nation Police report.

The man, Vladmir Hurley, 28, was found by police with a hole in his left index finger but the weapon - as well as the suspect - was nowhere in sight.

No details were given on how Hurley was injured. Police said the case is still under investigation.

LeChee teen dies in rollover

A 17-year-old LeChee, Ariz., resident was killed in a one-vehicle rollover that occurred April 24 near Coppermine, Ariz., according to a Navajo Nation Police report
Police reached the accident scene on Navajo Route 20 about 5 p.m., and discovered that Myron Martin had been ejected from the vehicle and subsequently died.

Police said they also observed Lyle Nelson, 25, of LeChee, walking around the vehicle. He had only received cuts and bruises in the accident.

There were no details in the police report on what caused the accident or who was driving. Police said the case is still under investigation.

Collision claims Cañoncito elder

A head-on collision on U.S. Highway 163 near Kayenta claimed the life of a Cañoncito, N.M., man on April 23, according to a Navajo Nation Police report.

When police arrived at the scene about 9:54 p.m., they discovered the victim, Jay Yazzie, 89, pinned behind the wheel of his vehicle. He later died at Maricopa Medical Center.

The driver of the other vehicle was not identified, although police said that person was also transported to Maricopa Medical Center for treatment.

The report did not provide any details on how the accident occurred but said alcohol was not a factor.

Shiprock man assaulted

Police are trying to determine what happened to Edwin Woody, 42, of Shiprock, on April 23, according to a Navajo Nation Police report.

They know he was battered but just who did the battering is a mystery.

Police were called to the Woody residence about 3 a.m., where they found the victim sitting on a bed. He told police that he had been beaten up by three or four unknown suspects the previous evening at the McDonald's in Shiprock.

He said the assailants kicked him all over the body until he lost consciousness. They also took his wallet.

Woody was transported to Northern Navajo Medical Center and then to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque when it was determined that his injuries were life threatening.

Pedestrian hit in Shiprock

A Shiprock youth was hit by a car and injured while crossing a road April 22, according to a Navajo Nation Police report.

Police said the youth, Branson Katy, 17, was struck about 7:34 p.m. while crossing at the intersection of Navajo Route 364 and U.S. 491. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Nicholas Yazzie, 18, of Shiprock.

Katy was taken to Northern Navajo Medical Center for treatment of his injuries, although the police report did not say how seriously he was hurt.

Yazzie was arrested at the scene but no details were given as to what led to the arrest or what charges he is facing.

Man sentenced in cousin's death

TUCSON - Gabriel Gastelum, 26, of Casa Grande, Ariz., was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty Feb. 16 to second-degree murder, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On Oct. 14, 2007, Gabriel Gastelum killed his cousin, stabbing him approximately 12 times during an argument. Before the murder, Gastelum and the victim consumed alcohol and marijuana, and began arguing over a bag of potato chips in the village of Chui Chu on the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Sells man gets 10 years for DUIs

TUCSON - Ryan James Lewis, 23, of Sells, Ariz., was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after pleading guilty June 1 in two separate cases, one of which led to the death of a woman, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

On Jan. 11, 2006, Lewis encountered two Tohono O'odham police on patrol while driving 76 mph in a 55 mph zone on BIA Route 19 near Sells. He had been smoking marijuana earlier and lost control of his vehicle, crashing into one patrol vehicle, and striking a motorcycle being driven by the other officer.

Both officers sustained serious injuries and are still in pain. One is still under treatment for his injuries.

While that crime was still under investigation, Lewis again drove while under the influence and was involved in a one-vehicle rollover on Aug. 27, 2007. This time he had two passengers, one of whom was killed at the scene and the other injured so badly that he was unable to walk for over six months.

This time Lewis admitted that he'd been drinking. Blood tests revealed his blood alcohol level was .175, nearly three times the legal limit, and also showed the presence of cocaine and marijuana.

After prison, Lewis will be on supervised release for six years. He also was ordered to pay $336,609 restitution to the mother of the dead woman and to the Tribal First Workman's Compensation program, and he must participate in substance abuse testing and treatment and a mental health program.

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