Struck by lightning, says sheep herder

Navajo Nation Police reported this week that a 75-year-old Navajo woman was struck by lightning on Aug. 11 during the recent rainstorms on the Navajo Reservation.

The woman, Annie Phillips of Indian Wells, Ariz., was herding sheep near her residence. She had taken an umbrella because of the threat of rain and later reported that she had been struck by lightning.

She sustained burns on the right side of her body and was taken to Sagebrush Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Newcomb man arrested for fire, killing dogs

Police have arrested a Newcomb, N.M., man for trying to set fire to a house and killing the owner's dogs.

Police received the call on Aug. 11 that a man was trying to burn down the home of Herman Tom, 50, of Newcomb, and that he had a firearm in his possession.

When police arrived at the home, they discovered that the fire had been put out and that Derrick J. Yazzie, 28, was responsible for trying to start the fire and stabbing and killing Tom's two dogs.

Yazzie was arrested without incident. No injuries were reported in the fire and police said no firearms were found at the scene.

Hit and run north to Tolani Lake

An investigation is underway into a hit and run that occurred at 1 a.m. July 31 north of Tolani Lake, Ariz.

The victim, who was found lying in the middle of Navajo Route 2 near the 18-mile marker, had no identification on him.

However, Waltina Konyahona had called police and reported that she had dropped off her boyfriend - Randall Samuel Thomas, 35, of Kykotsmovi, Ariz., after an argument a short time before near the area where the accident had taken place.

She gave a description of Thomas and the clothes he was wearing and police said the descriptions matched.

He had been struck by a car but the car had fled the scene by the time police arrived. Police said they had no information on the driver or the type of vehicle that was involved.

Man robs bank workers at ATM

GRANTS, N.M. - The FBI and the Grants Police Department are looking for an armed man who robbed two bank employees as they were putting money into an ATM on Aug. 17, according to a news release from the FBI-Albuquerque Division.

The robbery occurred about 7:30 a.m., outside Grants State Bank (824 W. Santa Fe Ave.).

Two tellers said they went to reload an ATM when a masked man in a camouflage jacket and pants jumped from behind a tree and pointed a shotgun at them. The man told the tellers to drop the bag of money and to go back into the bank.

The man left with the money and may have gone through a hole he sawed in an iron fence.

The robber is described as 5'6" to 5'8", with a thin build.

A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the subject(s).

Anyone with information is asked to call the Albuquerque FBI Office at 505-889-1300 (24 hours) or Grants Police Department at 505-287-2985.

Begay indicted on four counts

PHOENIX - A federal grand jury on Aug. 11 indicted Jerrick Begay, 27, of Piñon, Ariz., for assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On July 16, Begay allegedly got into an altercation with someone outside of his mother's house, and ended up shooting the victim in the leg with a .22 caliber rifle.

If convicted, Begay could face life in prison and up to a million dollars in fines.

St. Johns woman sentenced for fraud

PHOENIX - Attorney General Terry Goddard announced Aug. 13 that Kathy Salazar, 51, who worked as a dental office manager in St. Johns, Ariz., has been sentenced in Apache County Superior Court to one year in prison for insurance fraud, a class 6 felony. She also will serve seven years of probation for theft, a class 2 felony.

Salazar pleaded guilty to submitting false insurance claims for dental procedures that were never performed and then pocketing the insurance checks.

Judge Michael Roca also ordered her to pay a $5,000 fine and $88,408 in restitution to Dr. Howard Lee of St. Johns. Salazar worked in his office for 28 years as a dental assistant and office manager. She lived in St. Johns before recently moving to Mesa, Ariz.

Salazar's scheme was uncovered during a routine audit performed by Delta Dental, which showed irregularities in submitted claims.

Parker man pleads guilty in 2 cases

PHOENIX - Jason Martinez, 29, of Parker, Ariz., and an enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, pleaded guilty this week in two separate cases to child abuse and assault with a dangerous weapon, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

On April 3, 2009, Martinez beat a child with a plastic hanger. Agents from the BIA and tribal police interviewed Martinez, who admitted to spanking the victim.

On Jan. 24, Martinez walked into the home of his estranged wife without permission and caused a row, eventually stabbing his wife and her brother multiple times.

The crime of child abuse carries a maximum of 3.75 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The crime of assault carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for Oct. 18 before U.S. District Judge Mary H. Murguia.

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