Man arrested in connection to vehicle collision
By Bill Donovan
Special to the Times
UPPER FRUITLAND, N.M., Jan. 16, 2014
The FBI, with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, arrested Chiquito in Upper Fruitland, located on the Navajo Nation. He is expected to appear in U.S. District Court on Jan. 2 in Albuquerque.
Witnesses said Chiquito was the driver of a 1997 Chevrolet pick-up truck that attempted to pass vehicles on N36 near mile marker 25, in the area of Upper Fruitland, on Dec. 23 at approximately 9:40 p.m.
The truck collided with another vehicle. An adult female who is not being identified at this time was a passenger in the truck. She was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center where she died the next morning.
Neither Chiquito nor the driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured.
Navajo Nation law enforcement, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico State Police, and FBI responded to the crash.No further information will be released until after Chiquito's court appearance.
The public is reminded that all persons are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Shiprock man sentenced to 41 months for assault
SHIPROCK - Tyrell Elliot Frank, 27, who resides in Shiprock, was sentenced Jan. 9 to 41 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release for his assault conviction.
Frank was arrested in April 2012, based on a criminal complaint charging him with assault. He subsequently was indicted and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to court filings, on April 1, 2012, Frank repeatedly struck another Navajo man with a machete. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered severe cuts to his left arm and his back.
In Aug. 2013, Frank pleaded guilty to Count 2 of the indictment, charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. In his plea agreement, Frank admitted that during the early hours of April 1, 2012, people arrived at his residence and approached him.
Frank stated that, because he recently had been released from the hospital after having been assaulted, he struck a person he did not know with a machete causing him serious bodily injury. Frank stated that he later learned that the victim did not intend to harm him.
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