Pinedale man gets 30 years for child sex assault

By Bill Donovan
Special to the Times

LOS ANGELES

A Pinedale, New Mexico, man faces a 30-year prison sentence after being accused of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 12 on numerous occasions.

Manison Largo, 41, admitted to federal agents after he was arrested that he had touched the girl inappropriately for a period of more than a year at his residence.

Largo has three children but none of the allegations involve his children, according to court documents.

According to his arrest report, Navajo police became aware of the situation when the victim phoned 911 and said she had been sexually assaulted by Largo. She later told FBI investigators that she tried to inform her parents of the assaults but this didn’t go anywhere.

Court records said the minor girl was interviewed on Feb. 4 by a child forensic expert and in that interview she claimed that Largo not only touched her inappropriately on several occasions but also sexually assaulted her as well.

She said she was not aware of any other child being molested by Largo. She added that eventually she was placed in a position where Largo had no contact with her.

FBI investigators said they interviewed Largo on Feb. 21 at his residence.

He said sexual contact with the victim started after she sat in his lap after taking a bath. He said this ended with him touching her inappropriately under her clothes. He denied that he had assaulted her at any time.

During the interview, according to court records, he “expressed remorse for his actions” and said he wanted to apologize to the victim because he knew his actions were “inappropriate and hurtful.”

He added that his actions made him feel like a sexual predator.

Largo is currently being held in custody by the U.S. Marshall’s Office in Albuquerque. Court documents said he will eventually be transferred to a halfway house as soon as an opening occurs.

Police report

K-9 Zolton’s sniffing leads to 2 drug seizures

HOLBROOK – K-9 dog Zolton is credited with the seizure of drugs with a $2.7 million street value in two traffic stops, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office reports.

On March 3, at approximately 10:55 a.m., a free air sniff by Zolton led to the arrest of Efren E. Bencoma, 33, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who had 57.1 pounds of methamphetamine.

At approximately 1:53 pm, Zolton again alerted leading to the arrest of Jorge Luis Lopez, 24, of San Diego, who had 45.3 pounds of methamphetamine concealed inside a table in the bed of the truck.

Bencoma was arrested during a traffic stop on westbound on Interstate 40 near milepost 297.

He was booked for transportation of a dangerous drug, possession of a dangerous drug for sale, possession of a dangerous drug, and possession of a narcotic drug.

Lopez was arrested during a traffic stop west bound near North Park Road and Interstate 40.

He was booked for transportation of dangerous drugs, possession of a dangerous drug for sale, and possession of a dangerous drug.

Navajo Co. activity report

HOLBROOK – The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office reports the following activity from Feb. 21 through the 27th.

On Feb. 25, Jerrick Bahe, 20, of Keams Canyon, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Deputies had conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at milepost 292 entering the Holbrook area.

On Feb. 27, deputies responded to a brush fire located south of the BNSF railroad adjacent to Interstate 40 at approximately milepost 262.5. Currently, the cause is unknown and it did not cause any travel hazards for vehicle or train traffic.

Reward offered for info on Shiprock man’s death

ALBUQUERQUE – The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the death of Isiah Terrell Billy.

On Oct. 5, 2020, Billy’s body was found in a wash east of the Sinclair gas station near mile marker 23 on U.S. Highway 64 in Shiprock.

The cause of death is pending but considered suspicious.

Billy, who was 30 at the time, lived in Shiprock.

The FBI and Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 505-889-1300 or go online at tips.fbi.gov.

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