Police Blotter: Kayenta man sentenced in stabbing

PHOENIX

A Kayenta man was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after he pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. Kelsey Dale Benally, 27, also received another sentence of five months for parole violations in connection with a prior conviction.

The assault charge stems from his arrest in October 2015 when he was charged with striking his victim, identified as A.G., with a knife several times. The incident took place on Arizona Highway 64 near Cameron, Arizona.

As a result of the stabbing, the victim reportedly suffered two lacerations to his upper chest and one to the back. None were life threatening. Benally was arrested a short time later and Navajo Police officers reported finding blood on his shirt. DNA tests showed that the blood came from the victim. Benally also admitted that he was under supervised release on another conviction at the time he was arrested on the assault charge.

2nd Mesa man charged with DWI

PHOENIX – A Second Mesa, Arizona, man has been cited in federal district court in Arizona after reports that he almost collided head-on Monday with a off-duty park ranger. Kingston Poleyestewa, 21, was charged with DWI, failure to maintain control of his vehicle and having an open liquor container in his vehicle.

Kyle Kaiser, a U.S. park ranger, reported that he had been driving westbound on Highway 64 in Coconino County about 1 p.m. Monday when a car swerved into his lane and almost hit him.

The car sped away and Kaiser, along with other rangers, went looking for the vehicle. They heard a report several minutes later that a car matching the description of the one that almost hit him had crashed and gone off the roadway. Poleyestewa told law enforcement officers that several elk got in front of him and he crashed trying to avoid them.

Officers said that during the interview, Poleyestewa showed signs of being intoxicated. He also admitted, according to court documents, that he had drunk a 24-ounce can of beer two hours before driving. Law enforcement officers also reported finding a cup of beer on the console.

Diné man faces murder charge

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Attorney in Arizona has filed first-degree murder charges against a Navajo Reservation resident for a killing that occurred on April 7. On that date, according to the indictment, “Lodi Gene Bitsie did with premeditation and with malice aforethought, kill B.T.”

The indictment gives no details of the crime or the ages or home addresses of either Bitsie or the person he is accused of killing. It does indicate that the crime occurred on the Arizona portion of the reservation.

Court documents say Bitsie has been is being held without bond because, if convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Las Vegas man arrested in stolen vehicle

CHAMBERS, Ariz. – A man driving a car that was reported stolen in Nevada was arrested on April 16, according to the Apache County Sheriff’s Office. Jeremiah Tarton, 19, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was charged with theft of means of transportation and was booked into Apache County Jail in St. Johns.

A traffic stop by a detective with the Apache County Special Crimes Enforcement Team at Mile Marker 325 on Interstate 40 led to the arrest.

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