Thursday, March 28, 2024

Court Cases | Tuba City man pleads guilty to sexual contact of child

LOS ANGELES

A Tuba City man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Prescott to abusive sexual contact of a child.

Ralph Ned Yellow, no age given, was arrested by Gallup Police on June 24 after family members reported that the female victim, who was under the age of 16 at the time, reported that she has been sexually assaulted by Yellow earlier that night at a Gallup motel.

He was later turned over to the FBI in Arizona after an investigation revealed that the girl had also been sexually assaulted numerous times on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Reservation.

The victim told FBI agents that Yellow sexually assaulted her from the time she was six years old and would take her to off-reservation motels at times.

On June 24 she told FBI agents that Yellow took her to a Gallup motel and gave her pills which he said would allow her to stay awake in case she had to drive.
Investigators later discovered that the pills were over-the-counter sexual-stimulant pills.

She said she was sexually assaulted and when she asked him to stop, she said he threatened to harm her family. After it was over, she said she was told to sit in the pickup.

Instead, she began walking to a nearby McDonald’s. As she was walking, she texted her family and told them what Yellow had done to her. They told her they would call police and tell them she was at the restaurant.

Police officers found her there and placed her in custody until her family could come and pick her up.

They then went to the motel where they found Yellow outside his room. He was arrested and on the following day was interviewed by Gallup detectives.

After waiving his rights, court documents said Yellow admitted touching the girl inappropriately. He then asked for an attorney and refused to answer any further questions.

A search of his car and home by FBI agents revealed he had videotaped a some of the sexual assaults. The tapes also revealed other child victims that went back 20 years and more.

If found guilty, Yellow was facing a possible life sentence but as part of the plea agreement he signed earlier this month, the prosecution agreed to more than 20 years.

No sentencing date has been set. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshall’s Office in Prescott.

Shiprock man pleads guilty to assault charges

Quincee Johnnie, 25, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and intimidation of a witness. No sentencing date has been set.

Zohnnie was arrested on connection with a June 20, 2020, report that someone had fired several shots at a residence in the Candlelight Housing area of Shiprock.

Later, FBI agents discovered a number of messages on his Facebook page that were viewed as his attempt to intimidate possible witnesses in that event.

According to court records, the FBI interviewed a witness to the shootings. Identified in court records as M.Y., the man said he and another man were sitting in front of his residence at the housing complex when a car stopped in front of the building.

He said M.Y. and a passenger in that vehicle got into a verbal argument. He said the passenger, who he later identified as Zohnnie, began making threats at M.Y. before the driver sped away.

A little later, he said, the car returned and he heard several shots fired at the building before it sped away again. M.Y. said no one was injured but his grandmother, sister and 6-year-old niece were in the building.

FBI agents later interviewed the driver – of that vehicle – who said he and Zohnnie had driven back to the house where Zohnnie was living after the first visit to that house. Zohnnie then went into the building and a few minutes later, he came out carrying a 9 mm handgun. They then went back to the house where Zohnnie fired four shots at the house.

M.Y.’s sister told FBI agents she was in the house watching television when she heard the shots. Navajo police later searched the house and found a bullet projectile in one of the bedrooms.

Zohnnie was arrested by tribal police a day later. He refused to answer any questions.

Between the time he was released from tribal jail and arrested by the FBI, Zohnnie reportedly used his Facebook account to make threats against persons who were at the house during the event. For example, on Aug. 3, he posted a message threatening M.Y. promising to get him before he “went down for it.”

On Aug. 18, he posted a comment on his Facebook page telling a friend not to get in a mess like he did. He also said he was under investigation by the FBI and thought he would be charged in federal court.

In another posting, he threatened to shoot someone in the leg as he did to M.Y.’s house.

He was finally placed under federal arrest on Jan. 3. Because of the threats, the judge decided he would remain in custody until his trial was held.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Zohnnie was facing more than 20 years in prison but because of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend to the judge a sentence of seven years.

Lupton man facing charges following car theft, assault

A Lupton man is facing federal charges after he reportedly stole a motor vehicle at a rest stop and assaulted the driver by spraying pepper spray in his face.

Dominic Yah Watchman is currently being held in custody by the U.S. Marshals Service in Prescott. He has yet to be arraigned.

According to court records, a certified nursing assistant said she was at a rest stop on Interstate 40 near Lupton on Nov. 7 when she heard a man yelling for help.
The man, who lives in Sedona, told her a man and a woman had stolen his Land Cruiser and fled the area going west on the Interstate.

The man, identified as T.I., in the court records, told FBI agents he was standing next to the driver’s side door when a Native man approached him and sprayed bear spray or pepper spray in his face before knocking him to the ground. Then he and a Native woman got in his vehicle and sped away.

Later that day, after he returned to his home, T.I., reported to police that he called his credit card company because his wallet was in the front seat when his car was stolen. He learned that the card had been used to purchase a little under $1,000 in merchandise and food in Gallup before the account could be closed.

Although law enforcement agencies began searching for the Land Cruiser, nothing happened until six days later when the FBI was informed of a shooting victim being present at a Speedy’s Truck Stop on Interstate 40 west of the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

It turned out that Watchman, accompanied by a woman identified as D.B. showed up at the gas station in a white Land Cruiser.

A surveillance tape showed Watchman entering the restaurant and asking for assistance. He then left the building and was seen going back to his car where he assisted an individual out of the car he was driving.

He then ran back into the restaurant and appeared to try and hide behind the cash register before running from there to the establishment’s stairwell. He was joined there by the woman who was in his car. She was identified in court records as D.B.

Tribal police arrived shortly thereafter and took the woman, who appeared to have a wound in her head, and Watchman into custody. D.B. was transported to a Gallup hospital where she died the next morning.

Police ascertained Watchman’s identity but he did not provide any other coherent information when he was arrested. On the following day, Watchman was interviewed at the Window Rock jail.

Watchman said he and D.B. had been together for about a year and they lived in the mountains near Lupton. He said he was able to make some money by going to residences of people he knew and doing some handy work for them.

He said on Nov. 7, he had gone to the home of a man identified as M.S. He had known the man for several years and had done odd jobs for him in the past. Watchman said he was told by the man he had a job he could do for him and it required him “to go get a ride.”

He would pick up a Land Cruiser from a man. He would get $300 for doing this. Watchman said he was told not to hurt the man. Watchman said he was confused and asked “hurt who?”

Watchman said he was told to look for a white man wearing blue sweatpants and a blue shirt. He had the car.

Watchman said he and D.B. then went to the rest stop and began looking for the man and the car. Neither the car nor the person was there so he said he and D.B. waited until Watchman said he saw a man who matched the description he was given by M.S.

He got out of his white Land Cruiser and headed for the restrooms. As he walked by him., Watchman said he looked at him as if he knew Watchman was there to pick up the car. He asked D.B. for her opinion as to whether the man was expecting to give them the car or whether they would have to steal it. D.B. said she didn’t know.

When the man started going back to his car, Watchman said he went up to him and said, “M.S. wants his car back.” The man responded, “M.S.? Who is that?” Watchman said “You are the man with the white Land Cruiser and the blue sweatpants. I was told to come over and get this ride.”

The man responded by saying he was not going to give up his car keys. D.B. had pepper spray in her purse and Watchman said he took it and approached the man. He said he used the pepper spray and punched the man and then took the car. He said he then drove it back to the trailer belonging to M.S. and parked it in the back.

M.S. saw the man’s wallet in the back and told Watchman that instead of giving him $300, he would give him one of the man’s credit cards and he, would have about an hour to use it and buy whatever he wanted.

He allowed Watchman to drive the Land Cruiser so he and D.B. drove to the mall in Gallup and purchased shoes, clothes, and food.

His account stopped at that point and didn’t address the circumstances that occurred on Nov. 13 and the death of D.B.


About The Author

Bill Donovan

Bill Donovan wrote about Navajo Nation government and its people since 1971. He joined Navajo Times in 1976, and retired from full-time reporting in 2018 to move to Torrance, Calif., to be near his kids. He continued to write for the Times until his passing in August 2022.

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