Tolth pleads not guilty in disappearance of Ella Mae Begay
Navajo Times | Holly James
Seraphine Warren, the niece of Ella Mae Begay, wipes away tears as she stands alongside family members at the steps of justice after attending the arraignment of Preston Henry Tolth on April 7 in Flagstaff.
FLAGSTAFF
Preston Henry Tolth sat quietly in Flagstaff U.S. District Court on Friday as his attorney entered his plea of not guilty on charges of assault and carjacking concerning the disappearance of Ella Mae Begay.
Several of Begay’s family and friends, including her son, Gerald Begay, and niece, Seraphine Warren, entered the courtroom quietly filling all four rows of seating greeting and embracing each other, awaiting the coming moments.
Begay of Sweetwater, Arizona, was reported missing from her home in June 2021. Family members immediately launched several search parties for their relatives, using social media platforms to seek the public’s help.
U.S. District Court Magistrate Camille D. Bibles presided over the arraignment and detention hearing.
Listed as the defendant in the case, Tolth was handcuffed and outfitted in dark blue jail scrubs as he was led in by two U.S. Marshals and court officers who stood within a 3-foot radius of the defendant throughout the proceedings.
Bibles addressed the courtroom to explain that she had granted a request for specific individuals to listen telephonically.
To read more, pick up the April 13 edition of the Navajo Times.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow