Tohajilee Man Receives 37-Month Prison Sentence for Federal Assault Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Daniel Walters was sentenced to a 37-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, based on his guilty plea to an information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Walters, 42, is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Tohajiilee, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Navajo Reservation, and has long been employed as an emergency medical technician. He was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his prison sentence at the conclusion of today’s sentencing hearing.

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the charge against Walters arose out of an altercation between Walter and the victim of his assault in the early hours of September 7, 2009. Court records reflect that on the evening of September 6, 2009, Walters hosted a party at his Tohajiilee residence, and that his victim was amongst those who attended the party. Almost everyone at the party was drinking alcohol, including Walters and his victim, and a fight broke out amongst a number of the party guests in the early hours of September 2009. During the fight, the victim struck Walters in the forehead with a beer bottle. Thereafter, the victim left Walters’ residence on foot. Walters, his son, and a friend got into Walters’ vehicle and went in search of the victim. When they found the victim walking along the side of a road, Walters got out of his vehicle and repeatedly slashed the victim’s face with a knife. Walters and his companions then left the area.

Court records reflect that the victim made his way to a nearby residence and obtained assistance in getting to a medical facility. More than 100 stitches were required to close the cuts on the victim’s face, and the victim has permanent scars on his face as a result of the assault perpetrated on him by Walters.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, Crownpoint Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rozzoni.