Kayenta Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

     PHOENIX – On April 15, 2019, Kelsey Dale Benally, 27, of Kayenta, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 63 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Benally had previously pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.  Benally was also sentenced to five months in prison for violating a term of supervised release imposed for a prior criminal conviction in 2017.  These sentences were ordered to run consecutively. 

     On Oct. 31, 2015, Benally stabbed the victim multiple times with a knife, causing the victim to sustain serious bodily injuries.  After seriously injuring the victim, Benally also stole a truck the victim had been driving.  Officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department apprehended Benally shortly after the assault.  The assault happened on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Both Benally and the victim are members of the Navajo Nation.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement.  The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.