Navajo Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Severe Child Abuse

PHOENIX—On June 1, 2012, Royce Paul Paddock, 37, of Tuba City Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 20 years in federal prison. Paddock pleaded guilty on March 2, 2012 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

In December 2009, Paddock, the guardian of the 5-year-old victim, took the victim to the hospital with a broken leg. A medical examination of the victim revealed that over the previous 18 months, the victim had been subjected to ongoing physical abuse, including multiple untreated fractures and beatings that resulted in permanent scarring. Paddock admitted that he caused the injuries and failed to obtain medical care for the victim.

The investigation in this case was conducted the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Dyanne C. Greer and Sharon K. Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Ten Arrested on Federal Charges After Bootlegging and Drug Roundup on Navajo Nation

FLAGSTAFF, AZ—On May 8, 2012, 10 individuals from the Navajo Nation, predominantly from the Chinle area, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Aspey in federal court in Flagstaff on bootlegging and drug charges. The suspects were arrested late last week following investigations that lasted approximately six months.

While in court on May 8, 2012, the following seven individuals entered plea agreements on the following charges:

Dispensing intoxicating liquor in Indian Country:

■Oscar Wheeler, 47, of Round Rock, Arizona;

■Vernon Yazzie, 19, of Chinle, Arizona;

■Anderson Jumbo, 58, of Manyfarms, Arizona;

■Stella Jumbo, 55, of Manyfarms, Arizona; and

■Anthony Tully Brown, 26, of Chinle, Arizona.

Possessing intoxicating liquor in Indian Country:

■Emerson Haudley, 40, of Chinle, Arizona; and

■Sherry Ella Segay Haudley, 25, of Chinle, Arizona.

In addition, the following individuals were charged by criminal complaint:

Craigg Descheenie, 25, of Rock Point, Arizona:

■dispensing intoxicating liquor in Indian Country;

■unlawful possession and distribution of marijuana;

Chadney James, 19, of Chinle, Arizona:

■unlawful possession and distribution of methamphetamine; and

Jonathan Catron, 40, of Tuba City, Arizona:

■unlawful possession and possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine;

■possession of intoxicating liquor in Indian Country.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigations leading to the roundup were conducted by the Navajo Police Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit and Criminal Investigators in the Chinle and Tuba City areas, who were assisted by FBI agents out of Gallup, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona. In addition, deputies from the Apache County Sheriff’s Office assisted in making arrests during the roundup. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Flagstaff.

Navajo Man Sentenced to 27 Years on Second-Degree Murder Charge

PHOENIX—On April 30, 2012, Wilbert Tsosie, 33, of Red Valley, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake to 324 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Tsosie was found guilty by a federal jury on January 31, 2012, of second-degree murder following a trial that took place from January 23-31, 2012.

Evidence presented at trial showed that on October 6, 2010, Tsosie and the victim, also 33, resided together in Red Valley, Arizona on the Navajo Indian Reservation. After acquiring and consuming alcohol, Tsosie assaulted the victim. The assault included Tsosie stomping on the victim’s head area, causing a serious brain injury which resulted in the victim’s death.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Thomas Simon, Assistant United States Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Suspect Arrested in Connection with Shooting, Stabbing of Navajo Woman

Perfinna King, 32, of the Navajo Nation, has been arrested in connection with the April 6, 2012 stabbing and shooting of a Navajo woman in Ojo Amarillo, on the Navajo Indian reservation near Farmington, New Mexico.

King was arrested approximately 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 at a residence in Upper Fruitland by patrol officers from the Navajo Police Department and members of the New Mexico Safe Trails Task Force.

A federal warrant had been issued for King in the stabbing and shooting of a 33-year-old woman, who is recovering.

The FBI is assisting the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations, which will prosecute the case in U.S. District Court.

The New Mexico Safe Trails Task Force is composed of Navajo law enforcement officers and the FBI.

Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Murder of Navajo Nation Police Sergeant

PHOENIX—Today, Victor Bigman, 49, of Kaibeto, Arizona, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Federal District Court in Phoenix. Bigman is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg in Phoenix on July 9, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.

Bigman had been charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Navajo Nation Police Sergeant Darrell Curley on June 25, 2011. Today, he pleaded guilty to the lesser included offense of second-degree murder.

The plea agreement contains a stipulated sentencing range of not less than 25 years, and not more than 35 years, in prison. Court documents indicate that Sergeant Curley was attempting to take Bigman’s son into custody when Bigman shot and killed him. At today’s hearing, Bigman admitted that he shot Sergeant Curley four times.

A conviction for second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Teilborg will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. Judge Teilborg, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI, the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The prosecution is being handled by Roger Dokken and Sharon K. Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.