PHOENIX – On Feb. 1, 2019, Silas Deswood Yazzie, 52, of Kayenta, Ariz, a member of the Navajo Nation, was convicted by a jury of assault with a dangerous weapon and simple assault.

Yazzie is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan in April.

On two separate occasions, Yazzie assaulted unsuspecting victims with a knife. Yazzie sought out the first victim in early June 2018, when he grabbed a knife and swung it at the victim’s stomach after saying he would “teach him a lesson.”

The victim had to take a step back to avoid being stabbed. Less than two weeks later, while loitering at a gas station, Yazzie approached the second victim, and demanded...

Leroy Jim

Jan. 28, 12:03 am

DWI

McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Lorenzo Guerrero said he was dispatched to the 15 mile marker on New Mexico Highway 264 after another deputy stopped a car that he observed weaving on the highway.

The stop was made on Navajo tribal land, so while deputies were waiting for a tribal policeman to show up, Guerrero said he talked to Jim, 48, of St. Michaels, Ariz.

He said Jim showed signs of being intoxicated and was having problems standing. He agreed to take a field sobriety test but when he was given instructions, he just stared and wouldn’t comply so he was arrested for DWI.

He also agreed to take a breath alcohol test but then failed to...

UPDATE TUESDAY 1:21 PM: At this time, the search of the mesa northwest of the Rio West Mall has been completed and officers did not locate any suspects. Gallup Police Capt. Marinda Spencer said the shots came from juveniles target practicing at a home in the area. Since this area falls under McKinley County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction, all information on the case will be processed by the Sheriff's office. No other information is available at this time.Shortly after 10:30 am, Gallup Police Department received reports of shots fired in the area along West Jefferson Avenue near the Rio West Mall.
Upon arriving on scene, the officer possibly heard shots in the hill area, west of the Rio...

Dona Ana County – On Jan. 30, the New Mexico State Police assisted the United States Border Patrol with a vehicle pursuit.

At approximately 7:40 am, a grey Nissan passenger vehicle with a stolen license plate eluded the Border Patrol checkpoint. Border Patrol agents initiated a pursuit and requested the assistance of the New Mexico State Police and the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office.

During the pursuit, the vehicle began to travel southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25. Tire deflation devices were deployed several times which the driver avoided and continued to travel southbound in the northbound lanes. At one point during the pursuit, a New Mexico State Police...