THE ANGEL
A To’hajiilee man is currently in federal detention in Albuquerque after he was arrested for assault in the Indian country, resulting in serious bodily harm.
30-year-old Luke Avery Platero was arrested on May 10, just hours after Navajo police began investigating the attack by a To’Hajiilee man identified as KB in court records
According to court records, Navajo Police received a call from a Navajo woman who said she received a call from Platero stating that he had beaten KB and needed an ambulance. She then told the police where Platero lived.
When the police arrived at his home, they found KB in Platero’s backyard. Police said he was covered in blood and had visible head injuries. The police waited for an ambulance and then looked for Platero, who was sitting in a vehicle nearby.
At the time, Platero admitted hitting KB with a baseball bat. Platero was taken to the Crownpoint Tribal Prison, where he was charged by tribal police with aggravated assault and alcohol possession. Police found the baseball bat in the back of his vehicle after Platero told them where it was.
KB was transported by ambulance to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he was treated for two major bleeds, concussions, and significant blood loss. He was operated on immediately and later taken to the intensive care unit in critical condition.
A day later, Platero was interviewed by the FBI and tribal criminal investigators. He told them that KB attacked him first and that he could avoid getting hurt. He later said KB was drunk and kept trying to hurt him, so Platero said he picked up a large rock and hit him in the back of the head with it.
Platero said he had been in a lot of anger over numerous arguments with KB in the past, which was why he picked up a baseball bat and hit it in the head, legs and arms.
When that was done, he said he went to a neighbor’s house and asked them to call the police.
Shiprock man gets 8 years for strangling girlfriend
LOS ANGELES – A Shiprock man was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to strangling his girlfriend during a domestic argument
In his declaration of consent, Dieter Douglas admitted to strangling her at least twice during the dispute.
According to court records, Douglas was arrested on May 14, 2019, shortly after Navajo police responded to a call from his ex-girlfriend’s mother, who is identified as Jane Doe in the court records.
Doe later told a tribal detective that she was at her mother’s house when her mother answered a knock on the door and Douglas tried to get inside. Even though he was told he wasn’t welcome, he pushed in anyway, she said.
Doe sad that she knew she was going to be attacked but hoped it wouldn’t happen if she went along with anything he said. So she started drinking Bud Ice with him until they ran out. Douglas then left and came back with beer and vodka. Douglas started drinking vodka despite being advised not to by Doe, who told him that if he drinks vodka he would get stupid.
They eventually went back to a bedroom where Douglas hit them about 15 times, Doe said. When he told her he was going to kill her, she said she called her mother to call the police.
Doe said Douglas started biting her until she managed to push him away. Then he choked her three or four times and didn’t stop until she passed out and possibly stopped breathing.
She said when she woke up after the last choke, Douglas told her she’d better stay alive. She said she then heard the police drive to the house. When Douglas heard the police, they began to apologize.
The police report said when Doe was examined, they found she had a bite mark on a forearm and bruises on the neck area.
When Douglas got sober, he agreed to be interviewed by a tribal criminal investigator and an FBI agent.
He told them that he usually drinks until he faints, which is what happened on that occasion. He said he remembered drinking beer and vodka and the next thing he remembered was waking up in the tribal prison.
“I’m a really bad alcoholic,” he reportedly said. “I had half a bottle of hairspray and I knew that was going to darken me, so I kind of distanced myself from the beer and when I got back from Hogback I don’t remember anything from that point on.”
He said when he woke up he called Doe and said he was sorry. He added that it was a staff member in the prison who told him he had been charged with a household member’s battery. He added that he didn’t even know who he was accused of beating, but he thought it was his girlfriend.
He then accused his girlfriend of “setting him up” because she knows how he behaves when he’s drunk.
NTUA employees shocked by power line
FORT DEFIANCE – The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority reports that four employees were seriously injured while working on a power line in the Montezuma Creek area, Utah.
On Sunday, May 16, employees worked on upgrading the electrical system to replace a power pole on a 69-kilovolt line.
A strong gust of wind caused the pole to shift in the direction of a live power line, thereby transmitting an electrical current to the pole. The staff handling the bar were electrocuted.
The employees were transported to regional hospitals and receive a high level of health care in two special care facilities. The incident is still being investigated.
“NTUA urges the general public to respect the privacy of these people and their families,” the company said in a press release on Tuesday. “NTUA also has your thoughts and prayers as the staff recover from their injuries.”
The Winslow drug operation results in 14 arrests
HOLBROOK – On May 13, 14 people were arrested during Operation Clean Communities in Winslow for selling opioids and drugs.
Operation Clean Communities is a proactive approach to combating criminal activity and drug sales in the Winslow area.
The arrests include:
• Nikolas Ray Park, 33, arrested for violating a court order.
• Eddie Tsosie, 46, violates a court order.
• Orville Talayuptewa, 50, possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.
• Laurissa Vigil, 27, dangerous drugs for sale and transportation of dangerous drugs.
• Charles Talayuptewa, 52, possession of drug paraphernalia, dangerous drugs, and dangerous drugs for sale.
• Tyro King, 40, possession of drug paraphernalia, dangerous drug use, and possession of dangerous drugs for sale.
• Laurissa Vigil, 27, dangerous drugs or selling and transporting dangerous drugs.
• William Tafoya, 23, violated court order.
• Mark Clark, 57, violated court order.
• Virgil Hale, 61, obstructionist of justice.
• Michelle Prine, 50, dangerous drugs for sale.
• Yvette Rivera, 52, dangerous drugs for sale.
• Ladonnarose Riggs, 37, possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.
• Andrew Schlechty, 32, non-compliance.
Fruitland Mann pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter
ALBUQUERQUE – A man from Fruitland, New Mexico faces up to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Albuquerque federal court last week.
The 25-year-old Felix Curtis remains in federal custody until the formal conviction has not yet been determined.
According to court records, Curtis was drunk driving down roads on the Navajo reservation in San Juan County. During this trip he caused an accident in which a man died.
In his confession of guilt, he admitted that he drove recklessly, with no regard for human life.
Navajo Co. Sheriff’s Office Report May 9-15
HOLBROOK – The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office reports the following activity for the week of May 9-15.
On May 9, MPs investigated an inmate attack on inmates. Carla Baca, 35, from Holbrook, was arrested and charged with assault.
On May 10, an inmate was investigating an arrest warrant for a detention officer. Reese Ahasteen, 18, of Winslow, was arrested for the attack.
Another fight between inmates was reported on May 15. Paul Serna (26) from Holbrook and Jeremy Laban (38) from Polacca were charged with disorderly behavior / fighting.
US marshals, FBI warn of phone fraud
MOBILE, Ala. – The US Marshals and the FBI are alerting the public to several national fraud attempts involving individuals claiming to be US Marshals, court officers / officials or other law enforcement officers.
They urge people to report the calls to their local FBI office and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which can use the information gathered to detect fraud patterns and pass that data on to law enforcement.
During these calls, scammers attempt to fine instead of arrest for failing to stand up for jury duty or other criminal offenses. Intended victims are told that they can avoid arrest by buying a prepaid debit card such as a Green Dot card or gift card and reading the card number over the phone to meet the fine, or by putting money in Bitcoin or another Deposit / transfer cryptocurrency.
Scammers use many tactics to sound believable. They sometimes provide information such as ID numbers, names of actual law enforcement officers and federal judges, and court addresses.
Scammers can also forge their phone numbers to appear on caller ID like they’re calling from the court or government agency.
If you believe you are a victim of such fraud, you should report the incident to your local FBI office and the FTC.
The US Department of Justice established the National Elder Fraud Hotline, which provides services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The toll-free number for the hotline is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).
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