ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Morgan Lake man was sentenced to 17 days in custody for striking and injuring a Navajo Nation Police officer with his car.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2025, officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a report of a suspected drunk driver traveling at a high rate of speed and throwing containers from his vehicle. Officers located Kendall Benally, 43, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, sitting behind the wheel of a van near Morgan Lake. Benally, who had been convicted twice previously of driving while intoxicated, refused repeated commands to exit the vehicle. When officers deployed pepper spray, Benally accelerated, striking an officer and a civilian and pinning them between his vehicle and a police cruiser before fleeing the scene.
The officer suffered injuries to his elbow, knee and hip that required hospital treatment, while the civilian reported pain and injuries to multiple parts of his body. Benally was located and arrested later that morning. A subsequent breath alcohol test registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.11. Benally admitted to investigators that he had consumed six beers and a double shot of liquor before driving.
Benally pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit a felony. Upon his release from prison, Benally will be subject to two years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead is prosecuting the case.
