2 die in auto crash

Two reservation residents died in a two-vehicle crash east of Ganado on Aug. 18.

Navajo Nation Police identified the victims as Jack Begay, 83, of Steamboat, Ariz., and Leroy Begody Jr., 20, of Kinlichee, Ariz.

Both were drivers of the two vehicles who collided near milepost 451 on State Highway 264 at about 7:15 p.m. The police report provided no details of how the accident occurred.

A passenger in the Begody vehicle, Norman Lewis Begay, was transported to Sage Memorial Hospital and then airlifted to Flagstaff.

Shiprock man dies in accident

Another accident fatality was reported on Aug. 19 near Shiprock.

At 9:40 p.m., someone called police and reported a vehicle in a ditch east of the Shiprock Motor Pool off of U.S. 64.

When police arrived, they found a vehicle with its door open that looked as if it collided with a tree trunk. Police said it had a deep "U" indentation on the left rear passenger side.

Police said they also observed vodka and liquor containers in and about the vehicle.

There was no one in the vehicle and police conducted a quick search of the nearby field, finding no one. However, when they searched the canal near the vehicle, they found a person face down in the canal about 60 feet from the vehicle.

The victim was identified as Christopher Jacob, 23, of Shiprock. Police said they could find no trace of life when they did a physical examination of the body.

An investigation revealed that Jacob was apparently heading east on U.S. 64 and encountered a section of wet highway because of the rain. He lost control of the car and ran off the shoulder of the road, at which time his vehicle entered into a lateral clockwise slide and hit the tree.

After the car struck the tree, the door opened and the driver was ejected and thrown into the canal, where he slid until he came to rest where he was found.

Alleged battery probed

Navajo police are investigating an alleged aggravated battery that occurred in the Douglas Mesa, Utah, area on Aug. 21.

Police were called to the home of Jeannie Begay, 61, about 9:30 p.m. after she called and reported that her husband - Herman Begay, 61 - had been assaulted by David Joe, 34, of Dennehotso, Ariz., and two unknown companions earlier in the day.

When police arrived they found Herman Begay with numerous injuries to his face. There was dried blood all over his face and his left eye was completely swollen shut.

A look at the family's bedroom, where the assault reportedly took place, revealed blood on the floor and the bed.

When police conducted their investigation, they discovered that the weapon that made the injuries was a black portable heater. The victim was taken to the Kayenta clinic and then airlifted to Phoenix.

The case was turned over to CID for investigation.

Skull found near Indian Wells

Police are working with Navajo Nation archaeologists  in connection with a human skull that was found near Indian Wells, Ariz., on Aug. 20.

Leonard Halwood, a road grader for the chapter, told police he came upon the skull and some artifacts while working that day. The artifacts included pottery shards as well as a pottery bowl.

The skull was thought to be Anasazi but no determination of that was made in the preliminary report. The exact location of the find was not made public to avoid the possibility of pot hunters.

Back to top ^