Dennehotso Man Sentenced to 13 Months for Assault on a Navajo Nation Police Officer

     PHOENIX– Yesterday, Reed O’Brien Thomas, Jr., 27, from Dennehotso, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 13 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Thomas had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer.

     The investigation revealed that on August 17, 2016, Navajo Nation police officers responded to a domestic dispute on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Thomas fought with the officers, and during the struggle, one of the officers sustained a broken finger. Thomas is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. The officers at the time were delegated authority to enforce federal law.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-16-08219-PCT-GMS

RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-070_Thomas

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