A Crownpoint woman has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after she drove while intoxicated and reportedly killed a man.
According to court documents, on Aug. 4, 2020, Ryntana Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, had been drinking alcohol and was driving south on Highway 371 outside Farmington when her vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and struck a truck driven by a man who was driving northbound. The man died due to his injuries from the crash.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced Nov. 3 that Yazzie, 34, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Yazzie was placed on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Yazzie may face up to eight years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
