Morgan Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Police Officer

ALBUQUERQUE - A Morgan Lake man pleaded guilty to 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. When they arrived in the area, the driver, Kendall Benally, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, refused to obey commands and attempted to flee in his vehicle, striking and injuring an officer and a marked unit in the process. Benally then exited the vehicle and fled on foot and attempted to hide from officers. Benally was found and arrested a short time later.

Benally pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit a felony and faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge 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.