Arizona Woman Sentenced for Endangering Children in Drunken High-Speed Crash

ALBUQUERQUE - An Arizona woman was sentenced to five years of probation for driving drunk with her three young children.

According to court documents, on May 4, 2024, the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to multiple reports of a vehicle driven by Avedale Johnson, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, traveling erratically at a high rate of speed on U.S. Highway 491. Officers recorded the vehicle traveling 98 miles per hour. Because of the extreme speed and dangerous driving behavior, officers discontinued the pursuit and continued monitoring the vehicle.

Officers were later dispatched to a vehicle crash in Farmington involving the same vehicle. The vehicle was on fire, and witnesses reported that Johnson and her children had fled the scene. No injuries were reported after evaluation by hospital personnel, except for a minor bump on the head. During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Johnson admitted to drinking while driving and said her children were unrestrained in the vehicle. Law enforcement also recovered drug paraphernalia and empty alcohol bottles from the vehicle.

Johnson pleaded guilty to abandonment or abuse of a child and Johnson will be subject to 5 years of probation.

Acting 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 FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.