Northern Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Police Officer

Man Deliberately Collided into Police Cruiser

PHOENIX—Larry Shonnie Ben, Jr., of Kayenta, Arizona, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to assault with a dangerous weapon.

On December 13, 2009, officers from the Kayenta Police Department received calls regarding a drunk driver and in response to such calls, conducted a traffic stop with Ben. While an officer was reaching into Ben’s vehicle to retrieve the keys, Ben backed up, drove over the officer’s foot and fled. Officers from the Shiprock Police Department assisted in the pursuit.

Ben deliberately collided into the rear-end of the officer’s vehicle when the officer proceeded to drive in front of Ben to warn oncoming vehicles.

The crime of assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set in this case for December 6, 2010, in front of U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Martone.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Division of Public Safety Department of Criminal Investigations, the Kayenta Police Department, the Shiprock Police Department, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-10-8014-PCT-FJM

RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-210(Ben)