Navajo Man from San Juan County Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement Officer

ALBUQUERQUE – Emory Werito, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Nageezi, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 36 months in prison for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.  Werito will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Werito was arrested on Aug. 24, 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting and resisting a federal law enforcement officer.  According to the complaint, on Aug. 16, 2016, the U.S. Marshals Service and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office attempted to execute an arrest warrant on Werito.  As the officers were executing a traffic stop on Werito, he backed his vehicle into a vehicle driven by a Deputy U.S. Marshal and almost hit another Deputy U.S. Marshal while Werito was attempting to evade arrest.

On Oct. 31, 2017, Werito pled guilty to a felony information charging him with assaulting a federal officer.  In entering the guilty plea, Werito admitted that on Aug. 16, 2016, he drove a vehicle toward a Deputy U.S. Marshal engaged in the performance of his official duties.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Spindle prosecuted the case.