Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Navajo Nation Police Officer

     PHOENIX, Ariz. – This week, Roland Allen Denny, of Baby Rocks, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dominic W. Lanza to 15 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Denny had previously pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer.

     In October 2018, Navajo Nation police and emergency medical personnel responded to a single-vehicle accident near Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.  Denny was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was intoxicated.  When first responders attempted to assist Denny with medical treatment, he punched one of the police officers in the jaw.  The officer, like many tribal police officers, holds a Special Law Enforcement Commission from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is thus authorized to enforce federal and tribal law.

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.