Kendall Benally, Assaulting a Police Officer, New Mexico 2025

Morgan Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Police Officer

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – A Navajo Nation Police officer was left injured after being struck by a vehicle driven by a suspect who later fled the scene.

On September 28, 2025, officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a report of a suspected drunk driver in the area. When they arrived, 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, attempting to hide from officers. He 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. The crime took place on September 28, 2025, in Morgan Lake, New Mexico.

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. The incident serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement officers on a daily basis.

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