Navajo Man Patrick Yazzie-Tso Gets 42 Months for Brutal Assault

Patrick Yazzie-Tso, 28, a member of the Navajo Nation from Santa Fe, N.M., is headed to federal prison for 42 months after pleading guilty to a violent assault that left a woman battered and traumatized on Pojoaque Pueblo land. The sentence, handed down in Albuquerque federal court, marks the end of a years-long case rooted in a savage December 2015 attack.

On December 13, 2015, Pojoaque Pueblo Tribal Police responded to a domestic violence call only to find evidence of a brutal confrontation. According to federal court documents, Yazzie-Tso punched the victim — a non-Indian woman — repeatedly in the head and face, slammed a large painting canvas into her, and then strangled her by wrapping his hands tightly around her neck and throat. The assault triggered immediate federal jurisdiction due to the cross-jurisdictional nature of the crime.

Yazzie-Tso was arrested in January 2016 on a federal criminal complaint and later indicted on February 9, 2016, on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and strangling an intimate partner. The charges carry heavy penalties under federal law, especially when committed across tribal jurisdictions involving victims of different tribal status.

On June 1, 2016, Yazzie-Tso pleaded guilty without a plea agreement, forgoing any negotiated leniency. His decision meant the court was under no obligation to reduce his sentence — a gamble that ultimately failed. With no plea deal to cushion the blow, the full weight of the federal sentencing guidelines came down.

The investigation was jointly led by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Pojoaque Pueblo Tribal Police Department — a collaboration that underscores the complex law enforcement realities on tribal lands. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle prosecuted the case, pushing for accountability in a system where justice for victims of inter-jurisdictional violence can often stall.

Following his 42-month prison term, Yazzie-Tso will be released under federal supervision for three years. The case stands as a stark reminder of the persistent issue of domestic violence in tribal communities — and the federal system’s role in enforcing justice when local boundaries blur and lives hang in the balance.