A Shiprock man is facing federal charges for allegedly carjacking an SUV at gunpoint and forcing two occupants from the vehicle before fleeing the scene, according to a July 31 announcement.
Court documents state that on September 28, 2022, Cordalle Landon White, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly approached two people in a parked SUV in Shiprock, New Mexico. White is accused of pointing a handgun at one victim, threatening to shoot her, and ordering both victims out of the vehicle before driving away in the stolen SUV.
Officers with the Navajo Police Department later recovered the vehicle in Cudei, New Mexico, and found a loaded handgun inside. Investigators reported that one victim identified White in a photo lineup and DNA evidence recovered from the firearm was later linked to him.
White has been charged with carjacking and will remain in custody pending trial. A trial date has not yet been scheduled. If convicted on this charge, White faces up to 15 years in prison.
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, announced these charges. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.