An Arizona woman was sentenced on April 29 to five years of probation after admitting to driving drunk with her three young children in the vehicle.
According to court documents, Avedale Johnson, age 41 and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was seen driving erratically at a high speed on U.S. Highway 491 on May 4, 2024. Officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department recorded her vehicle traveling at 98 miles per hour. Due to the dangerous nature of her driving, officers stopped their pursuit but continued monitoring her location.
Later that day, police responded to a crash involving Johnson's vehicle in Farmington. The car was found on fire and witnesses reported that Johnson and her children had fled the scene. Hospital personnel evaluated all involved and found no injuries except for a minor bump on one child's head. During an interview with law enforcement, Johnson admitted she had been drinking while driving and confirmed that her children were unrestrained in the car. Police also recovered drug paraphernalia and empty alcohol bottles from inside the vehicle.
Johnson pleaded guilty to abandonment or abuse of a child and will serve five years of probation as part of her sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said he made this announcement along with Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office. The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting.
