Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman was sentenced to five years of probation after failing to seek medical care for her injured son.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on March 15, 2024, Avondale Johnson, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was arrested after Navajo Nation Police responded to a concerned citizen’s report that Johnson‘s minor son was living in a disabled car without heating or cooling and was left unattended for hours at a time. When officers arrived, they found the minor in the car wearing a soiled diaper and complaining of arm pain. Medical examination revealed the minor had a displaced spiral fracture in his upper arm that was approximately one week old. Johnson admitted she knew her son was injured but did not seek medical care. Johnson pled guilty to recklessly permitting the abandonment or abuse of a child, with no death or great bodily harm.
Acting 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 FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
This press release was posted November 13, after the end of the federal government shutdown.