U.S. Attorney Announces Guilty Plea in Navajo Nation Assault Case

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pleaded guilty today in federal court to assault resulting in serious bodily injury after slicing another man's throat during a gathering.

According to court documents, on September 10, 2022, Darron Smith, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was attending a small gathering at an apartment within the Navajo Nation reservation. Shortly after midnight, without warning or provocation, Smith removed a 7.5-inch blade from a knife block and sliced the throat of John Doe.

Doe was rushed to the emergency room and hospitalized. He suffered a 5 ½ inch laceration on his neck which required 13 sutures.

At sentencing, Smith faces up to ten years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Smith will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. McGinley and Mark A. Probasco are prosecuting the case.

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