SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A Fruitland man pleaded guilty in federal court to threatening a driver, attacking the driver’s vehicle with a machete and hatchet, stealing her car, and leading police on a high-speed chase, according to the Department of Justice.
In his plea agreement, Brandon Barber, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted that on May 9, 2022, a woman was driving her Jeep when his co-defendant, Lindsey Yazzie, threw a large rock at the windshield, forcing her to stop. Barber then attacked the woman’s vehicle with a machete and hatchet, smashing the windshield and windows.
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Barber and Yazzie then pulled the woman from the vehicle, and proceeded to steal the Jeep. Barber then led the Navajo Police Department on a high-speed chase. The court ordered that Barber remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Barber faces up to 15 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Barber will be subject to up to three years of supervised release. Yazzie is currently scheduled to stand trial on July 8.
