ALBUQUERQUE – Sheiva Dee Joe, 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Yahtahey, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning to an indictment charging her with involuntary manslaughter. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Joe will be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Joe was arrested on July 15, 2015, on an indictment charging her with killing a man on Nov. 18, 2014, while driving under the influence of alcohol on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.
During today’s hearing, Joe pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Joe admitted that because of her intoxication, she was incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating a vehicle, and that she operated the vehicle without using due caution and with a reckless disregard that imperiled the lives of others.
Joe remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.