Tohatchi man draws 13-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter in 2022 incident

A Tohatchi man has drawn a 13-month sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2022 drunk-driving incident in Sheep Springs on the Navajo Nation in western San Juan County.

Donavan Henry, 40, a member of the Navajo Nation, entered a guilty plea on July 14, 2023, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. In addition to the prison sentence, he will be required to make restitution to the Crime Victims Reparation Commission for funeral expenses, as well as make additional restitution to his living victim and his deceased victim’s next of kin.

Henry was driving east on Navajo Route 134 in Sheep Springs with two passengers on Nov. 2, 2022, when he lost control of the vehicle, court documents state, causing the car to exit the roadway and flip when it hit a boulder. All three occupants were ejected from the vehicle, the release states.

A Navajo Police officer who arrived at the scene found Henry under the vehicle, while the two passengers were found lying on the ground nearby, the release states. Henry was airlifted to the San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, while the backseat passenger was taken to the Gallup Indian Medical Center.

The front-seat passenger was placed in an ambulance for transport to the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, but he died of his injuries before leaving the scene.

The release states a sample of Henry’s blood was drawn at the hospital, and his blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.16. — in excess of the legal limit for driving. In his plea agreement, Henry acknowledged he was driving under the influence of alcohol and that his level of intoxication impeded his ability to drive.

Henry will face three years of probation upon completing his sentence and will be subject to mandatory alcohol treatment, according to the release.

According to court records, Henry pleaded guilty in 2012 to a DWI charge. He was fined, and ordered to perform community service and complete a DWI school course.

The case was investigated by the Farmington resident agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque field office with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.