U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Prison Sentence in Fatal Navajo Nation DUI Case

ALBUQUERQUE – A Vanderwagen man was sentenced to 46 months in prison for a fatal drunk driving incident in 2022.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on October 2, 2022, near Bread Springs, New Mexico, Sheldon Carlton Daye, 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, struck and killed two individuals who were stopped on the shoulder of Highway 602 to repair a flat tire. The victims' disabled truck was pulled off to the side of the road, beyond the white shoulder line and rumble strips. Witnesses observed Daye's truck driving erratically before colliding with John Doe and Jane Doe, killing them instantly.

After the collision, Daye fled the scene. He attempted to conceal evidence by trying to hammer out the dents in his truck and by providing multiple false statements about his involvement to law enforcement. Daye fabricated an alibi and initially denied driving the vehicle, claiming his friend was responsible. He was not apprehended until May 11, 2023, when he finally admitted to drinking and driving on the night of the incident. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter as charged in a Superseding Indictment in this matter.

Upon his release from prison, Daye will be subject to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Meg P. Tomlinson are prosecuting the case.