ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico announced that a woman has been sentenced for the death of her child following a crash in San Juan County two years ago.
29-year-old Tonya Mae Dale, a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after pleading guilty in March.
Prosecutors said Dale admitted she was driving while intoxicated with her two children in the vehicle on the night of June 26, 2019. She drove off the road near Shiprock and the vehicle became disabled. Dale walked away to find help while leaving behind the children, a baby and a young child. The young child wandered away from the car and was found dead the next day.
Once she is released, Dale will be subject to two years of supervised release.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department.
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