Arizona Woman Pleads Guilty To And Is Sentenced For Harboring And Concealing A Man To Prevent His Arrest

ALBUQUERQUE – Jennifer Janice Morgan, 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Ganado, Ariz., N.M., pleaded guilty this morning to harboring and concealing a person for the purpose of preventing his arrest on an arrest warrant.  Morgan, who has been in federal custody since her arrest on May 30, 2013, was sentenced to a year in prison, which was suspended, and a year of probation.

According to the criminal complaint, on May 21, 2013, Morgan evaded deputies of the McKinley County Sheriff’s Department as she drove from New Mexico towards Window Rock, Ariz., with a passenger who had an outstanding federal arrest warrant from the District of Arizona for violating the terms of his supervised release.  As Morgan drove past the New Mexico-Arizona state line, officers of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, who had activated their vehicles’ sirens and emergency lights, took up the pursuit as Morgan continued to drive through Window Rock and towards Fort Defiance, Ariz. 

The officers finally were able to stop Morgan’s vehicle in Navajo, N.M.  When the officers took Morgan into tribal custody, she admitted that she and her passenger were fleeing from the officers because her passenger was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant.  Morgan remained in tribal custody until her arrest on federal charges on May 30, 2013.

During today’s proceedings, Morgan entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor information charging her with harboring and concealing a person from arrest.

This case was investigated by the Window Rock office of the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.