Arizona woman sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter in Indian Country
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Kayla Baker was sentenced on Aug. 29 in federal court to five years in prison. Baker, 26, of Ganado, Arizona, pleaded guilty on May 19 to involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on June 16, 2018, Baker was driving while intoxicated when she attempted to pass another vehicle. She steered into the path of on an oncoming vehicle, resulting in a crash that killed the other driver and severely injured the leg of a passenger. Tests following the crash showed Baker’s blood alcohol content was .12 and THC was present in her system. Law enforcement also found alcohol in Baker’s vehicle. The crash occurred in New Mexico on the Navajo Nation.
Upon her release from prison, Baker will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
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