Phoenix, Arizona - This week, Eric Kinney, of Inscription House, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 24 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Kinney had previously pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.
On August 9, 2018, Kinney went into the victim’s house with an axe. Once inside, Kinney pushed the victim against a wall while holding the axe in a threatening manner. The assault occurred on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, and Kinney is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.