NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A man has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The charge stemmed from an incident in 2021.
According to the US Department of Justice, Kyle Joseph Harney-Chee is a member of the OhKay Owinegeh Pueblo, pleaded guilty to the charge, and will stay in custody until sentencing.
Court documents alleged Chee was driving on Highway 84/285 on January 16, 2021, and had consumed marijuana and alcohol. He reportedly became distracted by his phone, looked away from the road, and hit a motorcycle from behind. The driver was killed. Chee stopped his vehicle and called 911. The documents said he told officials that he had consumed those substances.
Chee faces up to eight years in prison and up to three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. The sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled.