SHIPROCK, N.M. (KRQE) – A Utah man pleaded guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact involving a child under the age of 12 in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Pedro Lee Benally, 22, of Montezuma Creek, Utah, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled, according to a news release from the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico.
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Benally engaged in sexual contact with the child on multiple occasions between April 1, 2022, and Nov. 29, 2022, according to court documents. Afterward, Benally told the child not to tell anyone about what happened.
At sentencing, Benally may face up to 23 years in prison and must register as a sex offender upon his release.
