Fort Defiance man sentenced in hammer attack

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Dine Bureau

PHOENIX — A Fort Defiance man was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg to 87 months in federal prison for aggravated assault, followed by placement in an inpatient mental health rehabilitation program while on three years supervised release.

Francis Naswood, 29, pleaded guilty April 28 to assaulting Thomas Whitehead on Jan. 8. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the facts showed that Naswood assaulted Whitehead with a hammer after Whitehead had stopped to assist another motorist whose car became stuck during a blizzard.

Whitehead gave the motorist a ride to her home, where the assault occurred. Whitehead, who is in the military, was on his way to a deployment to Afghanistan when he stopped to help the motorist. He was seriously injured.

The case was investigated by the Navajo Nation Police Department and the FBI in Gallup.