Through investigation, officers gained information on Destinee Sweeney and the child’s possible location at a house on County Road 4029 in the Middle Mesa area of Navajo Lake. San Juan County Sheriff’s Office deputies, NMSP, and FPD officers responded to the area. Working together, they were able to locate Ava Spicer safely and arrest Sweeney around 2:19 a.m. Sweeney was charged with kidnapping and intimidation of a witness.
From Farmington Police:
Thursday, February 4, 2021
On February 3, 2021, around 6:30 p.m. Destinee Sweeney and her girlfriend had a verbal altercation in the Walmart parking lot on E. Main St., resulting in her partner walking away from the vehicle for a few minutes. Sweeney drove away with her girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, Ava Spicer. After attempting to persuade Sweeney to return the child for some time, Spicer’s mother contacted Farmington police at approximately 8:17 p.m. Officers obtained information on the child, Sweeney, and the vehicle they were last seen in and issued an attempt to locate. After Sweeney made statements threatening the child’s safety, New Mexico State Police issued an Amber Alert. Through investigation, officers gained information on Sweeney and the child’s possible location at a house on County Road 4029 in the Middle Mesa area of Navajo Lake. San Juan County Sheriff’s Office deputies, NMSP, and FPD officers responded to the area. Working together, they were able to locate Ava Spicer safely and arrest Sweeney around 2:19 a.m. Sweeney was charged with kidnapping and intimidation of a witness.
Farmington Police Department thanks SJCSO, NMSP, La Plata County Colorado Sheriff’s Office, and Southern Ute Police Department for their assistance in bringing this incident to a peaceful resolution.
The driver of the red Toyota Supra, 22-year-old Kalynn Kenworthy, was charged with racing on highways. Kenworthy has an extensive history of traffic violations, including citations for racing in August 2025 and in 2023, as well as more than seven speeding citations within the past four years, each averaging more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit. Additional charges are pending against the driver of the white passenger car.
According to court documents, from approximately January 2018 to November 2020, Benally, 48, and his co-conspirators established over 30 farms, covering more than 400 acres, on land obtained from Navajo Nation members. To fund this illegal enterprise, Benally and a co-conspirator traveled to California and created front companies to solicit Chinese investors. These investors were charged cash fees ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 for counterfeit cannabis cultivation licenses.
It was discovered that several individuals had been injured. A juvenile sustained a graze wound, a 16-year-old was shot in the leg, and an 18-year-old was shot in the chest and transported to Albuquerque in critical condition. The vehicle involved in the crash is connected to the shooter. At this time, the shooter has been identified as an 18-year-old male.
As three individuals tried to leave a party, a male subject began shooting, unintentionally striking the vehicle and, subsequently, a passenger inside the vehicle. The passenger was transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center and later transported to UNM in Albuquerque, where she is awake and in stable condition.
Using multiple means of evidence, the driver was identified as Alvin Paul who was driving a 2003 white Chevrolet when he veered off the road, hitting Shirley. Paul did not stop or report the crash and surveillance footage from a nearby business proved Paul as the driver. He later admitted to operating the vehicle carelessly.
At the time of the crash, Paul’s driver’s license was revoked from a prior DWI arrests. He has two prior DWI convictions and is currently on probation for the second DWI.
Update: Driver Cited for Street Racing (video)
Dineh Benally Pleads Guilty to Charges from Illegal Marijuana Farms
Three Injured in Farmington Shooting, Suspect Arrested
Woman Injured in Shooting, Suspect Arrested
Candidates File for Municipal Elections
