Final defendant in Navajo Nation sex case pleads guilty

SALT LAKE CITY — The last defendant in a Navajo Nation sex abuse case has pleaded guilty.

Cynthia Bitsuie Jones, 40, Montezuma Creek, pleaded guilty Wednesday to holding a victim on the ground while another person sexually assaulted the victim. The incident occurred Dec. 2, 2009, in a remote area east of Montezuma Creek.

"The plea agreements reached in this case will allow for appropriate punishment for this horrendous crime," U.S. Attorney for Utah Carlie Christensen said in a news release. "The trauma to victims of sexual assaults is significant and long-lasting. Although victims will testify if necessary, the emotional scars from a sexual assault make it difficult for them to talk publicly about the event. The resolution we have reached with these defendants means the victim will not be required to testify."

Johnson Joe, 42, and Michael Whitehorse, 21, both pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges related to the assault.

Whitehorse faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced later this month. Joe and Jones face up to life in prison for their convictions.

— Aaron Falk