State, tribal officials supporting Hounshell

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

ST. JOHNS, Ariz. — Several loyal supporters of Apache County Sheriff Brian Hounshell traveled to an Apache County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to voice their support for the embattled sheriff and against a recommendation to rescind a mutual aid agreement with the Navajo Nation.

Delegate Larry Anderson (Fort Defiance) and Delegate Curran Hannon (St. Michaels/Oak Springs) joined Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr.'s Chief of Staff Patrick Sandoval and Public Safety Executive Director Samson Cowboy as each patiently shifted in their seats waiting for opportunity to speak.

U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi sent Gabriel Freeland, a Renzi consultant, to deliver a letter to the board on the Nation's behalf. Arizona Sen. Albert Hale likewise sent a letter.

Delegate Anderson spoke for keeping the current mutual aid agreement between the county and the Nation intact "until we get a sufficient amount of people together that are competent enough to say, 'OK, let's start working right now. Let's roll up our sleeves. Come on to the table. Let's get this going.' "

Anderson said he traveled to St. Johns to "give this thought to the supervisors:"

"I know you all work very diligently to make things possible for the whole county. Remember, ladies and gentlemen, I'm a voter from Fort Defiance on the Navajo Nation. I'm a voter from there. Remember me! And remember others that live on the Navajo Nation that live in Apache County."

He told supervisors, first in Navajo and then in English, that there were other people on the Navajo Nation who wanted to attend the meeting to voice their comments. "We have sheepherders out there. We have people still living in the hogans that are still out there that want to say also, 'What is going on? What do we hear?'

"Because a lot of our elders today have radios. They listen to KTNN and the interpretation of what's happening. And now even our elders carry cell phones. They can call up any law enforcement they want when they're out there herding sheep."

Upon Deputy County Attorney Brad Carlyon's request for the sake of the Open Meetings Act, Anderson translated his comments from Navajo into English. "I introduced myself, sir, in my language. I'm Salt Clan and Where the Water Comes Together on my father's clan.

"My grandmother is the Red House People, and my other grandmother is Red Running Into Water. Those are my four basic clans. That is how I introduce myself to you and also to the Creator so that I could speak here at this time," Anderson said.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom White next recognized Delegate Hannon, who told the board he represents two chapters within Apache County. He said he agreed with Anderson and Public Safety's Samson Cowboy about keeping the mutual aid agreement intact.

"If it's voided, do you know what's going to happen? There's going to be more crime, more children are going to be on drugs, there's going to be more family and domestic violence. There's going to be more DUI's, there's going to be loss of Din free programs to youth and school facilities. Police call response time is going to go down," Cowboy said.

Hannon mentioned numerous ways in which Sheriff Hounshell contributes to the northern portion of Apache County located on the Navajo Nation, adding, "The elderly, the kids, the youth everyone knows him by sight. When they see him walking, they say, 'There's Sheriff Hounshell,' because he mixes with the people. He goes out among them.

"He's been counseling the high school students and grade school students in the area, on drugs and meth what it's going to do to you; and getting involved in gangs, what's going to happen.

"He's always there, ready to help take the Grandma Thomas Walk, the Navajo Nation Council Ride, The Navajo Nation Veterans Honor Run. He's always there.

"I just heard a few moments ago that Cmdr. Goldsmith died 'riding a motorcycle.' He died for a 'cause,' " Hannon said pointedly, his voice rising in emphasis as he turned toward Arizona Counties Insurance Pool Executive Director Bill Hardy.

"We were doing a Navajo Nation Honor Run and he got into an accident. He died. Even the most experienced bike rider will get into an accident ... It seems like he's just being made fun of. We take our veterans seriously. That's why we conduct these honor runs," Hannon said.

While the other 10 counties in the insurance pool are not opposed to Apache County officers responding to extreme emergency SWAT situations one of the highest-risk jobs for officers, according to Hardy lower-risk services provided by the Sheriff's Office to Apache County citizens living on the Navajo Nation appear destined for the chopping block; services such as the Grandma Thomas Walk, the Council Ride, and the Honor Run.

In southern Apache County last week, the Sheriff's Office provided a funeral escort upon request for a family in the south end of the county. Based on service limits discussed Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office would not be able to provide funeral escorts in the northern end of the county due to unacceptable risks.