A Navajo Nation Council delegate whose home was burglarized faces a battery charge after allegedly assaulting one of the suspects, The Gallup Independent reports.

Delegate Omer Begay Jr. said Navajo Nation police were taking too long to investigate the March 11 burglary. He ended up identifying the suspects -- one of whom turned out to be a relative -- and also located the items taken from his home.

But in doing so, Begay admits he "whacked" one of the suspects in the leg with "an old ax handle," according to police reports. He found himself being arrested, along with the men accused of committing the burglary.

“The police were given full opportunity to pick up the perpetrators from day one, but they didn’t do it. It took three days and then finally this happened, and now I’m the perpetrator,” Begay told the Independent. “I was the victim to begin with, and I still am the victim.”

Begay was arrested in March 2007 after an alleged domestic violence incident with his wife.

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Delegate takes law into own hands (The Gallup Independent 3/18)

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