The mayor of a city near the Navajo Nation was charged with the rape of a 16-year-old Native girl in 1948 but the case was never prosecuted, The Gallup Independent reports.
Gallup Mayor Harry Mendoza said he never knew he was charged, along with six other men, with the rape. He was 16 years old at the time.
Five other men who were involved were convicted of the crime in June 1949. But Mendoza was not tried apparently because he was serving in the military.
The charges against Mendoza were never dropped so it's possible he could still be prosecuted.
Get the Story:
Rape charge still active
(The Gallup independent 6/24)
Was Mendoza part of a gang rape? (The Gallup Independent 6/19)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)