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Perris Jeremiah Arthur, 36, of Vanderwagen, McKinley County, New Mexico, United States is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. The Indian reservation of Navajo people in the country occupies portions of the northwestern part of New Mexico, the northeastern part of Arizona, USA and the southeastern part of Utah, USA.

Perris Arthur

On May 1, 2023, Arthur went to a man’s residence in Vanderwagen and allegedly started a confrontation. The former allegedly went outside to retrieve a rifle from his all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and fired two shots into a recreational vehicle (RV).

Arthur allegedly pointed the weapon directly at the man, whose name was not released. The former allegedly threatened the latter with the firearm. 

On June 4, 2024, Arthur appeared before a federal judge. He was indicted with multiple federal firearms offenses and attempted murder.

On May 9, 2025, Arthur pleaded guilty to assault and federal firearms charges. He faces a minimum of seven years and up to life in prison at sentencing and he will be subject to up to five years of supervised release upon his release from prison.

Assistant U.S. attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuted the case. The Farmington Resident Agency of the field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico investigated it with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.

Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American tribe by both tribal enrollment and land. Its seat of government is in Window Rock, Apache County, Arizona, which is around 44 miles away from Vanderwagen.

Born in Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, Buu Van Nygren assumed office as the president of the Navajo Nation on January 10, 2023. He turned 38 on December 25, 2024.

On May 7, 2025, the 25th Navajo Nation Council celebrated the launch of the $43 million LeChee Water System Improvement Project. The project uses the Lake Powell water intake previously used by the Navajo Generating Station, which is currently owned by the Navajo Nation.