Navajo Nation Police Department warns tribal citizens about treatment center recruiters

The Navajo Nation Police Department has received numerous missing persons reports that they have traced to addiction treatment centers in Arizona.

Now they are warning tribal communities about recruiters.

It all started one Monday morning when Navajo Nation Police Sgt. Roland Dash looked at the arrest log which was unusually small after the weekend.

“We only had one, and I asked the sergeant on duty what was going on,” Dash said.

Dash started asking around and heard about a white van coming into Tuba City, Arizona.

“And they were asking everyone if they were hungry, if they wanted a place to stay and that they were coming out of a rehab center out of Arizona,” he said.

The recruiters have been reported in various areas like the outdoor markets or picking up people walking on the side of the road, according to a statement published on Facebook by the Navajo Nation Police Department on Nov. 17.

Soon families started to report their loved ones missing.

“We started getting calls, missing persons,” Dash said.

Dash began looking into different sober homes, or group homes, after a family member of a missing person told him their brother went to a recovery treatment center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Navajo Nation Police Department has received numerous missing persons reports that they have traced to addiction treatment centers in Arizona. Now they are warning tribal communities about recruiters.

Dash spoke with an individual over the phone at a treatment center. He explained he willingly went with the recruiters and reconnected with his sister.

“A lot of these individuals that are missing are shown up at a rehab center, down in Phoenix, ” said Dash said in a phone call with Tribal Radio.

In a separate incident, Carol Willeto posted to Facebook warning people about a couple from Blue Sapphire Group Home showing up at a Window Rock outdoor market and recruiting people.

Tribal Radio contacted the Blue Sapphire Group Home about their business and why they were in Window Rock, Ariz., but questions remain.

Dash is working with the FBI, criminal investigators, and other agencies to ensure the safety of Navajo communities and is asking anyone with any information about these incidents to contact Sgt. Dash, at (928) 637-3028, the FBI, at (800) 225-5324, or online at tips.fbi.gov.

Radio version
Intro: The Navajo Nation Police Department has received numerous missing persons reports
that they have traced to addiction treatment centers in Arizona. Now they are warning tribal
communities about recruiters. For KSUT Tribal Radio, Crystal Ashike has more.

Crystal: It all started one Monday morning when Navajo Nation Police Sgt. Roland Dash
looked at the arrest log which was unusually small after the weekend.

1:15 Dash: “We only had one, and I asked the Sergeant on duty what was going on…let’s go
check.”

Crystal: So Sgt. Dash started asking around and heard about a white van coming into
Tuba City, Arizona.

1.44: Dash: “And they were asking everyone if they were hungry, if they wanted a place to stay,
and that they were coming out of a rehab center out of Arizona…from alcohol”

Crystal: The recruiters have been reported in various areas like the outdoor markets or
picking up people walking on the side of the road according to a statement published on
Facebook by the Navajo Nation Police Department on November 17. Soon families started to report their loved ones missing.

Dash: “We started getting calls, missing persons.”

Crystal: Sgt. Dash began looking into different sober homes or group homes after a
family member of a missing person told him their brother went to a recovery treatment
center in Phoenix, Ariz. Sgt. Dash spoke with the individual over the phone. He explained he willingly went with the recruiters and reconnected with his sister. But the Police Department Facebook post
from November 17 said some people had experienced difficulty returning to the
Navajo Nation. Sgt. Dash says the problem is ongoing.

3:33: Dash: “Right now it’s a constant thing of these guys showing up here and taking these
individuals down.”

Crystal: In a separate Facebook post from October 26, Carol Willeto, a community
member, warned people about a couple from Blue Sapphire Group Home showing up at
Window Rock, Ariz., outdoor market and recruiting people.

Tribal Radio contacted the Blue Sapphire Group Home about their business and why they
were in Window Rock, Ariz. A woman who identified herself as Justine, apologized and
said she was not involved because she had no Navajo clients and then hung up.

Sgt. Dash is now working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate any
possible criminal activity and to ensure the safety of Navajo communities.

3:44: “I made contact with the FBI on this whole thing, I made contact with….”

Crystal: The Navajo Nation police department is advising community members not to get
into vehicles with individuals they do not know, even for a short ride.

Sgt. Dash is asking anyone with any information about these incidents to call him at
9-2-8-6-3-7-3-0-2-8, the FBI, at 1-8-0-0-2-2-5-5-3-2-4, or online at tips DOT fb DOT gov.

For KSUT Tribal Radio, I’m Crystal Ashike