Casamero Lake Woman Sentenced for Fatal Hit-and-Run

ALBUQUERQUE - A Casamero Lake woman was sentenced to 37 months in prison for striking and killing a pedestrian on a dirt road while driving drunk.

According to court documents, on or about August 6, 2024, Debbie Rojack, 46, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, hit and killed John Doe on a dirt road in the Borrego Pass area after drinking a six-pack of beer that day. John Doe was last seen leaving work on August 5, 2024, and his body was discovered four days later. An autopsy determined that John Doe died from blunt force injuries consistent with vehicular trauma, including multiple fractures and a severed spinal cord. Investigators recovered vehicle debris near the body, and several parts were traced to a gray 2018-2022 Ford SUV. Additional investigation linked the parts to a gray 2019 Ford SUV owned by Rojack, which had significant damage to the driver's side and deployed airbags. A federal search warrant executed on the vehicle recovered additional evidence.

On October 4, 2024, special agents interviewed Rojack, who stated that she had been involved in an accident in a canyon while driving home from Crownpoint to Casamero Lake late at night. Rojack claimed she believed she struck a deer and did not stop to investigate because she was alone and it was late at night. She admitted drinking a six-pack of Bud Light on the day of the crash and stated that she was approximately a "5 out of 10" in terms of intoxication. Rojack further stated that she later learned a person had been found dead in the same canyon where the collision occurred and acknowledged she was concerned that she may have struck a person. She also confirmed that she was the sole occupant of the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Rojack pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Upon her release from prison, Rojack will be subject to two years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Jack Burkehad are prosecuting the case.