Former Arizona police officer indicted after deadly hit-and-run on the reservation
PHOENIX - A former White Mountain Apache Police officer has been indicted after the deadly hit-and-run of a 30-year-old woman on the reservation last Thanksgiving.
The crash happened on Nov. 23 around 3:30 a.m. on Highway 73, just south of the Hon-Dah Casino. Authorities say former officer, Josh Anderson, 49, was on duty when he hit Billy Iris with his patrol car and left the scene.
A week ago, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a two-count indictment against Anderson, a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona says.
He's accused of engaging in misleading conduct to hinder or delay and corruptly altering and concealing evidence.
"The indictment alleges that, at approximately 3:31 a.m. on November 23, 2023, Anderson was on-duty and was dispatched to conduct a welfare check of a body that had been observed on State Route 73, on White Mountain Apache Tribal lands. Anderson proceeded to the scene and discovered that the person was deceased. Anderson later acknowledged that only minutes before being dispatched to the scene, he had driven the same stretch of highway and felt a ‘bump’ but continued southbound on SR 73 without stopping to investigate," the news release said.
Anderson is accused of investigating Iris' death by speaking with paramedics, interviewing witnesses, briefing and directing officers, filling out an autopsy report and eventually notifying the victim's family of her death.
Woman killed by hit-and-run driver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation
A woman named Iris Billy was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Hondah on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation on Nov. 23, police said.
"The indictment alleges that Anderson did not inform his superiors or fellow officers about his likely involvement in the traffic fatality, but rather allowed the investigation to continue. It is further alleged that after returning to his home, Anderson removed the bumper from his patrol vehicle, which had been damaged in the accident, and concealed it. The next day, Anderson resigned from the police department," the attorney's office said.
If Anderson is convicted, he could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Police Department investigated this case.