Judge rejects plea agreement in case of missing Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay

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PHOENIX, AZ (AP) — A federal judge in Phoenix has rejected a plea agreement that would have allowed a man who admitted to beating a Navajo elder and leaving her for dead to avoid more prison time. Preston Henry Tolth, 26, now will face trial on charges of carjacking and assault in relation to the 2021 disappearance of Ella Mae Begay. A trial date hasn’t been set. Under the agreement, Tolth would have been sentenced to three years of time served in exchange for acknowledging his role in the crime