An 18-year-old has been charged after a black SUV was seen driving in circles at high speed with passengers sitting on the window frames outside the vehicle before crashing through a cable barrier at Kirtland Central High School, according to court records.

Katrina Celese Henry, 18, of Farmington, is accused in connection with the April 5 incident at the campus on Road 6100, where witnesses reported the vehicle speeding through the parking lot and toward the bus loading area.

According to an affidavit, a teacher reported hearing screaming outside before observing a black SUV driving erratically through the school parking lot. The vehicle was seen making repeated circles at a high rate of speed, with four individuals sitting on the window frames outside the vehicle as it moved across the campus.

Surveillance footage reviewed by law enforcement allegedly shows the SUV entering through an opening near the middle school parking area and continuing to drive in circles across multiple sections of the lot. The vehicle then traveled south toward the bus loading zone, where it drove over a speed bump at a high rate of speed and appeared to gain momentum.

Police allege the SUV then struck a sign and crashed through a cable barrier separating parking areas. The impact reportedly pulled metal posts anchored in the ground and dragged one a significant distance before the vehicle came to a stop.

Moments after the crash, individuals exited the SUV and were seen inspecting the damage. According to the affidavit, one person picked up the sign that had been struck while the driver attempted to open the rear hatch before moving around the vehicle.

The group then re-entered the SUV and left the campus, according to the report.

Investigators later identified the vehicle as a black GMC Terrain using surveillance footage and license plate information. The vehicle was observed before and after the incident with no damage prior to the crash and significant front-end and passenger-side damage afterward, according to the affidavit.

Henry was later contacted by law enforcement and told investigators she was driving the vehicle during the incident. According to court records, she told investigators she had been driving around the parking lot with others and attempted to drive through poles but did not see the cable before striking it.

She told investigators she did not contact law enforcement after the crash.

CHARGES FILED

• Abuse of a child (no death or great bodily harm), third-degree felony (two counts)
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor, fourth-degree felony (two counts)
• Reckless driving
• Child passenger restraint violations (two counts)
• Immediate notice of accidents

CASE STATUS

Henry is scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination on April 30, 2026, in San Juan County Magistrate Court in Aztec.

SOURCE

San Juan County Magistrate Court records and affidavit for arrest warrant.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.