The following is a press release from the Buckeye Police Department:
Buckeye police have arrested a Verrado High School employee who allegedly showed an indecent photograph to three female students on school grounds.
Vincent Petti, 26, an Avondale resident, was booked into the Maricopa County Jail Wednesday on three felony counts of furnishing harmful materials to a minor.
The three female students told police that Petti showed the photograph to them on the school campus sometime within the last month.
School officials said Petti, an in-school suspension coordinator and an assistant boys football coach at Verrado High School, was suspended Monday morning after the allegations arose. Agua Fria School District administration continues to review all allegations and will consider further disciplinary action.
Petti has been employed with the district since August.
Verrado High School administrators were sending a letter home to parents today explaining the situation. School district officials are cooperating with Buckeye police as the investigation continues.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Bat VS gun = bat loses!
A homeowner involved in a deadly shooting is claiming self defense.
It happened early Friday morning near 34th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.
Police said the homeowner, who has some physical disabilities, invited two people over.
After talking to one of the visitors for about 30 minutes, some kind of argument ensued.
The homeowner said that's when the visitor threatened him.
"He is claiming that the victim in this case came at him with an aluminum baseball bat," said Sgt. Eric Lummley of the Phoenix Police Department.
The homeowner fired a single shot. The victim died on the scene.
At this point, police do not believe charges will be filed.
It happened early Friday morning near 34th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.
Police said the homeowner, who has some physical disabilities, invited two people over.
After talking to one of the visitors for about 30 minutes, some kind of argument ensued.
The homeowner said that's when the visitor threatened him.
"He is claiming that the victim in this case came at him with an aluminum baseball bat," said Sgt. Eric Lummley of the Phoenix Police Department.
The homeowner fired a single shot. The victim died on the scene.
At this point, police do not believe charges will be filed.
Double standard anyone?
A former Flagstaff High School teacher who admitted have sex with teenage boys has been sentenced to probation. Tawni Wimberley had sex with two underage boys last year while she was on leave from her assignment teaching computer and technology classes. She pleaded guilty last month to two counts of sexual conduct with a minor
The 30-year-old tearfully apologized for hurting the boys, their families and her own family at her sentencing on Thursday.
Wimberley had consensual sexual relationships with ``several'' male students, most of them legal adults.
Prosecutors had wanted jail time, but Coconino County Judge Dan Slayton noted she had no previous record and has worked to make amends. Slayton ordered Wimberley to serve three years probation.
If it were only a joke...
Mexico's five consulates in Arizona will open a telephone call center in Tucson next week.
The call center will handle assistance or complaint calls from Mexican nationals - especially those here illegally.
Officials decided on the move in response to increasingly restrictive measures such as Arizona's employer sanctions law and more negative attitudes toward immigrants.
It will be the first of several call centers planned for cities along the border.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon issued a directive earlier in the year for consulates in the United States to use their protection programs to respond to the new laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.
The center will be staffed around the clock by nine people specially trained to field and process reports particularly from illegal immigrants.
2 Teens Charged In Murder Of Corrections Officer
First-degree murder charges have been filed against two teens accused of gunning down corrections officer Bradley Gerrard in Buckeye.
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says the two teens -- 15 and 16 years old -- planned a carjacking, during which one teen laid down in the street while the other hid. "When Officer Gerrard stopped his car and exited to see if the man in the roadway needed help, the man in hiding approached him and shot him with a shotgun," says Thomas. He says the teens later set the car on fire.
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says the two teens -- 15 and 16 years old -- planned a carjacking, during which one teen laid down in the street while the other hid. "When Officer Gerrard stopped his car and exited to see if the man in the roadway needed help, the man in hiding approached him and shot him with a shotgun," says Thomas. He says the teens later set the car on fire.
Thomas says the teens are being charged as adults. "These two defendants are being prosecuted as adults because of the stop juvenile crime initiative, which the voters of this state passed in 1996," says Thomas. "That allows us to prosecute anyone between the ages of 15 and 17 years old who are accused of murder as adults."
Thomas says the decision to charge the teens as adults was not difficult. "These are young people who didn't do a prank -- this isn't shoplifting or anything like that. This is obviously an extremely serious crime in which they plotted and went to great lengths to carry out a murder."
Along with first-degree murder, the teens are also being charged with armed robbery, auto theft and arson. Even though the teens will be tried as adults, the death penalty will not be an option, since federal law does not allow it for juveniles.
Operation Safe Treat gets 22 sex offenders Arrested
Twenty-two sex offenders have been arrested on suspicion of various crimes, ranging from failing to register within Arizona to committing sex-related offenses.
Operation Safe Treat went from Tuesday to yesterday and involved more than 65 law-enforcement officers from 19 agencies throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.
U.S. Marshals say that among those arrested was Manuel Molina, who's believed to be an unregistered sex offender living in an apartment in Tempe.
Molina was wanted in Cochise County and St. Cloud, Minnesota, on suspicion of failing to register as a sex offender.
Federal authorities say Molina could face additional charges for failing to register in Maricopa County.
Operation Safe Treat went from Tuesday to yesterday and involved more than 65 law-enforcement officers from 19 agencies throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.
U.S. Marshals say that among those arrested was Manuel Molina, who's believed to be an unregistered sex offender living in an apartment in Tempe.
Molina was wanted in Cochise County and St. Cloud, Minnesota, on suspicion of failing to register as a sex offender.
Federal authorities say Molina could face additional charges for failing to register in Maricopa County.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Vietnam veteran wants north Phoenix peak named 'Veterans Mountain'
A Vietnam veteran has filed an application to name a mountain in north Phoenix "Veterans Mountain" in honor of all American veterans, "past, present and future."
The application was filed by Lanny Brent of Sun City. The 1,900-foot peak is in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, west of State Route 51 and north of Northern Avenue.
Brent said he picked that mountain because it does not have a name.
"People would drive by and say, 'Look, that's Veterans Mountain,' and be reminded of the sacrifices that our men and women in service have made," Brent said.
He said, however, that the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department opposes his idea.
"There are a number of mountains in the preserve already named," Brent said. "Their concern is, 'Gee, if we name it for you guys (veterans), we are going to have to name one for every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants a new mountain.'"
The Parks Department has not commented on Brent's idea.
The state Board of Geographic and Historic Names will vote on the proposal Nov. 18.
Good job Lanny! Keep up the fight!
Riots after the 2008 presidential election?
With the presidential election so close, I am wondering how the riot factor will come into play.
Let's face it, people riot when they are mad as well as when they are feeling happy about something.
I can only imagine what the streets are going to look like if either presidential candidate wins. I have a feeling that if Barack Hussein Obama wins many people will riot and destroy things in the name of victory. I have the same idea if Barack Hussein Obama does not win, I think people will destroy their own cities in the name of dishonesty and fraud.
I will be staying home on this coming day and watch the chaos on my TV if there happens to be any. I hope riots and chaos do not happen, but when you think back on smaller world events here in the United States of America, you just can't help imagine what horrible events will follow an election that has had such controversy on both sides.
Only time will tell. Be safe!
Let's face it, people riot when they are mad as well as when they are feeling happy about something.
I can only imagine what the streets are going to look like if either presidential candidate wins. I have a feeling that if Barack Hussein Obama wins many people will riot and destroy things in the name of victory. I have the same idea if Barack Hussein Obama does not win, I think people will destroy their own cities in the name of dishonesty and fraud.
I will be staying home on this coming day and watch the chaos on my TV if there happens to be any. I hope riots and chaos do not happen, but when you think back on smaller world events here in the United States of America, you just can't help imagine what horrible events will follow an election that has had such controversy on both sides.
Only time will tell. Be safe!
author Tony Hillerman dies at 83
Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes - Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee - died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.
Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.
Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.
"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write." Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller. "He had such a wonderful, wonderful curiosity about the world," she said. "He could take little details and bring them to life, not just in his books, but in conversation, too."
Lt. Joe Leaphorn, introduced in "The Blessing Way" in 1970, was an experienced police officer who understood, but did not share, his people's traditional belief in a rich spirit world. Officer Jim Chee, introduced in "People of Darkness" in 1978, was a younger officer studying to become a "hathaali" - Navajo for "shaman."
Together, they struggled daily to bridge the cultural divide between the dominant Anglo society and the impoverished people who call themselves the Dineh.
Hillerman's commercial breakthrough was "Skinwalkers," published in 1987 - the first time he put both characters and their divergent world views in the same book. It sold 430,000 hardcover copies, paving the way for "A Thief of Time," which made several best seller lists. In all, he wrote 18 books in the Navajo series, the most recent titled "The Shape Shifter."
Each is characterized by an unadorned writing style, intricate plotting, memorable characterization and vivid descriptions of Indian rituals and of the vast plateau of the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
The most acclaimed of them, including "Talking God" and "The Coyote Waits," are subtle explorations of human nature and the conflict between cultural assimilation and the pull of the old ways.
"I want Americans to stop thinking of Navajos as primitive persons, to understand that they are sophisticated and complicated," Hillerman once said.
Occasionally, he was accused of exploiting his knowledge of Navajo culture for personal gain, but in 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council honored him with its Special Friend of the Dineh award. He took greater pride in that, he often said, than in the many awards bestowed by his peers, including the Golden Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which elected him its president.
Hollywood was less kind to Hillerman. Its adaptation of his 1981 novel, "Dark Wind," with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward regrettably cast as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, was a bomb.
Although Hillerman was best-known for the Navajo series, he wrote more than 30 books, including a novel for young people; the memoir, "Seldom Disappointed"; and books on the history and natural beauty of his beloved Southwest.
"Those places that stir me are empty and lonely," he wrote in "The Spell of New Mexico," a collection of his essays. "They invoke a sense of both space and strangeness, and all have about them a sort of fierce inhospitality."
He also edited or contributed to more than a dozen other books including crime and history anthologies and books on the craft of writing.
Born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Okla., population 50, Tony Hillerman was the son of August and Lucy Grove Hillerman. They were farmers who also ran a small store. It was there that young Tony listened spellbound to locals who gathered to tell their stories.
The teacher at Sacred Heart's one-room school house was rumored to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so Tony's parents sent him and his brother, Barney, to St. Mary's Academy, a school for Potawatomie Indian girls near Asher, Okla. It was at St. Mary's that he developed a lifelong respect for Indian culture - and an appreciation of what it means to be an outsider in your own land.
In 1943, he interrupted his education at the University of Oklahoma to join the Army. He lugged his mortar ashore at D-Day with the 103rd Infantry Division and was severely wounded in battle at Alsace, France. He returned from Europe a genuine war hero with a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, temporary blindness and two shattered legs that never stopped causing him pain.
He returned to the university for his degree and, in 1948, married Marie Unzer. Together, they raised six children, five of them adopted.
As a young man, he farmed, drove a truck, toiled as an oil field roughneck and worked as a reporter and editor for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas; the Morning Press-Constitution in Lawton, Okla.; United Press International in Oklahoma City; and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he rose to executive editor. He quit in 1962 to earn a master's degree from the University of New Mexico, where he later taught journalism and eventually became chairman of the journalism department. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Hillerman was still teaching when he wrote his first novel, "Blessing Way." A story that always made him chuckle: His first agent advised him that if he wanted to get published, he would have to "get rid of that Indian stuff."
Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Services are pending.
Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.
Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.
"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write." Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller. "He had such a wonderful, wonderful curiosity about the world," she said. "He could take little details and bring them to life, not just in his books, but in conversation, too."
Lt. Joe Leaphorn, introduced in "The Blessing Way" in 1970, was an experienced police officer who understood, but did not share, his people's traditional belief in a rich spirit world. Officer Jim Chee, introduced in "People of Darkness" in 1978, was a younger officer studying to become a "hathaali" - Navajo for "shaman."
Together, they struggled daily to bridge the cultural divide between the dominant Anglo society and the impoverished people who call themselves the Dineh.
Hillerman's commercial breakthrough was "Skinwalkers," published in 1987 - the first time he put both characters and their divergent world views in the same book. It sold 430,000 hardcover copies, paving the way for "A Thief of Time," which made several best seller lists. In all, he wrote 18 books in the Navajo series, the most recent titled "The Shape Shifter."
Each is characterized by an unadorned writing style, intricate plotting, memorable characterization and vivid descriptions of Indian rituals and of the vast plateau of the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
The most acclaimed of them, including "Talking God" and "The Coyote Waits," are subtle explorations of human nature and the conflict between cultural assimilation and the pull of the old ways.
"I want Americans to stop thinking of Navajos as primitive persons, to understand that they are sophisticated and complicated," Hillerman once said.
Occasionally, he was accused of exploiting his knowledge of Navajo culture for personal gain, but in 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council honored him with its Special Friend of the Dineh award. He took greater pride in that, he often said, than in the many awards bestowed by his peers, including the Golden Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which elected him its president.
Hollywood was less kind to Hillerman. Its adaptation of his 1981 novel, "Dark Wind," with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward regrettably cast as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, was a bomb.
Although Hillerman was best-known for the Navajo series, he wrote more than 30 books, including a novel for young people; the memoir, "Seldom Disappointed"; and books on the history and natural beauty of his beloved Southwest.
"Those places that stir me are empty and lonely," he wrote in "The Spell of New Mexico," a collection of his essays. "They invoke a sense of both space and strangeness, and all have about them a sort of fierce inhospitality."
He also edited or contributed to more than a dozen other books including crime and history anthologies and books on the craft of writing.
Born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Okla., population 50, Tony Hillerman was the son of August and Lucy Grove Hillerman. They were farmers who also ran a small store. It was there that young Tony listened spellbound to locals who gathered to tell their stories.
The teacher at Sacred Heart's one-room school house was rumored to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so Tony's parents sent him and his brother, Barney, to St. Mary's Academy, a school for Potawatomie Indian girls near Asher, Okla. It was at St. Mary's that he developed a lifelong respect for Indian culture - and an appreciation of what it means to be an outsider in your own land.
In 1943, he interrupted his education at the University of Oklahoma to join the Army. He lugged his mortar ashore at D-Day with the 103rd Infantry Division and was severely wounded in battle at Alsace, France. He returned from Europe a genuine war hero with a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, temporary blindness and two shattered legs that never stopped causing him pain.
He returned to the university for his degree and, in 1948, married Marie Unzer. Together, they raised six children, five of them adopted.
As a young man, he farmed, drove a truck, toiled as an oil field roughneck and worked as a reporter and editor for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas; the Morning Press-Constitution in Lawton, Okla.; United Press International in Oklahoma City; and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he rose to executive editor. He quit in 1962 to earn a master's degree from the University of New Mexico, where he later taught journalism and eventually became chairman of the journalism department. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Hillerman was still teaching when he wrote his first novel, "Blessing Way." A story that always made him chuckle: His first agent advised him that if he wanted to get published, he would have to "get rid of that Indian stuff."
Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Services are pending.
New law coming soon to Arizona
You will soon be able to add a new law to your "stupid laws" list come the new year.Arizona drivers will be given tickets for as much as $150 if they have a license plate frame that covers the word "ARIZONA" at the top of the plate!
Can't believe it? I couldn't either until I called the local DPS office in which they confirmed it to be true.
In my opinion, the people who should be getting tickets regarding their license plates are the idiots who place their renewal stickers on the wrong side or make a border with the prior years like it's some badge of honor. For Christ sake it is stamped on the plate where each sticker goes and some people still get confused, lol.
This new law is just another way for big brother to pull you over and hassle you...
"Um, sir, you do know that your license plate frame that says you would rather be fishing is blocking the text Arizona at the top of your license plate? We can't have this sort of thing going on around here!"
What a joke of a law! I guess since Sheriff Joe is catching all the illegal aliens the other departments will have to find something to do with their time?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Andrew Hellman arrested on eight counts of child molestation, four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of indecent exposure
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to child molestation reports on Oct. 22 involving a man from Humboldt, Arizona.Andrew Hellman, 49, has been arrested on eight counts of child molestation, four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of indecent exposure.
An initial investigation indicated that the victims include minors related to Hellman, but further details are pending.
The case is still under investigation, and additional charges are expected.
Hellman is being held without bond at the Prescott Detention Center. He is expected to be in court later this week.
top Mexican immigration official has been arrested after U.S. border inspectors found about 169 pounds of marijuana
A top Mexican immigration official has been arrested after U.S. border inspectors found about 169 pounds of marijuana in his pickup truck, a U.S. law enforcement official said Monday.
The law enforcement official identified the Mexican official as Francisco Celaya-Carrillo. The law enforcement official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to discuss the case, said Celaya-Carrillo was in uniform when he crossed the border in Lukeville, Ariz.
The official said Celaya-Carrillo told Customs and Border Protection officers that he was entering the United States to do some shopping.
In Tucson, Ariz., Customs spokesman Brian Levin confirmed that a pickup truck had been stopped at the border crossing. When it was examined with a noninvasive gamma-ray machine, Levin said, officials found ``79 packages of marijuana, just shy of 169 pounds'' in the spare tire and fuel tank.
Levin said at least one person was arrested. He declined to identify anyone who was arrested, saying the case had been turned over to the U.S. attorney's office.
Sandy Raynor, U.S. Attorney's spokeswoman in Phoenix, would not comment on the arrest, saying it is part of an active investigation.
The law enforcement official identified the Mexican official as Francisco Celaya-Carrillo. The law enforcement official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to discuss the case, said Celaya-Carrillo was in uniform when he crossed the border in Lukeville, Ariz.
The official said Celaya-Carrillo told Customs and Border Protection officers that he was entering the United States to do some shopping.
In Tucson, Ariz., Customs spokesman Brian Levin confirmed that a pickup truck had been stopped at the border crossing. When it was examined with a noninvasive gamma-ray machine, Levin said, officials found ``79 packages of marijuana, just shy of 169 pounds'' in the spare tire and fuel tank.
Levin said at least one person was arrested. He declined to identify anyone who was arrested, saying the case had been turned over to the U.S. attorney's office.
Sandy Raynor, U.S. Attorney's spokeswoman in Phoenix, would not comment on the arrest, saying it is part of an active investigation.
Child-prostitution round-up results in 59 arrests in the valley
The Phoenix Police Department along with the The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children organized a three day vice enforcement operation in relation to Operation Cross Country II.
During the operation here in the Valley, police arrested 59 adult female prostitutes, two juvenile female prostitutes, three pimps, nine "johns", nine vehicles and seized $25,000.
The primary goal of the operation is to suppress prostitution and rescue child prostitutes not only here in the Valley, but across the country. Operation Cross Country II was across 27 cities.
The Phoenix task force led the nation in total number of arrests during Operation Cross Country.
During the operation here in the Valley, police arrested 59 adult female prostitutes, two juvenile female prostitutes, three pimps, nine "johns", nine vehicles and seized $25,000.
The primary goal of the operation is to suppress prostitution and rescue child prostitutes not only here in the Valley, but across the country. Operation Cross Country II was across 27 cities.
The Phoenix task force led the nation in total number of arrests during Operation Cross Country.
Phoenix police Officer Shane Figueroa
Phoenix police Officer Shane Figueroa was killed, according to investigators, at the hands of a illegal immigrant drunk driver.
The collision happened at 19th Avenue and Roeser Road. Figueroa, a 25-year-old police officer with a wife and young daughter, was responding to a shooting call at 1:30 a.m. Saturday when his squad car was T-boned by a white truck in the intersection.
Edward Campos, Jr. found himself in the middle of a car wreck scene doing everything he could to save a dying officer. "I told him help is on its way…just to hang in there and everything is going to be all right."
Nevertheless everything would not be all right and Figueroa would not survive the crash.
Police say his squad car was hit by a white truck. There were two people inside that truck, Salvador Vivas-Diaz, aka Jose Vivas Gonzalez and Jose Salvador Vivas Gonzalez, and a passenger.
Detectives say Vivas-Diaz was not only drunk driving but he is an illegal immigrant with four warrants out on him under another name and two of those warrants are for driving while under the influence.
Edward says when he got to the crash scene, which happened right outside his house, he found Figueroa lying on the hood of his smoking squad car.
As a trained first responder, Campos did everything he could but it was all for not. As a father himself, he says his heart goes out to Figueroa's family who lost him while in the line of duty.
Investigators will continue to look into this crash and are now waiting on the lab results on Vivas-Diaz's possible alcohol use.
Vivas-Diaz is facing several charges, including manslaughter, aggravated assault and possibly DUI.
Laveen beer run murder at the Tumbleweed convenience store brought in public tips
Maricopa County Sheriff's investigators have arrested a Laveen man in connection with the shooting death of a convenience store clerk Saturday night. The Sheriff's Office says Alexander Fredericks, 22, shot and killed Antoun Hayek while trying to steal two 30-packs of beer from the Tumbleweed convenience store on 51st Ave. near Baseline.Following the murder, the Sheriff's Office released surveillance photos showing the suspect entering the store (shown below), and asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect. Tips leds to Fredericks' arrest.
He was booked into jail on suspicion of first degee murder and burglary
Scottsdale Police Solve Cold-Case Murder from 1978
Jon Benson, 45
Victim and suspect were both 14 when the murder took place.
A man already in prison for attempting to lure a child has now been indicted in the 1978 Scottsdale murder of a teenager that had previously been unsolved.
A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted Jon Benson, 45, for second degree murder in the death of Greg Holman. Holman was 14 when he disappeared. He was last seen with Benson leaving a Scottsdale park.
In 1992, police excavated the back yard of the home on Joshua Tree Dr. where Benson had lived at the time of the murder, and discovered the skeleton of a human torso. It was found in an underground "fort" that investigators say was used by neighborhood teens to hang out, including using alcohol and drugs. However, detectives were not able to positively identify the victim at that time.
In 2006, the Scottsdale Police Department's new Cold Case Team re-opened the case. DNA evidence positively identified the bones as belonging to Holman.
In the meantime, Lt. Craig Chrzanowski says, police have been able to talk to a number of witnesses who provided information about the activities that used to take place in the fort, and about the relationship between Holman and Benson. However, they aren't able to release any details about that evidence since the most recent witness came forward within the past month.
In a second cold-case also recently solved, 53-year-old Steven Scoutten has been indicted for first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of Dwayne Nutt. Nutt's body was found in his hotel room at the Hospitality Inn.
During the investigation, Scoutten was the primary suspect. Bloody clothing was found in a Tempe park and was believed to have been worn by Scoutten during the murder. However, investigators weren't able to tie the case positively to him.
Last year, with advances in DNA technology, the case was reopened. Earlier this year, DNA from blood on the clothing was matched to the victim, and other DNA from the clothing was linked to Scoutten, according to police.
Scottsdale detectives traveled to Tucson earlier this month and interviewed Scoutten, where they say he admitted he stabbed Dwayne Nutt.
Arizona State University facing severe budget cuts
ASU is facing severe budget cuts with ASU officials anticipating $25 million or more will be cut from the state budget.Facing a budget crunch, Arizona State University officials have announced they plan to cut 200 or more faculty associates and dramatically boost the size of some classes.
Some lecture-style classes that now accommodate 300 students could increase to 1,000 students.
ASU is facing severe budget cuts with ASU officials anticipating $25 million or more will be cut from the state budget. That's on top of the $30 million in cuts the university already has made because of a downward spiral in state revenues due to a sluggish economy.
ASU employs about 12,400 administrators, faculty and support staff and, with more than 67,000 students. It's one of the largest public universities in the country.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mesa Mayor Outraged by Sheriff's Raid on City Offices
The mayor is complaining that unannounced raids by sheriff's deputies looking for illegal immigrants at the Mesa city library and City Hall created the potential for accidental violence or conflict between police agencies.
Mayor Scott Smith said neither the city nor its police department were given any warning of the sweep.
"I believe the safety of our citizens was gravely compromised,'' Smith said. "I believe we had set the scene where bad things could happen ... and I believe that crosses the line to what law enforcement can and should do.''
Dozens of heavily armed Maricopa County sheriff's deputies swept into the Mesa city library and City Hall at about 2 a.m. Thursday looking for undocumented workers. The raid netted three janitors at the library.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said they are believed to have used fake identification cards to get work at a private contracting company that provides service to Mesa buildings.
Thirteen other workers for Management Cleaning Control LLC were arrested later in the day at their homes, and deputies executed search warrants at city offices after they opened for business on Thursday.
The chairman of the cleaning company, Charles Scudder, said it has been using the national E-Verify system to check the citizenship status of its workers since October 2007. The company "does not hire illegal aliens,'' Scudder said in a statement.
A Mesa patrolman who stumbled over a sheriff's staging area after midnight questioned deputies on their presence because they appeared to be preparing for a full-scale bust of some type. But Smith said after initially telling the officer nothing, deputies told him they were on a training exercise.
Smith said city officials would have cooperated with any sheriff's probe and handed over documents without a search warrant under state public records laws.
Arpaio has sent squads of deputies to several Phoenix-area firms in the past six months as he pushes his effort to enforce a new state law barring employers from hiring illegal immigrants.
Thursday's raid was the first on a city facility.
No cases have been brought under the state "employer sanctions'' law, but several dozen illegal immigrants have been arrested on identity theft and other charges.
Some critics have objected to the raids and to "crime suppression'' sweeps the sheriff has done in several cities, including Mesa, saying they are racially motivated. Mesa officials were upset when deputies didn't warn them ahead of time earlier this year of a sweep.
Arpaio has defended his actions and did so again after the latest raid. He said the raid was prompted by a tip to a hot line his office operates from a Mesa employee who told them he was rebuffed by Mesa police when he complained about illegal
immigrants.
"It's my jurisdiction too, it's my jurisdiction too, you seem to forget,'' Arpaio said, noting that he can enforce laws anywhere in Maricopa County.
Great job Sheriff Joe!
Mayor Scott Smith has given the weakest response I could have ever read. Sheriff Joe is doing what the people of Arizona want and need him to do, enforce the law! The time has come for the people to pay for the crimes they are committing eve when they think it's not a "reall bad crime".
Thank you once again Sheriff Joe for doing a great job. Sheriff Joe has always said, "I'm an equal opportunity law enforcement and incarcerator", and we love we here in Arizona love him for it! No person or group is safe from Sheriff Joe when they are breaking the law!
Mayor Scott Smith said neither the city nor its police department were given any warning of the sweep.
"I believe the safety of our citizens was gravely compromised,'' Smith said. "I believe we had set the scene where bad things could happen ... and I believe that crosses the line to what law enforcement can and should do.''
Dozens of heavily armed Maricopa County sheriff's deputies swept into the Mesa city library and City Hall at about 2 a.m. Thursday looking for undocumented workers. The raid netted three janitors at the library.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said they are believed to have used fake identification cards to get work at a private contracting company that provides service to Mesa buildings.
Thirteen other workers for Management Cleaning Control LLC were arrested later in the day at their homes, and deputies executed search warrants at city offices after they opened for business on Thursday.
The chairman of the cleaning company, Charles Scudder, said it has been using the national E-Verify system to check the citizenship status of its workers since October 2007. The company "does not hire illegal aliens,'' Scudder said in a statement.
A Mesa patrolman who stumbled over a sheriff's staging area after midnight questioned deputies on their presence because they appeared to be preparing for a full-scale bust of some type. But Smith said after initially telling the officer nothing, deputies told him they were on a training exercise.
Smith said city officials would have cooperated with any sheriff's probe and handed over documents without a search warrant under state public records laws.
Arpaio has sent squads of deputies to several Phoenix-area firms in the past six months as he pushes his effort to enforce a new state law barring employers from hiring illegal immigrants.
Thursday's raid was the first on a city facility.
No cases have been brought under the state "employer sanctions'' law, but several dozen illegal immigrants have been arrested on identity theft and other charges.
Some critics have objected to the raids and to "crime suppression'' sweeps the sheriff has done in several cities, including Mesa, saying they are racially motivated. Mesa officials were upset when deputies didn't warn them ahead of time earlier this year of a sweep.
Arpaio has defended his actions and did so again after the latest raid. He said the raid was prompted by a tip to a hot line his office operates from a Mesa employee who told them he was rebuffed by Mesa police when he complained about illegal
immigrants.
"It's my jurisdiction too, it's my jurisdiction too, you seem to forget,'' Arpaio said, noting that he can enforce laws anywhere in Maricopa County.
Great job Sheriff Joe!
Mayor Scott Smith has given the weakest response I could have ever read. Sheriff Joe is doing what the people of Arizona want and need him to do, enforce the law! The time has come for the people to pay for the crimes they are committing eve when they think it's not a "reall bad crime".
Thank you once again Sheriff Joe for doing a great job. Sheriff Joe has always said, "I'm an equal opportunity law enforcement and incarcerator", and we love we here in Arizona love him for it! No person or group is safe from Sheriff Joe when they are breaking the law!
AZ Jobless Rate for September Hits 5.9%
Department officials say retail trade employment was hit hard, losing 4,400 jobs, as consumers cut back on spending due to the weakening economy.
Arizona's unemployment rate is up again.
The Department of Commerce reports that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 5.9 percent, up from 5.6 percent in August and 3.8 percent in September 2007.
Department officials say retail trade employment was hit hard, losing 4,400 jobs, as consumers cut back on spending due to the weakening economy.
Construction lost 4,000 jobs for the 13th straight month of losses. Since September 2007, the industry has lost 38,600 jobs, or 17.2 percent of its pre-downturn workforce.
Arizona's unemployment rate is up again.
The Department of Commerce reports that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 5.9 percent, up from 5.6 percent in August and 3.8 percent in September 2007.
Department officials say retail trade employment was hit hard, losing 4,400 jobs, as consumers cut back on spending due to the weakening economy.
Construction lost 4,000 jobs for the 13th straight month of losses. Since September 2007, the industry has lost 38,600 jobs, or 17.2 percent of its pre-downturn workforce.
UA Student Shoots 2 Men Who Broke Into Home
The student armed himself with a handgun and shot them both, then called police. The men were dead when police arrived.
A University of Arizona student fatally shot two men who forced their way into his off-campus home early Thursday, Tucson police said.
The 23-year-old student was in the small backyard guest house where he lived several blocks north of the university about 12:30 a.m. when two men in their 20s came to the door and forced their way in, police spokesman Sgt. Fabian Pacheco said. The student armed himself with a handgun and shot them both, then called police.
The men were dead when police arrived.
The student didn't know the suspects and there is no indication he was involved in any criminal activity that could have made him a target for the suspects, Pacheco said.
"It could be that they went to the wrong residence - or they went to the right residence but were looking for someone who lived there before,'' Pacheco said. "The victim has only lived there for a few months.''
The student is cooperating with detectives, who are making sure his statements match up with evidence at the scene, Pacheco said. But there's nothing to indicate he did anything wrong.
"All indications are that this is a home invasion,'' Pacheco said. "These individuals forced their way into his home, and he is a gun owner, felt his life was in danger and fired at these suspects.''
One of the dead men has been tentatively identified, but police haven't released the identities of either the suspects or the student.
Great job! Do not let these low life's control you and your lifestyle. Protect yourself, your family and your home from scum like these two home invasion losers. In this economy you have to expect a rise in this type of crime and the police are always to busy to get there in time.
A University of Arizona student fatally shot two men who forced their way into his off-campus home early Thursday, Tucson police said.
The 23-year-old student was in the small backyard guest house where he lived several blocks north of the university about 12:30 a.m. when two men in their 20s came to the door and forced their way in, police spokesman Sgt. Fabian Pacheco said. The student armed himself with a handgun and shot them both, then called police.
The men were dead when police arrived.
The student didn't know the suspects and there is no indication he was involved in any criminal activity that could have made him a target for the suspects, Pacheco said.
"It could be that they went to the wrong residence - or they went to the right residence but were looking for someone who lived there before,'' Pacheco said. "The victim has only lived there for a few months.''
The student is cooperating with detectives, who are making sure his statements match up with evidence at the scene, Pacheco said. But there's nothing to indicate he did anything wrong.
"All indications are that this is a home invasion,'' Pacheco said. "These individuals forced their way into his home, and he is a gun owner, felt his life was in danger and fired at these suspects.''
One of the dead men has been tentatively identified, but police haven't released the identities of either the suspects or the student.
Great job! Do not let these low life's control you and your lifestyle. Protect yourself, your family and your home from scum like these two home invasion losers. In this economy you have to expect a rise in this type of crime and the police are always to busy to get there in time.
Police say Jamie Pantastico sold appliances from foreclosed homes on Craiglist while he was a contract worker for Fannie Mae.Chandler Police are looking for potential victims that may have been connected to a fraud scheme where appliances were re-sold from foreclosed homes.
Jamie Pantastico, 39, was employed by Fannie Mae as a contractor to clean foreclosed homes to prepare them for re-sale. He would enter the homes by having access to their lockboxes and take photographs of the appliances - then place ads on Craigslist.
Pantastico met potential buyers at the homes posing as the homeowner. After the appliances were sold and removed from the house, he would return the keys in the lockbox.
He was arrested in Queen Creek by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Chandler Police on September 25.
Victims are encouraged to call the Chandler Police Department at 480.782.4130.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Mesa Air makes job cuts, Delta contract cancelled
Fuel prices and a struggling economy have taken their toll on the airline industry again.
Mesa Air Group operates Mesa Airlines as well as Go! Out of Hawaii.
The airline says 250 employees will be effected by the cuts.
Approximately 100 management and administrative positions were cut last week and about 150 pilot jobs either have been or will be eliminated.
Mesa Air also contracts with larger airlines.
The trigger for the most recent cuts is the cancellation of a contract with Delta.
Mesa Air Group operates Mesa Airlines as well as Go! Out of Hawaii.
The airline says 250 employees will be effected by the cuts.
Approximately 100 management and administrative positions were cut last week and about 150 pilot jobs either have been or will be eliminated.
Mesa Air also contracts with larger airlines.
The trigger for the most recent cuts is the cancellation of a contract with Delta.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Photo of PAUL DOUGLAS WEGELE from Sheriff's website
Photo of WEGELE from the Sheriff's office website
Break-in leaves 1 dead, 1 arrested
One man is dead and another faces one count of first-degree murder in an overnight home break-in, police said Sunday.
The name of the 51-year-old victim has not yet been released.
Police arrested Paul Wegele, 31, who was found hiding in a bedroom.
Officers responded to a 911 call around 12:38 a.m. at a home in the 6900 block of E. Wethersfield Road.
The communications operator heard sounds, but could not make contact with the caller, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson of the Phoenix Police Department.
Arriving officers said they saw someone walking around inside the home, but he would not open the door when police knocked.
Officers said they found the carport door to the home had been forced open, Thompson said. They entered the home and found the man's body and Wegele, who was in a bedroom.
tough economic times driving more to commit crimes
In these tough financial times, some people are just taking what they want and using a gun to do it.
Now Valley police are on the hunt for some brazen robbers who they consider armed and dangerous. Police say they cannot connect the economy and crime but one is down and the other is up. Investigators are calling it a cold and calculated crime and one that could soon be in stores near you.
At a 7/11 on 24th Street and Thomas two weeks ago, a man put a gun to a clerk's head. The entire thing was caught on surveillance. After the gunman emptied the register, he squeezed the trigger.
Sergeant Paul Penzone says the Valley's Silent Witness Program is working more robberies than ever. While some theorize that a weak economy can push people to the point of pointing a gun, Penzone says that is a hard case to qualify, but not out of the question.
While robbers have targeted everything from convenience stores to fast food joints, in the last two weeks at least four banks in the Valley have also been hit.
According to the FBI, last year Arizona ranked 14th in bank robberies nationwide. In the first six months of this year, the state has climbed to 10th place.
Penzone says part of the reason is more there are more people and more banks. While tough times may make for desperate criminals, some say there is a better chance than ever they will be caught.
Mitzie Dawn Hadsall, Eleanor Ruth Hawes and Austin Lee Hildenbrand involved with horrible child abuse
UPDATE OCT. 6:
Four people are now facing child abuse charges after a woman inside a Wal-Mart reported seeing a 3-year-old boy with severe bruises over his body.
The Mohave County Attorney's Office has since reviewed the case and has charged Eleanor Ruth Hawes and Austin Lee Hildenbrand with child abuse per domestic violence.
Police have charged another roommate, Amber Lynn Alliger, 30, with child abuse per domestic violence.
Police say all four suspects live in an apartment in Bullhead City, along with the boy and Alliger's two children, ages 2 and 6. Alliger's children showed no signs of child abuse.
Police say the three roommates were all aware of the abuse the boy received at the hands of his mother and did nothing to protect or help him.
The 3-year-old boy was released from Sunrise Hospital on Sunday and is now in the care of Child Protective Services.
The four suspects are at the Mohave County Jail in Kingman.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
The following is a press release from the Bullhead City Police Department:
A local mother is facing several child abuse charges after her 3-year-old son was flown to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 1st, a woman inside Wal-Mart called police to report a suspected child abuse after seeing a little boy with bruises all over his face and body. The woman caller sounded very distraught while talking to dispatch about what she had seen.
Police responded to Wal-Mart and observed a boy slumped over in a shopping cart basket with bruises all over his body, dried blood around his mouth, marks around his wrists (consistent of being tied up) and was unresponsive to questions.
Fire Paramedics transported the 3-year-old boy to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center because he was dehydrated and malnourished. While police were at the hospital, several nurses were emotional and crying over the boy's injuries. One hospital staff member told police that the boy had asked her if she was going to tie him up.
After further investigation, detectives discovered the boy's mother, 25-year-old Mitzie Dawn Hadsall, had physically abused her son, would deny him food and water for several days and lock him in a closet as a form of punishment. The boy also slept locked inside the closet. Hadsall was arrested for aggravated assault, child neglect and endangerment.
Two of Hadsall's roommates, 50-year-old Eleanor Ruth Hawes and 23-year-old Austin Lee Hildenbrand, were also arrested in connection with this case. Hawes was arrested for endangerment and Hildenbrand was arrested for failing to report child neglect.
Child Protective Services will take care of the 3-year-old child victim after he is released from Sunrise Hospital. The boy is currently listed in stable condition.
Drophouses back in the news, 32 people found inside
27 adult males, 2 adult females, and 3 male juveniles were found in a drophouse near 16th Street and Broadway.
The house was discovered after someone escaped and called the Phoenix Police Department.
Police are continuing to investigate.
The house was discovered after someone escaped and called the Phoenix Police Department.
Police are continuing to investigate.
SRP adds 6% rate hike
The 6% rate increase the board approved on Monday will go into effect on November's bills. Electricity rates will be going up by an average of nearly 6 percent for customers of the Salt River Project.
SRP's board of directors approved the overall 5.9 percent increase to help pay for increased costs of natural gas and other fuel for power plants and electricity bought from outside the company.
Residential customers will see bills increase by an average of 5.1 percent. The average homeowner will see winter bills go up by $4.70 a month and summer bills increase by $7.89 a month.
The increase the board approved on Monday will go into effect on November's bills. SRP is making no additional profit on the fuel-cost adjustment.
SRP serves about 935,000 customers, primarily in Maricopa and Pinal counties.
SRP to raise rates one more time
SRP is going to raise their rates one more time this year. This makes it the second rate hike within this year, actually, within the past 6 months. Hopefully it will not be a 20%+ hike like the last rate increase!
In addition, water companies are also raising their rates at this time. Cities such as Avondale are having town hall meetings to inform their customers on how the rate hikes will effect them.
Troubled times are here to stay it seems...
In addition, water companies are also raising their rates at this time. Cities such as Avondale are having town hall meetings to inform their customers on how the rate hikes will effect them.
Troubled times are here to stay it seems...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Katsoufis Apostolos aces charges for allegedly selling drugs out of his restaurant
A Valley man was arrested for allegedly selling various types of drugs out of his pizza restaurant.Katsoufis Apostolos, 50, faces charges for allegedly selling drugs out of his restaurant.
Katsoufis Apostolos, 50, faces charges for possession of marijuana, of dangerous drugs for sale and of narcotic drugs for sale.
Police report county inspectors conducted a health inspection at the suspect’s pizzeria, located in the 2900 block of N. 16th St. on Wednesday where they discovered marijuana inside the walk-in cooler. Upon finding the drugs, the inspectors immediately notified police.
Detectives subsequently also found the marijuana, as well as an unknown amount of methamphetamine, cocaine and scales typically used to weigh drugs were allegedly discovered in several places throughout the restaurant.
It was determined by investigators that the drugs were intended to be sold by Apostolos. He was arrested at his restaurant without incident.
TOUGH TIMES IN AZ: Commerce Department Expects 47,500 Lost AZ Jobs
The forecast predicts 34,000 job losses this year and another 13,500 next year.
A forecast from the Arizona Department of Commerce says the state could lose nearly two percent of its nonfarm jobs before the economy begins recovering late next year.
The forecast predicts 34,000 job losses this year and another 13,500 next year, a total of 47,500 lost jobs.
The state had about 2.6 million nonfarm jobs in August and the unemployment rate jumped to 5.6 percent.
The Commerce Department report released Thursday makes major revisions to the last forecast issued in May. That report estimated just 9,200 nonfarm jobs would be lost in 2008 and 2009.
The gloomy new report says lower consumer spending is expected to create a domino effect in industries such as trade, transportation, leisure and hospitality.
A forecast from the Arizona Department of Commerce says the state could lose nearly two percent of its nonfarm jobs before the economy begins recovering late next year.
The forecast predicts 34,000 job losses this year and another 13,500 next year, a total of 47,500 lost jobs.
The state had about 2.6 million nonfarm jobs in August and the unemployment rate jumped to 5.6 percent.
The Commerce Department report released Thursday makes major revisions to the last forecast issued in May. That report estimated just 9,200 nonfarm jobs would be lost in 2008 and 2009.
The gloomy new report says lower consumer spending is expected to create a domino effect in industries such as trade, transportation, leisure and hospitality.
Study shows 22% of 2007 Felonies Caused by Illegals
Arizona taxpayers shell out $114 million annually to cover the cost of incarcerating them.A new study from the Maricopa County Attorney is showing that illegal immigrants are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.
Data used in the report wasn't gathered until the passage of Prop 100 two years-ago.
The voter-approved law denies bail to those in the country illegally accused of a class 4 felony or above.
The study concluded that nine percent of Arizona's population is in the country illegally, yet nearly 22 percent of felonies sentenced in Maricopa County are committed by illegal immigrants.
Arizona taxpayers shell out $114 million annually to cover the cost of incarcerating them.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Jason John Keller, charged with one count of conspiracy, three counts of promoting prison contraband and three counts of assisting a criminal street g
A Tempe attorney was accused Wednesday of smuggling heroin and other items to inmates at Maricopa County's Fourth Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix. Jason John Keller, was charged with one count of conspiracy, three counts of promoting prison contraband and three counts of assisting a criminal street gang.
According to court documents, Keller, on at least three separate occasions this year, allegedly smuggled heroin, a cell phone and a cell phone charger into inmates. Some of the inmates are members of a violent criminal street gang, the Mexican Mafia, and at least one is known to be Keller's client, the Arizona attorney general's office said.
Keller was charged by direct complaint in Maricopa County Superior Court. A preliminary hearing will be held within 10 days.
The case was investigated by the Phoenix Police Department. Assistant Attorney General Frank Collins will handle the case.
More information on the suspect in the Tempe stabbing death
A former South Dakota prosecutor has been arrested in connection with a killing in Tempe.
Dan Gukeisen was jailed after a 22-year-old Arizona State University student was stabbed to death Friday on a downtown Tempe street.
The 37-year-old Gukeisen has not been formally charged.
Gukeisen was a deputy state's attorney in Lawrence County for about three years, and he also served for a year as Davison County state's attorney.
He currently works as a bankruptcy attorney in Phoenix.
Tempe police say the victim, Garrett Hohn, got into an argument with Gukeisen and was stabbed.
Phoenix Zoo Plans Big Overhaul
Despite a weak economy, zoo backers plan to launch a fund raising drive.
If they can raise the money, about $20 million, Phoenix Zoo officials envision creating a state-of-the-art facility that will make the experience more entertaining for guests while creating a better life for the animals.
Plans call for removing a concrete bunker-style enclosure for orangutans and replacing it with a $5 million two-story dwelling, about triple the size of the current exhibit, with an observation tower and lush vegetation.
Another $3.2 million is earmarked for an entry oasis and native-wildlife exhibit that visitors will encounter the moment they set foot off the zoo's parking lot in Papago Park.
"We want people to have a very intimate experience,'' said Bert Castro, the zoo's president. "We need the type of exhibits that get people excited.''
This is the most comprehensive program in the history of the zoo, said Ed Fox, a vice president of Arizona Public Service Co., and a co-chair of the campaign.
"It became clear to (zoo) board members there needed to be a future vision,'' he said. Officials say they have already raised $6 million through private donors. The zoo is asking the City of Phoenix to help pay for a new water and sewer infrastructure. Without it, the zoo can't expand, Fox said.
The zoo is requesting $6 million additional over three years in Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative funding. The initiative is expected to generate $30 million a year. The Phoenix City Council was expected to vote on the issue by December.
The zoo, which has 1.5 million visitors a year, is at a critical crossroads, Castro said. "We're struggling to meet the demands of the city,'' he said.
If they can raise the money, about $20 million, Phoenix Zoo officials envision creating a state-of-the-art facility that will make the experience more entertaining for guests while creating a better life for the animals.
Plans call for removing a concrete bunker-style enclosure for orangutans and replacing it with a $5 million two-story dwelling, about triple the size of the current exhibit, with an observation tower and lush vegetation.
Another $3.2 million is earmarked for an entry oasis and native-wildlife exhibit that visitors will encounter the moment they set foot off the zoo's parking lot in Papago Park.
"We want people to have a very intimate experience,'' said Bert Castro, the zoo's president. "We need the type of exhibits that get people excited.''
This is the most comprehensive program in the history of the zoo, said Ed Fox, a vice president of Arizona Public Service Co., and a co-chair of the campaign.
"It became clear to (zoo) board members there needed to be a future vision,'' he said. Officials say they have already raised $6 million through private donors. The zoo is asking the City of Phoenix to help pay for a new water and sewer infrastructure. Without it, the zoo can't expand, Fox said.
The zoo is requesting $6 million additional over three years in Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative funding. The initiative is expected to generate $30 million a year. The Phoenix City Council was expected to vote on the issue by December.
The zoo, which has 1.5 million visitors a year, is at a critical crossroads, Castro said. "We're struggling to meet the demands of the city,'' he said.
Apache Junction Police Employees Ignored Call During BBQ
A call about a drunk driver was ignored because on duty officers were having a BBQ on the police station patio.
Five Apache Junction police employees have been disciplined after a call about a drunken driver was ignored because officers on duty were having a barbecue.
Three police dispatchers and an officer received either written or verbal reprimands and the squad's sergeant was suspended for a day, Chief Jerald Monahan said.
The incident happened May 4 when members of Sgt. Clyde Allison's squad gathered for a barbecue on the police station patio.
According to an internal investigation report, a police dispatcher received a call from a citizen about a possible drunk driver. The dispatcher went and told officer Danny Campano in person instead of following policy and dispatching over the radio.
Campano never responded to the call, instead telling a dispatch supervisor to clear the call as if he had gone to the scene.
Campano and the supervisor received written reprimands, and two dispatchers were given verbal warnings for chatting on the computer about the unanswered call and the number of officers on the patio.
Monahan called the barbecue a "team-building'' exercise gone bad. The sergeant received the most serious discipline because he allowed his entire patrol squad to be off the streets at the same time.
Five Apache Junction police employees have been disciplined after a call about a drunken driver was ignored because officers on duty were having a barbecue.
Three police dispatchers and an officer received either written or verbal reprimands and the squad's sergeant was suspended for a day, Chief Jerald Monahan said.
The incident happened May 4 when members of Sgt. Clyde Allison's squad gathered for a barbecue on the police station patio.
According to an internal investigation report, a police dispatcher received a call from a citizen about a possible drunk driver. The dispatcher went and told officer Danny Campano in person instead of following policy and dispatching over the radio.
Campano never responded to the call, instead telling a dispatch supervisor to clear the call as if he had gone to the scene.
Campano and the supervisor received written reprimands, and two dispatchers were given verbal warnings for chatting on the computer about the unanswered call and the number of officers on the patio.
Monahan called the barbecue a "team-building'' exercise gone bad. The sergeant received the most serious discipline because he allowed his entire patrol squad to be off the streets at the same time.
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