Fake cop pulls over real one in Avondale - David Word arrested

A Surprise man was busted for impersonating an officer after pulling over an off-duty Avondale cop.

The officer, on his way to work in his personal vehicle, was stopped by a black Crown Victoria with red and yellow flashing lights and siren blaring.

The driver advised the off duty cop that he'd seen him speeding, told him to slow down, then drove away, police said.

The officer got the license plate and tracked the vehicle to a 61-year-old David Word.

Word now faces felony charges.

Former Employee Set To Sue Goodyear

A former Goodyear employee has put the city on notice that she intends to file a $1.2 million dollar wrongful termination suit. Terri Woodmansee worked as a victim advocate for the Goodyear Police Department for 9 years. She was fired last August for what she says was blowing the whistle on a Goodyear police officer she believes was responsible for the hit and run death of Jered Pendleton of Avondale.

City officials said Woodmansee was let go for spreading rumors, releasing confidential information and then lying about it during an administrative investigation.Last year, police found Pendleton, 18, lying dead in the middle of a Goodyear road. The fatal hit and run has never been solved.

Investigators did look into the possibility that a Goodyear police office driving a patrol car may have had some connection to the accident. Detectives took blood samples from the patrol car and submitted them to the Department of Public Safety lab for DNA testing. Expert accident investigators from Tempe Police were also brought in to assist. The city's report shows the officer may have driven through the accident scene and struck a shoe but no evidence was found that the officer's car hit Pendleton. Woodmansee was overheard telling colleagues that she thought the city has orchestrated a huge cover-up.

That sparked an investigation in which Woodmansee denied every making those statements. In a claim letter to the city, Woodmansee's lawyer says her client reported her suspicions to a member of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and an FBI agent. The Goodyear police officer in question has been with the department since November of 2006. Prior to that, he was an Avondale police officer for 10 months. He was fired from Avondale for unsafe driving.

More drop house news - 14 discovered in Avondale drop house

A joint immigration task force made up of the Department of Public Safety, Phoenix police and federal immigration agents have discovered a drop house in Avondale.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves says 14 suspected illegal immigrants were found in the home. Four suspected human smugglers have been arrested.

Graves says the suspects will likely be booked on charges of human smuggling.

In an unusual twist, the smugglers used close circuit video to monitor their human cargo. Graves says one camera was set up in a room where the immigrants were held. The smugglers would watch their victims from another room in the house.

Graves says the house was heavily fortified to keep the immigrants from escaping. The victims told authorities they were beaten and threatened if they tried to escape.

Avondale teen mom indicted in drowning death of baby

County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced today that Forrest Day has been indicted in connection with the February 21, 2009 drowning death of her infant son Elijah.

According to Avondale Police, Day left her son in the bathtub unattended for at least 15 minutes. The police allege Day, 16, placed the child in the tub and then went to her parent’s room at the opposite end of the home and closed the door.

The suspect’s 9-year-old brother entered the family home and found Elijah floating in the tub. He removed the baby’s lifeless body from the water and then alerted his sister as to what had happened.

The suspect attempted CPR and then took the baby to a neighbor seeking help. The child was later pronounced dead.

The evidence was reviewed by the County Attorney’s Incident Review Board and the recommendation was made to move ahead with the charges. Mr. Thomas approved that recommendation.

On April 23, 2009 a Maricopa County Grand Jury indicted day on the following charges:

•Child Abuse, a class 2 felony and dangerous crime against children and a domestic violence offense

•Negligent homicide, a class 4 felony and domestic violence offense

Family Violence Bureau Chief Suzanne Cohen is prosecuting the case. Thomas stated, “The evidence indicates that this incident was both a tragedy and a crime.”