Crime and Law

Is Fox News Responsible for Kids Seeing Their Dad's Suicide?

The national media (and rest of the local media) have finally discovered the lawsuit we wrote about last week, resulting from Fox News airing a man's suicide on live television last year.According to the lawsuit filed in Maricopa County, two of JoDon Romero's kids heard at school about a suicide bei ... More >>

Trent Franks' Abortion Bill Now Includes Rape Exception, Thanks to Bone-Headed Comment

Anti-abortion fanatic/Congressman Trent Franks' bone-headed argument that a "very low" number of rapes result in pregnancies ended up being a losing argument.Franks' bill banning abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy has since been changed, exempting victims of rape and incest.See also:-Franks: Not M ... More >>

Prison Food: Not Just For Inmates Anymore

A pretty surprising new trend is begining to appear not just in the states but all over the world. It's not a new ingredient or cooking technique, but rather an interest in eating prison food. Up till now if you wanted to experience what food made with minimal money and effort and in massive quant ... More >>

Fox News Sued After Kids Watch Their Dad Commit Suicide

The family of a man whose suicide was broadcast live on national television on Fox News last year is suing Fox's parent company, claiming emotional distress.According to the lawsuit filed in Maricopa County court by the mother of three of JoDon Romero's five kids, two of the kids heard at school abo ... More >>

Maricopa County Attorney's Office Gets Award for New Approach in Strangulation Cases; Prosecutions Way Up

A new approach to evidence in domestic-violence strangulation cases has quadrupled prosecutions for the crimes and garnered an award for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Last year, County Attorney Bill Montgomery's office partnered with local law enforcement agencies and Scottsdale Healthcare ... More >>

Stephen Escalante Finds Men With His Girlfriend, Sees Bright Light and Starts Stabbing, Killing One, Police Say

At 11 p.m. Wednesday night, bleeding out behind a gas station is probably not what Timothy Simpson thought he'd find himself doing when earlier he visited a woman he'd been sleeping with behind her boyfriend's back. Mesa Police found Simpson with several stab wounds in his stomach, saying he'd bee ... More >>

Arizona's Drunk Drivers Average "Extreme" DUI Blood-Alcohol Levels During Memorial Day

Most Arizonans chose not to drive drunk over Memorial Day weekend, but those who did were pretty loaded.According to statistics from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the average blood-alcohol level of people caught in statewide DUI enforcement this weekend was .153 -- nearly twice the legal ... More >>

Phoenix Police Department Releases Report on Shooting Death of Zachariah Pithan

The Phoenix Police Department released a report Wednesday on the shooting death of 22 year-old Zachariah Pithan by a Phoenix Police Officer on April 20, an incident the report characterizes as "justifiable homicide." See also: -Did Phoenix Police Need to Kill Zachariah Pithan? According to the rep ... More >>

Jan Brewer: Ignorant, Irrational, Prevaricating, Self-Serving Bigot

They don't call her "GED Jan" for nothin'. Following U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell's ruling this week in Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Jan Brewer, Brewer was quick to gloat and mischaracterize Campbell's decision, painting it as a vindication of her prejudiced policy. See also: -Jan Br ... More >>

Feds Want Blood-Alcohol Level for DUIs to Drop From .08 to .05

The National Transportation Safety Board has decided that a blood-alcohol level of .08 is no longer the acceptable maximum for American drivers, and instead wants .05 to be the new threshold for DUIs.That obviously would have a big effect in Arizona, where the penalties for DUI are just about the to ... More >>

Jodi Arias Trial: The Jury Has Reached a Verdict

UPDATE: Jodi Arias Guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, Jury FindsThe jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Jodi Arias.According to a spokesman for the Maricopa County Superior Court, the verdict will be read at 1:30 p.m.See also:-Jury Deciding Arias' Fate-Psycho Killer-Jodi Arias ... More >>

Riding High: Arizona's Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving

Joe Arpaio Recall Wants Larry Klayman's Bogus Lawsuit Dismissed Sooner, Rather Than Later

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's friends, birther attorneys Larry Klayman and ex-lawmaker David Burnell Smith, are doing Arpaio a solid favor in their bogus lawsuit against Respect Arizona, the group trying to recall the elderly Sheriff.Respect Arizona's legal counsel already told New Times last week that the m ... More >>

Voting Rights Under Siege by Republicans in The Third Reconstruction

A brilliant little gem from the makers of 9500 Liberty Believe it or not, once upon a time, Republicans were the ones fighting for the expansion of voting rights. Okay, so that was more than a century ago, following the Civil War. Still, it's interesting to watch this short video by Annabel Park ... More >>

Scottsdale Cop's Fatal Shooting of 72-Year-Old Preston Phillips Caught on Camera

The Scottsdale Police Department's second fatal officer-involved shooting this month was caught on camera, as a neighbor recorded the confrontation between the Scottsdale officer and 72-year-old Preston Phillips last month. Unfortunately, that 19-year-old neighbor released the video to KPHO Channel ... More >>

Ripoff Crew Dressed Like SWAT Team Steals $60K From Kidnapped Would-Be Pot Sellers; One Victim Leaps from Trunk on Way to Desert

A group of men dressed up like a SWAT team and armed with assault rifles robbed and kidnapped three people connected to a pot-selling scheme last month in Litchfield Park. One of the terrified victims jumped from the trunk of a Jaguar going 60 mph while being taken to a desert location. The victim ... More >>

Scottsdale Cop Shoots, Kills 72-Year-Old Preston Phillips

A 72-year-old man was shot and killed by Scottsdale police Wednesday in the department's second fatal officer-involved shooting this month.Preston Phillips Jr. was shot by the officer around 6 p.m. after, police say, Phillips drove up next to the officer, pulled a handgun out of his holster, and "di ... More >>

Alan Champagne's Girlfriend Accused of Helping Kill, Bury People Found in Backyard Coffin

Alan Champagne, the man Phoenix police believe is responsible for the deaths of two people found in a homemade coffin in a backyard earlier this month, apparently had some help in the murders and burial of the victims' bodies.Champagne's girlfriend, 22-year-old Elise Garcia, was arrested on Monday o ... More >>

James Drorbaugh, Child-Porn Defendant Facing Four to Six Years in Prison, Says Others Responsible for Illegal Downloads

James Drorbaugh describes every computer user's worst nightmare: While he was away or inattentive, an unscrupulous, perverted acquaintance downloaded hundreds of disgusting images and videos of child pornography, resulting in a raid of Drorbaugh's home and, ultimately, a pending prison sentence of ... More >>

Aimee Butel, Valley Attorney, Accused of Running Over Woman While Driving Drunk

A Valley attorney and former Maricopa County medical examiner is accused of running over and killing a woman who was lying in a roadway while driving drunk, then driving away.Aimee Lorine Butel, listed in court documents obtained by New Times as an attorney for the Phoenix law firm Knapp & Rober ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Bigoted Policy Denying Driver's Licenses to DREAMers in Federal Judge's Hands

Few public acts by Governor Jan Brewer have been so odious, so hateful and so obviously unfair as her executive order denying driver's licenses to those young men and women, brought here as children, who benefit from President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. See also: -Jan Brewer No ... More >>

James Oliver Drorbaugh of Arizona, Child-Porn Collector, Faces Four to Six Years in Slammer

James Oliver Drorbaugh, 35, will get four to six years in prison when he's sentenced on May 6 for possessing child pornography, his plea agreement shows. Drorbaugh, who's lived in Payson and Chandler, was busted in 2011 after an undercover FBI agent downloaded child porn from his computer using a f ... More >>

Remembering Phoenix Bassist Kevin Pate

Alan Champagne Pleads Not Guilty to Murders of People Found in Backyard Coffin in Phoenix

Alan Champagne, the man Phoenix police believe is responsible for the deaths of two people found in a homemade coffin in a backyard earlier this month, pleaded not guilty this morning to murder charges.Champagne, 42, has an extensive record of murder-related crimes, allegedly. Champagne, who was alr ... More >>

Russell Millsaps, Ex-Mesa Cop, Accused of Molesting Kids and Sharing Child Porn

A retired Mesa cop is accused of molesting two kids, as well as sharing child porn with a man who was recently arrested in a Homeland Security investigation.Search warrants served in the case provided police with several allegedly smoking guns, like the picture of Millsaps ejaculating into Hello Kit ... More >>

Kevin Pate, Phoenix Music Veteran, Dead at 54

On Monday night, Kevin Pate -- a valued member of the Phoenix music community -- was fighting for his life in a hospital in Yuma, where he was serving a four-year jail sentence for DUI and violating parole. Misinformation was spreading across online social networks that he'd passed on, but ever the ... More >>

Corrupt Pima Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced for Aiding Smugglers

A judge sentenced a former Pima County Sheriff's deputy for his role in ripping off drug smugglers, attempting to distribute marijuana, and aiding a drug trafficking organization.  Francisco Jimenez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to commit offenses again ... More >>

Alan Champagne's Backyard Bodies Were His Baby-Mama's Brother, His Girlfriend, Cops Say

Court documents released in the arrest of convicted murderer Alan Champagne show how police believe Champagne's responsible for two bodies in a homemade coffin in a backyard in Phoenix.Champagne, 42, was arrested yesterday on first-degree murder charges, a day after landscapers unearthed human remai ... More >>

Ian MacDonald Was "Pissed" Before Stabbing of Tyrice Thompson, Witness Tells New Times

Ian MacDonald, the man accused of fatally stabbing former ASU wide receiver Tyrice Thompson outside a Scottsdale bar in late January, was "pissed" and "acting like a dick" before the stabbing, a witness tells New Times.That source, who was at the Martini Ranch bar with MacDonald's group that night, ... More >>

Man's Partner Murdered in Drug Deal, He Gets Charged

The Phoenix Police Department arrested a man suspected of murder, after he and his partner - who eventually died from his wounds - were shot during a drug deal in June.Daniel Albert Alvarado, 29, has been charged with murder and two counts of intent to sell marijuana. According to a PD report, Alvar ... More >>

Alan Champagne Charged in the Deaths of Two People Found in Backyard Coffin

Sure enough, Phoenix police believe Alan Champagne -- the convicted murderer who happened to be a former resident of the house where human remains were found yesterday -- is responsible for those remains.Additionally, Phoenix police say there were actually two bodies in the coffin, which was unearth ... More >>

Ian MacDonald, Man Charged in Scottsdale Stabbing Death of Tyrice Thompson, Posts Bond

The 26-year-old Tempe man arrested in the murder of former ASU wide receiver Tyrice Thompson has been released from jail.Ian MacDonald, a former Marine who had a "top security clearance" -- at least, according to his lawyer -- is accused of stabbing Thompson outside the Martini Ranch bar in Scottsda ... More >>

Amoeba's Vinyl Vault: Treasure Trove or Legal Sticky Wicket

By Brett Koshkin While the corpses of corporate music retail chains litter strip malls where outlets like Tower Records and Blockbuster Music once stood, Amoeba Music is an independent juggernaut with three California-based stores the size of supermarkets. They've been a celebrated shopping destina ... More >>

Ian MacDonald Pleads Not Guilty in Scottsdale Stabbing Death of Tyrice Thompson

The 26-year-old Tempe man arrested in the murder of former ASU football player Tyrice Thompson pleaded not guilty this morning.MacDonald, a Marine who has a "top security clearance" -- at least, according to his lawyer -- is accused of stabbing Thompson outside the Martini Ranch bar in Scottsdale on ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Alleged DUI-Deputies: Lieutenant Aaron Brown and Detective Stephen Palmer

My general rule when it comes to drinking is that I do mine at home. Life is so much simpler that way. It's a bit of wisdom two of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's boys in beige might profit from: MCSO Lieutenant Aaron Brown and sex crimes detective Stephen Palmer, both of whom are charged with driving while i ... More >>

Bill Montgomery Fails to Convict an Innocent Man

Bryan Teague Got Off Easy in 2011 Firearms Case, Started 5,220-Acre Fire in Tonto Forest Months Later

Bryan Teague of Peoria, the suspect in a 5,220-acre wildland fire east of the Valley in August, has been thrown in prison several times for his persistent drinking and driving since 2000. Being a prohibited possessor, he wasn't allowed to own or carry a firearm when he wandered around 29th Avenue a ... More >>

Ian MacDonald's Bond Set at $75,000 in Scottsdale Stabbing Death of Tyrice Thompson

Bond was set at $75,000 for the 26-year-old Tempe man arrested in the murder of former ASU football player Tyrice Thompson, and new information has been released in the case.For starters, according to court documents obtained by New Times, although Ian MacDonald -- the man accused of stabbing Thomps ... More >>

Ian MacDonald's Lawyer: Cops Have "Exactly Nothing"; Also Says Client Has "Top Security Clearance"

Scottsdale police have "exactly nothing" against the Marine accused of stabbing former ASU football player Tyrice Thompson to death, his lawyer claims.In Ian MacDonald's initial court appearance for his second-degree murder charge, attorney Jeffery Mehrens also spoke about his client's career as a M ... More >>

Mark Grace Sentenced to Four Months in Jail in DUI Case

Former Arizona Diamondbacks first-baseman and color-commentator Mark Grace was sentenced this morning to four months in jail.According to a Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman, Grace was granted work release, and will also serve two years on probation.See also:-Mark Grace and Daron Sutton Being ... More >>

Prosecutors Team With Debt Collectors to Terrorize Consumers

Three Arrested in Murder of Man Found Bound and Face-Down on Roadway Near PIR

Three people have been arrested -- two of them on murder charges -- in the death of a Phoenix man whose body was found in December, just a couple miles from Phoenix International Raceway. Hector Sanchez Duque, 43, had "no known ties" to the Tolleson farm near where he was found, face-down, with his ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Fugitive Nabbed by U.S. Marshals

Talk about a broken record. The U.S. Marshals Service has once more done Sheriff Joe Arpaio's job for him, this time by nabbing an escapee from Joe's jails, who basically exchanged identities with another inmate, and walked out. See also: -Joe Arpaio Won't Do His Job, So Marshal David Gonzales Does ... More >>

Chad Campbell's "Safer Schools, Safer Communities Plan": Yay or Nay?

Arizona House Minority Leader, Democrat Chad Campbell, has offered up some legislative proposals that are supposed to target gun violence -- one of the few plans we've heard of around here that doesn't include more guns.As a whole, his plan's chance of becoming law is zero percent, but let's get an ... More >>

Chad Campbell, House Democrat, Releases Plan for Schools, Guns, and Mentally Ill

To the credit of the Arizona House Minority Leader, Democrat Chad Campbell, he unveiled a pretty wide-ranging plan to change laws related to school safety, mental health, and guns.Unfortunately for Campbell, he's in the blood-red legislature in Arizona, so let's just say it's the thought that counts ... More >>

Dejuan Donaldson, Alleged Three-Time Rapist in South Phoenix, Pleads Guilty to Charges

Dejuan Donaldson, the man accused of raping three girls, between the ages of 10 and 17, who were walking to schools in south Phoenix neighborhoods in 2010 and 2011.Donaldson pleaded guilty today to six charges related to the rapes, a plea that is almost undoubtedly part of a plea agreement.See also: ... More >>

Phoenix PD Kills Man Driving With Kid in Third Officer-Involved Shooting in Three Days

A man driving with a 5-year-old child was shot and killed by Phoenix cops last night, becoming the subject of Phoenix Police Department's third officer-involved shooting in the past three days.According to Phoenix police Sergeant Trent Crump, the man -- whose name hasn't been released -- was fatally ... More >>

Pinal County Judge Dismisses PCSO Lieutenant's Lawsuit Against New Times Over "Camp Titties and Beer" Coverage

A Pinal County judge dismissed a lawsuit against New Times, which had been filed over stories on this blog about a member of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's command staff apparently trying to scrub an arrest record from a DPS database.PCSO Lieutenant Blake King filed the lawsuit, alleging New Time ... More >>

Arizona's Drunk Drivers Average "Extreme" DUI Blood-Alcohol Levels During Holidays... Again

Despite cops around the state probably hearing the phrase "just two beers" quite often during DUI stops this holiday season, the state government's statistics show that Arizonans tend to be fairly slammed when they were caught driving drunk.For the second year in a row, drivers busted for DUI during ... More >>

NRA's Wayne LaPierre and Neo-Nazi Agree on Sandy Hook Solution: More Guns

It's dang encouraging to learn that the National Rifle Association's top propagandist Wayne LaPierre is practically on the same page as Maricopa, Arizona neo-Nazi Harry Hughes regarding what the nation should do in response to the massacre of the innocents in Newtown, Connecticut. More guns! As I ... More >>