Crime and Law

Attorney General Horne Hired Carmen Chenal to a Highly Paid Top Post -- 'Cause She's His Goomba

Thomas Paul West, Condemned Inmate on Death Row for Nearly 23 Years, Begs for Mercy Before Tuesday Execution

Arizona Department of CorrectionsThomas Paul West​Thomas Paul West, 52, has been on death row since the Reagan administration. He's scheduled to be put to death on Tuesday, but is now seeking the same last-minute appeals many condemned inmates seek before their state-ordered date with death.West i ... More >>

Thomas Paul West to be Executed Within the Hour for 1987 Murder

AZ DOCThomas West is scheduled to die in less than an hour​For the fifth time since October, Arizona is set to execute a convicted murderer. Like many before him, Thomas Paul West has been on Death Row for over 20 years.West is scheduled to die -- barring a last-minute reprieve -- at 11 a.m.West, ... More >>

Tempe Stabbing Victim Identified, Suspect Gordon Benson Still Loose

Tempe Police DepartmentPolice say Gordon Benson stabbed a Tempe man Saturday morning. He's still on the loose.​The victim of a fatal stabbing over the weekend in Tempe has been identified, and the man who police say stabbed him remains on the loose.Tempe police have identified the victim as 47-yea ... More >>

Bryan Stewart, a.k.a. Rick Valentini, Convicted of Multiple Counts of Identity Theft -- Now for the Murder Trial

Bryan Stewart a.k.a. Rick Valentini​Rick Valentini -- a.k.a. Bryan Stewart was in a Maricopa County Superior Court this afternoon, where he was found guilty of 29 counts of forgery, four counts of identity theft, four counts of misconduct involving a weapon, two counts of money laundering, and one ... More >>

Suspects Force Robbery Victim to Push SUV to Gas Station (With Car) as Girlfriend Taken Hostage; Three Punks Robbed Nine at Gunpoint

Image: Circle K surveillance videoCops say this is one of three men who helped rob and hold a group of nine people hostage on June 28.​ Three hoodlums whose SUV ran out of gas during a June robbery forced one of their victims at gunpoint to use his car to push the vehicle to a gas station ... More >>

Brittany Williams, Mom Who Put Newborn in Trash, Convicted of Murder

MCSOBrittany Williams​A Phoenix mom who put her newborn baby in a trash can last year -- killing the baby -- has been found guilty of second-degree murder, court officials tell New Times.In January 2010, Brittany Williams delivered a baby in her family's Phoenix home. According to authoritie ... More >>

Why Did the Arizona Department of Corrections Put a Mentally Ill Man in a Cell With a Convicted Killer?

MCSOBrittany Williams​A Phoenix mom who put her newborn baby in a trash can last year -- killing the baby -- has been found guilty of second-degree murder, court officials tell New Times.In January 2010, Brittany Williams delivered a baby in her family's Phoenix home. According to authoritie ... More >>

A Former Jehovah's Witness Elder Who Sexually Abused a Teenager Gets Only Six Months

MCSOBrittany Williams​A Phoenix mom who put her newborn baby in a trash can last year -- killing the baby -- has been found guilty of second-degree murder, court officials tell New Times.In January 2010, Brittany Williams delivered a baby in her family's Phoenix home. According to authoritie ... More >>

"Thou Shalt Not Steal Bandit" Strikes Again?

Has the bandit struck again?​It appears a thief the Federal Bureau of Investigation's bandit-naming department has dubbed the "thou shalt not steal bandit" may have struck again -- this time in Phoenix.Phoenix police say the First Fidelity Bank branch near 32nd Street and Lincoln Drive in Phoenix ... More >>

SB 1070 Boycott Over? NCLR Says, "Yes," Sal Reza Says, "Hell, No!"

irregulartimes.comBoycott over? Depends whom you ask. Sand Land's nativism, however, persists.Friday evening, I received the letter below signed by Janet Murguria of the National Council of La Raza, essentially declaring that the boycott of Arizona over Senate Bill 1070 is finito.Granted, the letter ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, September 15th, 2011

irregulartimes.comBoycott over? Depends whom you ask. Sand Land's nativism, however, persists.Friday evening, I received the letter below signed by Janet Murguria of the National Council of La Raza, essentially declaring that the boycott of Arizona over Senate Bill 1070 is finito.Granted, the letter ... More >>

Pinal County Deputy Assessor Jacqueline Minto Nabbed for DUI -- Seven Months After Her County Assessor Boss Got Stopped For His DUI

Pinal County Sheriff's OfficePinal County Deputy County Assessor Jacqueline Minto slammed her car into the back of another vehicle last night. Her BAC was .183.​Getting stopped for DUI seems to be all the rage at the Pinal County Assessor's Office these days -- just seven months after County Asses ... More >>

Doctor of Death Peter Normann Gets 25 Years in Prison For Deaths of Three Patients

Peter Normann's headed to prison.​Peter Normann, the Anthem doctor convicted of murder in the deaths of two of his patients, and manslaughter in the death of another, was in a Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison.Normann's sentencing ... More >>

Anthony Rios Used Samurai Sword in (Failed) Bicycle Robbery

MCSOFailed bike robber Anthony Lopez Rios​Mesa thief Anthony Lopez Rios used a samurai sword in an attempt to steal a guy's bicycle last night. More laughable than using a martial arts weapon to try to rob a bike, the robbery attempt netted precisely zero bikes -- and Rios can now add "failed bike ... More >>

Death Row `Last Meals' May Becoming Thing of The Past (Not Executions)

We wrote a little story back for this paper in the Dark Ages (before, yikes, the Internet!) about the last meals that Arizona's death row inmates order in advance should their time ever come.   This pup was not eaten by a death row inmate. ​It was kind of a humorous piece that f ... More >>

AG Tom Horne on Upcoming Execution of Kid-Killing Rapist Richard Stokley: Hurry Up

Arizona Department of CorrectionsRichard Stokley​A Federal appeals court today upheld the death sentence for kid-killing rapist Richard Stokley. No execution date has been set, but Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne doesn't want to see Stokley's date with death delayed any further."The date for St ... More >>

Suspect in Three Armed Robberies, Ryan Foote, Kills Man Who Dated Ex-Girlfriend, Police Say

Image: Maricopa County Sheriff's OfficeRyan Foote broke into an apartment early Monday and shot to death his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, cops say.​ A 22-year-old suspect in three armed robberies burst through the glass door of a Phoenix apartment at about 3 a.m. on Monda ... More >>

A Respected State Prison Officer Quits Over Dangerous Conditions for Inmates and Guards

Image: Maricopa County Sheriff's OfficeRyan Foote broke into an apartment early Monday and shot to death his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, cops say.​ A 22-year-old suspect in three armed robberies burst through the glass door of a Phoenix apartment at about 3 a.m. on Monda ... More >>

Facebook Sued by Scottsdale Woman, Sharon Beatty, Over Site's Tracking of Web Browsing History While Logged Off; Class Action Ruling Sought

​ Facebook calls it a glitch, but a Scottsdale woman and her Phoenix lawyer want to be compensated for the social media site's surreptitious tracking of Web browsing history.Former state Attorney General Grant Woods filed the federal complaint on Friday for his client, Sharon Beatty of Scottsd ... More >>

Getting your iPhone stolen? Yeah, There's an App for That -- Just Hang Out in Tempe

www.designtaxi.com​Over the past several weeks, the Tempe Police Department says at least two groups of thieves have stolen iPhones and other electronic devices from at least eight Arizona State University students on or near the university's Tempe campus.The most recent heist happened Monday nigh ... More >>

Facebook Lawsuit Plaintiff Sharon Beatty is Lawyer Grant Woods' Secretary

Grant Woods, a Valley lawyer and former state Attorney General, filed a federal complaint against Facebook this week on behalf of plaintiff Sharon Beatty -- who happens to be his secretary.​"Hey, Sharon, want to file a lawsuit against Facebook?"We imagine that a conversation that included th ... More >>

Quinten Rushton Got Wasted, Exposed Himself, Fatally Stabbed Friend, and Tried to Stab Girlfriend Before Kicking Cop in the Junk

MCSOQuinten Rushton​We've all had those mornings after a night of heavy drinking where we wake up and say to ourselves "what the f**k did I do last night?"Chances are, the answer to that age-old question isn't "pulled out my penis, fatally stabbed my friend, attempted to stab my girlfriend, and ki ... More >>

Chronic Drug Use and Childhood Abuse (and Crappy Lawyers) Wins Death Row Inmate New Trial Or Life in Prison

Arizona Department of CorrectionsSteven James​The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed out the death sentence of an Arizona death row inmate who was sentenced to die for the brutal 1981 murder of a man he targeted for being gay.Inmate Steven Craig James, 53, who's been on death row for nearly 2 ... More >>

Cops Think "Uncle Jerry" Morrow Molested Nearly 20 Young Boys

MCSO"Uncle Jerry" Morrow.​If there was a pervert hall of shame, "Uncle Jerry" Morrow would certainly be a first ballot inductee -- he admitted to being a pedophile, and police suspect he's molested nearly 20 kids dating as far back as 1976.Morrow was arrested last night at his home at 4807 South 3 ... More >>

Authorities: Mexican Drug Cartel Suffers "Death Blow;" Billion-Dollar Trafficking Ring Busted Up by Law Enforcement Agencies

ICE​Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies claim to have delivered a "death blow" to a Mexican drug trafficking ring that was running $33 million worth of drugs through Arizona every month.Authorities announced this morning the results of "Operation Pipeline Express," a 17-month invest ... More >>

Should Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau Expect a Date With an Executioner's Needle?

Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau is a prime candidate for the death penalty.​Regardless of your opinion of the death penalty, it exists because of guys like convicted Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau.Goudeau was convicted yesterday of 67 serious felonies -- nine of which were murder raps -- stemming from ... More >>

Jeffrey Graybill -- Arizona Man Who Posed as Fertility Doc to Molest Grown Men -- Gets Prison Time, Probation for Life

Jeffery Graybill​An Arizona man was sentenced to prison time this morning after pleading guilty to charges that he posed as a fertility doctor in order to molest grown men.Jeffrey Graybill, who used the name "Doctor Richardson" to practice faux-medicine, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior C ... More >>

Tower Heist: The Little Guys Steal from the Rich Guys in This Throwback Action-Comedy

Jeffery Graybill​An Arizona man was sentenced to prison time this morning after pleading guilty to charges that he posed as a fertility doctor in order to molest grown men.Jeffrey Graybill, who used the name "Doctor Richardson" to practice faux-medicine, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior C ... More >>

Take a Chilling Look Inside the Baseline Killer Case

Jeffery Graybill​An Arizona man was sentenced to prison time this morning after pleading guilty to charges that he posed as a fertility doctor in order to molest grown men.Jeffrey Graybill, who used the name "Doctor Richardson" to practice faux-medicine, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior C ... More >>

Execution Warrant For Robert Moorman, Arizona's Longest Serving Death Row Inmate, Could Be Issued Today

AZDOCRobert Moorman chopped his adoptive mother up into pieces and scattered the remains in dumpsters near the Florence Prison, where he was an inmate at the time.​The Arizona Supreme Court today will consider whether to issue an execution warrant for a man convicted of murdering his adoptive moth ... More >>

Dozens of Teenage Boy Scout Explorers Have Been Sexually Abused by Cops; Should Scouts Share the Blame?

AZDOCRobert Moorman chopped his adoptive mother up into pieces and scattered the remains in dumpsters near the Florence Prison, where he was an inmate at the time.​The Arizona Supreme Court today will consider whether to issue an execution warrant for a man convicted of murdering his adoptive moth ... More >>

Mexican Smugglers Exploit the Corrupt Reputation of U.S. Border Officers

AZDOCRobert Moorman chopped his adoptive mother up into pieces and scattered the remains in dumpsters near the Florence Prison, where he was an inmate at the time.​The Arizona Supreme Court today will consider whether to issue an execution warrant for a man convicted of murdering his adoptive moth ... More >>

Maricopa Teen Caught With 500 Child-Porn Videos and Pictures After Year-Long FBI Investigation

Image: www.fbi.gov​A year-long child-porn investigation led FBI agents this summer to a Maricopa teenager with a personal stash of 500 videos and pictures of sexually exploited children.The case was outlined in court records filed yesterday by the Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office, which requests the ... More >>

Meet Brandi Farnberg -- the Hottest Alleged Car Thief in the Valley *UPDATED*

MCSOBrandi Farnberg's not a bad lookin' woman. She's also an alleged car thief.​Sorry, gentlemen, according to her Facebook page, Brandi Farnberg, 23, is in a relationship. According to police, she's also an alleged car thief with aliases like "Sabrina Angelo," "Brandy Torres," and "Kacey Whitmore ... More >>

Is 15 Years in the Joint Enough For Scott Bass, Dad Who Locked 14-Year-Old Daughter in Bathroom For Months?

MCSOFifteen years for Scott Bass?​Yesterday, Scott Bass was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and child abuse charges for locking his 14-year-old daughter in a bathroom for more than two months.Per his plea deal, Bass faced up to 17 years in prison -- and New Time ... More >>

Findings of Racial-Profiling, Civil-Rights Investigation Into Sheriff Arpaio's Office to be Announced by Feds

​ The findings of a three-year probe into allegations of racial profiling and other civil rights allegations against Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office will be revealed this morning by the U.S. Justice Department.The Civil Rights Division has run a wide-ranging investigation into the "patterns and pr ... More >>

Findings of Racial-Profiling, Civil-Rights Investigation Into Sheriff Arpaio's Office to be Announced by Feds

​ The findings of a three-year probe into allegations of racial profiling and other civil rights allegations against Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office will be revealed this morning by the U.S. Justice Department.The Civil Rights Division has run a wide-ranging investigation into the "patterns and pr ... More >>

Sinaloa Drug Cartel Now Short $7.8 Million, 435 Pounds of Meth, and 650 Pounds of Weed -- Compliments of Arizona Law Enforcement Agencies

WikipediaJoaquin Guzman-Loera is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel. He's also one of the richest men in the world.​The Sinaloa drug cartel recently suffered what local law enforcement agencies are considering a "significant blow" -- a 15-month investigation has led to the arrest of more than 200 peop ... More >>

Gregg Pfeifer Has a Little Bit of a Stalking Problem

MCSOGregg Pfeifer​Since July, Phoenix police have received at least 33 reports that Gregg Pfeifer, 35, has been stalking a former girlfriend. He's allegedly made multiple harassing phone calls, drives by the victim's house repeatedly, and has sent several threatening emails.Early yesterday morning ... More >>

MCSO Investigating Possible Link Between Murdered Deputy and Couple Fatally Shot Near Sedona

MCSODeputy William Coleman is the first MCSO deputy killed in the line of duty since 1995​As you've probably heard, a Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy was fatally shot with a high-powered rifle over the weekend. As you also may have heard, a New Hampshire couple was found shot to death in their ca ... More >>

Drew Ryan Maras, Possible "UFO-ologist," Identified as Shooter in Murder of MCSO Deputy

Facebook"UFO-ologist" Drew Ryan Maras​The man authorities say is responsible for murdering a Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy over the weekend has been identified as 30-year-old Drew Ryan Maras -- which happens to be the same name as a "UFO-ologist" who wrote a book titled Open Your Eyes: To 2012 ... More >>

Sheriff's Office to Hold Morning Briefing on Murder of Deputy William Coleman -- and Dead Cop-Killer Drew Ryan Maras

MCSOSlain MCSO Deputy William Coleman​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio this morning will brief the media on any updates in the murder of Deputy William Coleman.We expect to find out two things: whether Coleman's murder is related to the murder of a New Hampshire couple found shot to death near S ... More >>

Coddling Joe: How Do You Collaborate With a Felon?

MCSOSlain MCSO Deputy William Coleman​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio this morning will brief the media on any updates in the murder of Deputy William Coleman.We expect to find out two things: whether Coleman's murder is related to the murder of a New Hampshire couple found shot to death near S ... More >>

MCSO Deputy Bill Coleman Murder: Burglary Suspects Arrested

MCSODeputy Bill Coleman was murdered on January 8, when he and other deputies responded to a burglary call in Anthem.​In what Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio insists was "not a news conference," the MCSO announced this afternoon that two men who allegedly burglarized the business where Deputy B ... More >>

Death of MCSO Deputy Bill Coleman: Should Alleged Burglars Be Charged With Murder?

MCSODeputy Bill Coleman, murdered father of four.​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced yesterday that two men have been arrested for allegedly breaking into the Anthem medical facility where MCSO Deputy Bill Coleman was murdered earlier this month by 30-year-old "UFO-ologist" Drew Ryan Mar ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Logic "Absurd," Says State Bar Counsel in Final Closing Argument; Disbarment Recommended -- Again -- for Former Prosecutors Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon

Andrew Thomas' arguments are "absurd," says the State Bar of Arizona's independent counsel.​ Independent lawyers for the State Bar of Arizona again recommend disbarment for former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, referring to his arguments with words like "absurd."Thomas' former sidekic ... More >>

Tyson Langley, 15-Year-Old Accused of Double Homicide, Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charges

Peoria Police DepartmentTyson Langley​Tyson Langley, the 15-year-old accused of murdering two people at a Peoria smoke shop last month, was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.Despite his young age, Langley's being charged ... More >>

Paradise Valley Murders: Heavily Redacted Arrest Report Released; Michael Crane Discussed Setting House On Fire

Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro were murdered last month in their Paradise Valley home. Six suspects have been arrested in connection to the murder.​The arrest reports for the six people allegedly connected to the brutal murders of a Paradise Valley couple last month were unsealed this afternoon, but ... More >>

Paradise Valley Murders: Heavily Redacted Arrest Report Released; Michael Crane Discussed Setting House On Fire

Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro were murdered last month in their Paradise Valley home. Six suspects have been arrested in connection to the murder.​The arrest reports for the six people allegedly connected to the brutal murders of a Paradise Valley couple last month were unsealed this afternoon, but ... More >>