Maricopa County Attorney's Office

After Nine Months in Jail for Working Without Papers, Luz Ruiz Rascon Finally Will Go Free

DPS Officer's Pursuit of DREAMer Lands Woman in Stir for Six Months

If you need an illustration of Arizona's diseased "attrition through enforcement" mentality, look no further than the case of Solaguahire Zenil, a local DREAMer, who is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. See also: -The MCAO Follows ICE's Blueprint for Separating I ... More >>

Bill Montgomery's Smoking Gun: ICE PowerPoint Shows Monty's Minions How to Deport More Immigrants

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office and Arizona-based attorneys for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement are engaged in a partnership to ensure the deportation of undocumented aliens who otherwise would benefit from President Obama's proposed comprehensive immigration reform, despite ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Makes Moolah Off Botched Sex Crimes Investigations, and More Sex Crimes May Be Outstanding

Protecting the kids? Tell it to those who suffered because the MCSO botched hundreds of sex crime investigations Wanna find out how Sheriff Joe Arpaio's boys in beige botched investigations into hundreds of sex crime cases in Maricopa County? It'll cost ya. Five grand, to be exact. And make the ch ... More >>

Bill Montgomery Is No Immigration Moderate

Tom Horne's Hearings Rescheduled: Will the AG Beat the Rap?

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's corruption is blatant, in your face, unrepentant. Yet, given the machinations of Horne's lawyers, who are battling both Horne's misdemeanor fender-bender charge with the City of Phoenix, and the civil, campaign finance law complaint brought by Maricopa County A ... More >>

Joseluis Marquez Found Guilty of Murder in 2010 Death of ASU Student Kyleigh Sousa

A jury found Joseluis Marquez guilty of first-degree murder and robbery in the 2010 death of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Kyleigh Sousa.Sousa was dragged by a car in an attempted robbery of her purse in an IHOP parking lot just south of the University's Tempe campus on May 26, 2010. ... More >>

​Joseluis Marquez on Trial in Murder of ASU Student Kyleigh Sousa

The murder trial of Joseluis Marquez started today, as the 22-year-old faces charges of first-degree murder and robbery the 2010 death of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Kyleigh Sousa.Sousa, 21, was dragged by a car in an attempted robbery of her purse in an IHOP parking lot just south ... More >>

Cocopah Police Chief Not Charged for Losing His Gun, Which Was Allegedly Found by a Child

A Yuma man found Cocopah Police Chief James Spurgeon's gun last month -- because the man's 6-year-old son was pointing it right at him -- but the police chief won't be charged.The Yuma Police Department had investigated the incident, as a police spokesman said Spurgeon left it at an acquaintance's ... More >>

A Woman Was Held in Jail Because Authorities Thought She Was Illegal

Maricopa County Prosecutors Win Nice Honor For Work in "Baseline Killer" Case

SEE ALSO: Take a Chilling Look Inside the Baseline Killer Case Suzanne Cohen and Patricia Stevens, two veteran homicide prosecutors with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, have been chosen to receive the annual Jason Schechterle Outstanding Performance Award. The two women will get the award a ... More >>

Hash, Kief, Tinctures and Other Concentrates of Marijuana Might Not be Legal Under Medical-Marijuana Law

One thing to add about our blog post today on the raid of Arizona Cannabis Society:Phoenix police say they intend to submit charges on some of the people involved, including charges related to the production of concentrated marijuana.That brings up the thorny question of whether such concentrates ar ... More >>

County Attorney's Office Explains Not Charging Former Cop Christopher Balmaceda With Sexual Abuse

​Despite the fact that police recommended that former Glendale cop Christopher Balmaceda be charged with one count of sexual abuse and four counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to teenage girls -- kissing and touching one of them -- the ... More >>

County Attorney Won't Charge Ex-Glendale Cop Accused of Sexting/Sexually Abusing Teen Girl *UPDATED*

​UPDATE: See the Maricopa County Attorney's Office's explanation for not charging Balmaceda here.A former Glendale cop accused of sexting several teenage girls, and sexually abusing another, won't be charged with any crimes.Police recommended that former Glendale Officer Christopher Balmaceda be c ... More >>

Russell Pearce's "Sham" Candidate Olivia Cortes' Date in Court This Thursday

oliviacortes.comWill Lisa Hauser end up defending Olivia Cortes as well? I wouldn't be surprised.Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Edward Burke will preside over a hearing this Thursday in a lawsuit brought by elections law attorney Tom Ryan, alleging that Olivia Cortes' candidacy for state Senat ... More >>

Mesa Teen in Custody After Fatally Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mom

​Mesa police say a teen walked into the open garage at the home of his ex-girlfriend, went into the laundry room, and fatally shot the girl's mother yesterday afternoon.The woman's husband was home at the time of the shooting, which happened in a neighborhood near Baseline and Sossaman Roads about ... More >>

Teenage Murder Suspect Stole Gun From Dad; Planned to Kill Girlfriend

www.bemovie.com A 16-year-old Mesa boy's been booked on on count of first-degree murder after he admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend's mother.​A 16-year-old Mesa boy who admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend's 42-year-old mother yesterday afternoon told police that he stole th ... More >>

Mesa 16-Year-Old Accused of Murdering Girlfriend's Mom Identified as Braden Matthew Rockriver; Will Be Charged as Adult

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery has decided to charge a Mesa 16-year-old as an adult for the murder of the boy's girlfriend's mother.​Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Cobb tells New Times that the Mesa 16-year-old accused of murdering his girlfriend's mother will be charg ... More >>

TSA Titty-Twister Yukari Miyamae Will Not be Charged With Felony

Phoenix Police DepartmentFelony charges will not be filed against Yukari Miyamae.​The Maricopa County Attorney's Office tells New Times that the Colorado woman arrested for giving a Transportation Safety Administration agent a titty-twister last week will not be charged with a felony. But she's no ... More >>

ASU Wrestling's Undie Run Attackers Referred to County Attorney's Office

This why inviting ASU wrestlers to a booze-fueled "undie run" is a bad idea.​Authorities have referred the cases of two members of the Arizona State University wrestling team who were caught on camera attacking a man at the school's annual "Undie Run" to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office ... More >>

Tom Horne Defers SCA Investigation to Feds; State AG Won't Go After Sheriff's Office

Tom Horne has "elected" to defer the SCA case to the feds.​ Tom Horne, the state Attorney General, inherited the SCA case from his predecessor, Terry Goddard. The case is all about the dirty politics played by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the state Republican Party. Briefly, it in ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Hitwoman Lisa Aubuchon Shot Down on Appeal of Dismissal

Aubuchon: "delusional hubris" personified Bunny boiler. Sorry, all I could think of as I read through Maricopa County Hearing Officer Harold Merkow's report on former Deputy County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon and her ongoing appeal of her dismissal, was Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. What will it take, ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Son: KPHO Follows Joshua Pearce Story (w/Update)

If Joshua Pearce were undocumented, he would have been deported long agoKudos to KPHO/Channel 5 for reporting on allegations of child abuse involving state Senate president Russell Pearce's son Joshua Pearce, which I first reported on a month ago.Reporter Jason Barry dogged Pearce at the state Capit ... More >>

Maricopa County Attorney's Office Yet to Decide Whether to Appeal Dismissal of Charges for Alleged Murderer

Joseph Roberts​Apache Superior Court Judge Donna Grimsley dropped murder charges against an eastern Arizona man because, she says, the accused's rights were violated when he was interviewed by investigators without a lawyer.Joseph Roberts is believed to have murdered 72-year-old William "Stoney" ... More >>

Bill Montgomery Leads Herd of Prosecutors to Orpheum--Promises Good Things Ahead

Quite a sight yesterday afternoon in downtown Phoenix.   ​The entire workforce of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office--it numbers in the hundreds--took to the streets (Jefferson, to be exact) as one, and trooped north a block or two to the Orpheum Theatre for a big meeting, It w ... More >>

Rick Romley Spanks Paul Babeu, Hard: MCAO Will Not Pay for Entire Munnell Memo Investigation

County Attorney Rick Romley gives Sheriff Babeu a reality checkIn my Monday blog concerning just who will pay for the cost of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's administrative investigation into the Munnell memo alleging corruption in the command staff of the MCSO, I reported that Babeu's flack ... More >>

Would-Be Burglar Forrest Gump-ed by Homeowner. Guy Shot Suspect in A** During Attempted Burglary

www.imdb.com"Somethin' jumped up and bit me!"​Burglary's not easy. It can be a real pain in the ass -- especially if that's where the guy whose house you're trying burglarize shoots you after you bust down his door.Yesterday, it seems shotgun justice prevailed after a 19-year-old suspect and one o ... More >>

Marcia Powell's Death Unavenged: County Attorney Passes on Prosecuting Prison Staff

Sadly, Marcia Powell may never get justiceThe Maricopa County Attorney's Office has chosen not to prosecute Arizona Department of Corrections staff in the death of inmate Marcia Powell.Powell, 48, died May 20, 2009, after being kept in a human cage in Goodyear's Perryville Prison for at le ... More >>

April 9 In Blogs: Kevin Smith, AZ BBQ Festival, and Lisa Aubuchon

​In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Up on the Sun: Kevin Smith Discusses Southwest Airlines, Razor Dildos, George Carlin, Green Hornet and More ... More >>

County Attorney's Office Should be Disqualified from Trying Cases, Defense Attorneys Say

Will Andrew Thomas be stopped from handling criminal cases, too? Some defense lawyers are working on it.​Earlier this year, the county took away the Maricopa County Attorney's Office ability to represent the board of supervisors -- setting up a separate "civil litigation" department that ans ... More >>

Hot Links: Employer Sanctions, Snowbirds, and Coyote Attacks

​Two years after the employer sanctions law went on the books, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has filed its first case against a Valley business. County prosecutors say the Scottsdale Art Factory knowingly hired illegal immigrants. The county attorney has asked that the business f ... More >>

Phoenix Auto Thefts Down 33 Percent

www.mobilesyrup.com​If you're like many of us and missed the federal government's generous "Cash for Clunkers" deadline, you may have been hoping someone would steal your dumpy old Chrysler so you can collect a little insurance money. In the past, parking your car in certain Phoe ... More >>

Couple Charged in Murder of Three-Year-Old Girl

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 26-year-old Susan Witbracht, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Dauntorian Sanders for the death of Witbracht's three-year-old daughter​The mother of the three-year-old girl, and the mother's boyfriend were officially charged with the child's murder yeste ... More >>

Three State Prison Guards Indicted for Inflating Overtime Reports

Three Arizona Department of Corrections detention officers have been indicted on fraud charges following a long investigation that showed they had cheated on pay sheets, says the Maricopa County Attorney's office.Evan Vincelli, 28, Sonja Schroeder, 26, and Joseph Constantino, 38, stand accused of st ... More >>

Maricopa County Supervisor Again Invites County Attorney to Call Him

Max Wilson Another day, another diss. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors can't seem to communicate with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. In a letter to County Attorney Andrew Thomas (see below), Max Wilson, the chairman of the board, repeats his earlier offer to have Thomas call him to d ... More >>

Chandler Man Who Stabbed Rival at Home of Teacher Indicted for Second-Degree Murder

  Sixto Balbuena, the 20-year-old Chandler man who stabbed his apparent rival at the home of their teacher, has been indicted for second-degree murder. That's no surprise. But what could be interesting is if the teacher, Tamara Hofmann, ends up with an indictment of her own. The Maricopa C ... More >>

Father Who Left Tortured Daughter to Die Pleads Guilty to First-Degree Murder

It was a case of unimaginable brutality: A 12-year-old girl is scalded and beaten to death -- by her own mother.As if that isn't bad enough, the girl's father came home to find his daughter dying on a bedroom floor, then had dinner, went to bed and left for work the next day. Jeffrey Duchane (ab ... More >>

Serial Shooter Dale Hausner Found Guilty on Multiple First-Degree Murder Counts

After 11 days of deliberating, a jury has returned guilty verdicts on multiple first-degree murder counts for serial shooter Dale Hausner.Here are a few links to the coverage:Arizona RepublicEast Valley TribuneChannel 15 (KNXV-TV)heatcity.orgHere's an official response from Phoenix police:

Man Poses as Investigator, Tries to Talk Sky Harbor Cops Into Handing Over Prisoner

Talk about huevos.Last June, a man strolled up to Phoenix police officers at Sky Harbor International Airport and tried to talk them into releasing into his custody another man they were holding on an FBI warrant, says the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. In a news release put out this afternoon, ... More >>

Former State Trooper Guilty in Drunken, Off-Duty Collision With Motorcyclist

A former 27-year veteran of the Arizona Department of Public Safety has been found guilty of aggravated assault following a drunken collision with a motorcyclist who lost his leg. George Aguilera faces five to 15 years following today's jury decision, says the Maricopa County Attorney ... More >>

Four MCSA/ACORN Members Freed after Being Arrested for Applauding

The four activists arrested by the MCSO Wednesday for applauding: from left, Jason Odhner, Kristy Theilen, Monica Sandschafer, and Joel Nelson.After spending about 12 hours in jail, four members of ACORN and MCSA (Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability) who had been arrested for applauding ... More >>

Storied Detective Quits Phoenix Police Department

Andrew Thomas' Office Puts Man Who Filed Racial Discrimination Complaint On Paid Leave For Eight Months, Lawyer Says

County Attorney’s office (finally) files "Notice of Intent to Dismiss" charges in Lacey/Larkin matter.

SMACKDOWN! Judge Edward Burke bitchslaps Dennis Wilenchik & Andrew Thomas.

Candy Thomas

Judge Thomas O'Toole made tough-talkin' Andy Thomas a loser, but sounds like he's a big chicken, too?

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No Second Helping

Flashes

Mental Health MASQUERADE

Litigation over care fo rArizona's mentally ill ended four years ago. Sowhy have private attorneys racked up more than $1 million in fees since then?

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