Maricopa County Attorney's Office

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

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

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

News

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?

Flashes

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?

Storied Detective Quits Phoenix Police Department

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?

This Just In

No Second Helping

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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:

"Appearance of Evil" Requires Personal Sanctions Against County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Say County Supervisors

A conflict of interest between Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and the county Board of Supervisors over the investigation of a planned court tower creates the "appearance of evil," a judge has ruled.  Judge Gary Donahoe The background: In the midst of a feud with the County Superv ... More >>

Our Community Under Siege

Where do we turn when law enforcement threatens citizens like a grim force of nature?

Candy Thomas

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

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

County Attorney Wants Second Liberian Boy Charged as Adult in Rape of Little Girl

County Attorney Andrew Thomas​The Maricopa County Attorney's Office wants to charge a second teen attacker as an adult in the sexual assault of an 8-year-old Liberian girl.Last month, police say the 8-year-old was sexually assaulted by four Liberian boys -- ages 9, 10, 13, and 14. After the ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

County Attorney Thomas and Crew File "Special Action" in Arpaio Detention Officer Flap

We've just gotten word that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has filed a "special action" with the Arizona Court of Appeals in legal protest of Judge Gary Donahoe's recent jailing of county Detention Officer Adam Stoddard. ​We haven't yet seen the pleading, filed on behalf of Stodd ... 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 >>

Andy Thomas Wins Minor Victory Over Defense Attorneys Who Want Him and His Office Tossed Off Cases

A Superior Court judge has ruled against several criminal defendants who wanted him to disqualify the Maricopa County Attorney's Office from prosecuting their cases.  ​Judge Wallace Hoggatt is the Cochise County jurist assigned to the sweeping case by a "special master" who is overseeing ... 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 >>

Rick Romley Seeks Hate Crime Enhancement for White-on-Brown Shooting in South Phoenix

Alleged killer Gary Kelley now facing hate crime enhancement in a South Phoenix shootingThe Maricopa County Attorney's Office has confirmed that prosecutors will seek a hate crime enhancement against Gary Kelley in the May 6 shooting death of Juan Varela in a South Phoenix neighborhood.Kelley, an An ... More >>

Tapes Released of 9-1-1 Call from Mother of 3-Year-Old Boy Found Dead in Car

Three-year-old Jayden Carpenter was found dead in his mother's car yesterday.​There's speculation that the 3-year-old boy who was found dead in his family's car yesterday was left in the car by his mother, which goes against her claim that she took her eye off of him for a few minutes and he wande ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Mark Spencer Lawyers-Up, Clams Up on Virgillo Smear

azplea.comSpencer: hear no evil, see no evil, and speak not to County Attorney investigators The Maricopa County Attorney's Office's investigation of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association and its president Mark Spencer, the subject of this week's Bird column, produced a nice doorstop pile of docum ... 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 >>

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 >>

Arrest Made in South Phoenix Serial Rapist Case

​The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced this morning that a man has been arrested in connection to three sexual assaults dating back to November.Dajuan Donaldson, 18, was arrested this morning in connection with the attacks on three young girls as they walked to school.The first attack ha ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Hells Angel Kevin Augustiniak Pleads Guilty to Murder in 2001 Slaying of Cynthia Garcia

www.bighousecrew.net Kevin Augustiniak​Ten years after murdering Mesa resident Cynthia Garcia, one of several members of the Hells Angels initially charged in her death has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.Kevin J. Augustiniak entered his plea last week, nearly eight years after his 2 ... More >>

Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau Guilty on All Murder Counts; Faces Death Penalty. Sentencing Hearing Scheduled For Wednesday

Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau faces the death penalty after getting convicted of nine counts of murder.​After a five-month trial, and seven days of jury deliberation, Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau has been convicted of all nine of the murder charges against him.Goudeau faced 72 felony counts s ... More >>

Jerice Hunter, Mom Eyed in Disappearance of 5-Year-Old Jhessye Shockley, Has an Attorney. Meet Scott Maasen

www.KPHO.comValley attorney Scott Maasen will represent Jerice Hunter.​A Valley attorney -- best known for representing an escort who accused baseball villain Albert Belle of stalking her in 2006 -- has been recruited to represent Jerice Hunter, the mother of missing 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley.At ... More >>

Jhessye Shockley Disappearance: Glendale Police Won't Search Landfill For Girl's Remains

Jhessye Shockley was reported missing on October 11. The last time she was seen alive was September 22.​The Glendale Police Department says it no longer plans to search a city landfill for the remains of missing 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley, who was reported missing nearly two months ago.Glendale S ... More >>