Prison escapee John McCluskey’s Arizona trial is going on right now, and he better behave — or he’ll be shocked electrically.The judge overseeing McCluskey’s case found it appropriate to hook the alleged two-time murderer up to a stun belt for the duration of his trial.A stun belt is a battery-powered…
Maricopa County’s corrupt top cop, Joe Arpaio, is boasting about six illegal immigrants his deputies arrested yesterday — he’s so impressed with himself, in fact, he wants a thank you.The immigrant roundup went down in the north Valley. The Sheriff’s Office says the immigrants paid smugglers $2,000 to bring them…
While he wasn’t caught with a dead woman, or a live boy, conservative Phoenix City Council wannabe Gary Whalen did get arrested for a domestic-violence assault on his then-live-in boyfriend just days after registering to run for office — a little factoid he probably wishes New Times hadn’t unearthed.Then, it…
Rudy Soriano was sentenced today for the March 2010 murder of 32-year-old Rodolpho Yurralde, after which he wheeled Yurralde’s dead body around a Phoenix apartment complex before accidentally tipping it over.Soriano, 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in April.Phoenix police found Yurralde’s body outside of a west Phoenix apartment complex…
A former pastor at a Tempe church — serving a 15-year prison sentence for molesting a 14-year-old member of his congregation — has pleaded guilty to molesting two other members of a congregation he led in Ohio.Joshua O’Bannion, 27, pleaded guilty in a Cuyahoga County, Ohio, court to four counts of…
If you’re the clerk at a store you’re trying to rip off, the first rule of staging an armed robbery is don’t tell police it’s fake. Second rule of staging an armed robbery: DON’T TELL POLICE IT’S FAKE!Lincoln Knight, a clerk at a PLS Pay Day Loan Store near 43rd…
“World Elder Abuse Day” actually exists, but the title is misleading — it’s not a day to beat up old people, it’s a day to raise awareness of people who beat up old people.Wednesday is the official day not to abuse old folks, and Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is scheduled to kick…
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ staffers released the long-awaited first photo of the congresswoman since she was shot in the face during the January 8 Tucson shooting rampage…
John McCluskey, one of three inmates who escaped from an Arizona prison last summer — and then went on a multi-state tour of mayhem — goes to trial tomorrow in Arizona for escaping from prison and assaulting two men when he hijacked their truck following his escape.McCluskey still faces two…
The enormous Wallow Fire continues to rage in eastern Arizona, and it has rekindled the debate over whether environmentalists are to blame for wildfires.Over the years, environmentalists have filed lawsuits that put restrictions on loggers who clear a lot of the dry brush from the forests. They say “old-growth” logging puts…
Manuel Alvarez says he was only being a good samaritan when he grabbed a 15-year-old girl’s boobs on a Phoenix sidewalk last night. He’s even got a story for why he allegedly tried to kiss her — and offer her money for sex — too.According to court documents obtained by…
State Senator — and former Senate majority leader — Scott Bundgaard has been charged with a pair of misdemeanors for his February freeway scuffle with his ex-gal-pal “Iron” Aubry Ballard.Bundgaard’s been charged with one count each of reckless assault and endangerment for the freeway fracas that resulted in a night…
our previous post about Joe Arpaio’s immigrant roundup at a downtown Phoenix restaurant this morning, America’s self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff” issued a press release, in which he boasts that his agency “is the only law enforcement agency in the state that is currently enforcing employer sanctions laws.””Employer” being the operative word.However,…
A patron of a Scottsdale hotel called police to report a bombing early this morning. When officers showed up at his hotel room, he tried to shoot them.Scottsdale police say the man called 9-1-1 about 4:30 a.m. to report a bomb had gone off at the Clarion Hotel at 5101…
A Pinal County woman is dead after falling from a moving car Wednesday night. Police suspect she was drunk, and her husband probably will be charged with impaired driving.About 9 p.m. Wednesday, 57-year-old Tommie Joe Holliday called 9-1-1 and immediately hung up. The operator called him back, and he said…
A Pinal County woman was arrested last month after a fight with her 17-year-old daughter led police to the discovery of more opiates than you’d probably find at a pharmacy.Police were called to the home of Eva Martinez on May 18, because she was fighting with her teenage daughter. Martinez…
We continuously referred to a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly — and willingly — sexually abused by an 18-year-old man as a “victim” yesterday, and it seems we’ve started a bit of a debate: is the the girl really a victim.Sheldon Raquet, 18, was booked on one count each of…
Senator Jon Kyl was overheard today expressing concern about a summer home he claims to own that might be in the path of the Wallow fire raging in eastern Arizona.Given the senator’s history with “factual statements,” we decided to check it out…
On May 29, at 7:08 p.m., 18-year-old Sheldon Raquet posted the following on his Facebook wall: “Miss my baby 🙁 cant wait for her to get back :).” Adorable, right? Wrong — obnoxious social media PDAs aside, Raquet’s “baby” is a 13-year-old girl he was dumb enough to brag about…
If you’re in the market to lease a rental home, a good rule of thumb is to make sure the person from whom your renting actually owns the house.This bit of advice is compliments of the Phoenix Police Department, which is warning the public about a scam where people are…
If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is — just ask Mark Teich, who got an, um, bargain when he paid a Scottsdale art dealer $43,000 for a sketch by Pierre-Auguste Renoir he claims he was told was worth $110,000.Turns out, the sketch isn’t worth $110,000. In…
Get your calculators out… In less than 24 hours, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office — under the leadership of America’s self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff,” Joe Arpaio — has cost county taxpayers nearly $750,000 in settlements or judgments stemming from lawsuits filed against the sheriff.The latest: yesterday’s $94,000 judgment in favor of…
