The Arizona Senate gave preliminary approval to the “Birther” bill, which would require any presidential candidate to prove to state election officials that they are U.S. citizens, old enough to hold office, and meet residency requirements — despite each of these things already being federal requirements to land the job.The bill already…
The sentencing hearing for Susan Brock, the somewhat-estranged wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, is scheduled to resume today.Brock faces a minimum sentence of seven years, a maximum sentence of 15 years, and a presumptive sentence of 10 years for carrying out a three-year sexual relationship with a teenage…
You might think anyone who could kill his own infant child is a monster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re nuts.Enter 27-year-old Brian Hopf, accused of murdering his 3-week-old daughter in September 2009 and now officially competent to stand trial for first-degree murder.A court-ordered competency hearing for Hopf concluded that the alleged…
We’ve been waiting on pins and needles for word from the Maricopa County Superior Court about the outcome of the sentencing hearing for Susan Brock, the somewhat-estranged wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, who pleaded guilty to several sex-with-a-kid-related crimes about two months ago.The hearing is going on right…
Jason Bush, the kid-killing accomplice of Minutewoman Shawna Forde, will join his murderous cohort on death row, a Tucson jury decided today.Bush was found guilty last monthd in the murders of an Arivaca man and his daughter in May 2009.In addition to the two first-degree murder convictions for the murders…
Good news: according to rankings from an international think tank, Arizona is not the most violent state in America, which may come as a shock considering we’re one of only two states in the entire country to consider having its own “official state gun.”Bad news: Arizona isn’t even close to…
A teenage Virginia murderer was sentenced today for his role in the brutal beating death of an 81-year-old Tempe man last year. However, because the boy is a teen, the “rotten little bastard” will only do about seven years behind bars.After pleading guilty last month to first-degree murder in the…
The Arizona state Senate was scheduled to debate the humiliating “Birther” bill yesterday, but that didn’t happen — the Senate has postponed a preliminary vote on the bill.The bill already has failed in the Arizona Legislature twice — once last year and once in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year. However,…
Glendale police have arrested two men in connection with the death of a high school sophomore who police say was either pushed from or dragged by a moving car during a robbery attempt last week.Lino Chavez and Jose Solis Apodaca, both 18, were arrested for the murder of 16-year-old Anita…
The Arizona Legislature has a knack for something: ruining the reputation of the entire state via a collection of embarrassing, symbolic bills.Last week, Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that makes doctors who perform abortions based on sex or gender criminals, which is fine except there’s no evidence to support…
The Glendale mom who police say intentionally hit her daughter with a car had the recommended aggravated-assault charge against her thrown out by a Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner — but not because there’s no case. Rather, there was an error in how the woman was charged.If you’re unfamiliar with…
Police have yet to recover the body of a Chandler woman who’s been missing since last March, but authorities feel they have enough evidence to charge her ex-boyfriend with murder.The Chandler Police Department announced today that Rick Valentini — a.k.a. Bryan Stewart — has been charged with second-degree murder in the…
Despite state Representative Judy Burges’ humiliating “Birther Bill” having failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, it has found its way back to the Legislature via a strike-everything amendment. Sadly, a preliminary vote on the bill will be taken in the Senate today.The bill is slightly different from…
A Glendale mom was arrested last week after coming up with a pretty convincing way to win an argument with her 17-year-old daughter: hitting her with a car.Sylvia Aranda, 37, was arrested Friday after witnesses say they watched her hit her daughter with her car near Grand Avenue and Greenway…
President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he will seek a second term in office, despite the piss-poor economy, the high unemployment rate, the border mess, Libya, Japan, the housing crisis, and flaking on campaign promises like closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Let the rhetoric commence. On the Republican side,…
A North Carolina man was sentenced to 60 months’ probation for scratching his name into petroglyphs along the Colorado River that are more than 1,000 years old.In addition to the probation, Trenton Austin Ganey must pay $10,000 restitution and complete 100 hours community service after admitting to carving “Trent” into…
Convicted murderer Daniel Wayne Cook was scheduled to be put to death this morning for the brutal 1987 murders of two men in Lake Havasu City. However, the United States Supreme Court granted Cook a last-minute stay delaying — or potentially reversing — his death sentence.During the murders of his…
Since our previous post about a search warrant conducted by Chandler police to obtain a handwriting sample from Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, the county supervisor’s spokesman sent New Times a statement from Brock, in which he denies he ever helped his wife conspire to have sex with a teenage…
Once again, just when we though the uber-bizarre sex scandal involving both the wife and daughter of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock and a teenage boy couldn’t possibly get any more bizarre, it did.The Chandler Police Department confirms to New Times that it has conducted a search warrant to obtain…
If you’re planning to run against Congressman Jeff Flake for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jon Kyl, you should understand — the guy’s got some cash.Flake announced today that his campaign has raised $1 million in three months.”Our tremendous finance committee includes most of Arizona’s hardest-working Republicans, and…
On Sunday, Gary Maitha found himself in a nightmare situation for any married man: he lost his wedding ring. Luckily, the ring was found by 41-year-old Gary Barnett, who offered to return it to Maitha — as long as he agreed to pay a $100 “finder’s fee,” which aside from…
Former TV pitchman J.D. Hayworth thinks the reason Arizona’s medicaid program is in such bad financial shape is that it covers people who are in the country illegally. The only problem with that is Arizona’s medicaid program doesn’t actually cover the overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants.Oh, J.D., how we’ve missed…
