Lisa Aubuchon, once Andrew Thomas’ key political prosecutor, is now under investigation herself. Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ inept attack-dog prosecutor, Lisa Aubuchon, is now under investigation herself by the new boss at her office, Rick Romley. Romley, named Friday to succeed Thomas (who stepped down to run for…
Ex-Prez Bill Clinton is coming to Phoenix next Monday to stump for buddy Andrei Cherny, a former Clinton adviser who’s running for State Treasurer. For a donation of a whopping $840, locals can sign up for a quick “meet-and-greet” with the former president. People affected by the recession can opt for a lottery…
A judge sentenced the former owner of a central Phoenix antique store to seven years in prison today for the 2006 fatal shooting of an unarmed homeless man. Roger Garfield, who was profiled in New Times’ March 11 edition, had been hassled for weeks at his store at 7th Avenue and McDowell Road…
Outgoing Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants us to believe he’s just fine with the decision to replace him with Rick Romley. A statement by Thomas, released through his über-flack, Jason Rose, contains none of the vitriol or threats about Romley’s appointment spouted by Sheriff Joe Arpaio today. While Arpaio threatens to…
No need to wonder how much the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office dislikes the Board of Supervisors’ choice to appoint Rick Romley as the new county attorney. Take a gander: …
A Peoria man accused of killing a bicyclist in 2008 could barely stand up because he was so impaired by prescription drugs on the night of the collision, police say. Aaron Chubick, 32, faces charges of hit-and-run and manslaughter in the early-morning wreck that killed 65-year-old Richard Markarian. A police report obtained…
An 18-year-old Phoenix resident has been arrested by Phoenix police in connection with a racing-related collision on February 13 that killed two people. Carlos Garcia had been driving the black car sought by police after the wreck at 43rd Avenue and McDowell Road, police allege in court records. Garcia,…
A citizens’ panel has made its recommendations to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on the replacement of former County Attorney Andrew Thomas: *Boyd Dunn — Chandler Mayor and divorce lawyer. *Cleve Lynch — a deputy county attorney. *Andrew Pacheco — lawyer and former organized crime prosecutor for the U.S…
A Phoenix gang-banger was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of planning a botched 2007 home invasion that left one of his homies dead. During the robbery, Cory Eugene Lamb-Jones, 35, and his fellow gangstas forced their way into an apartment, tied up two victims, poured motor oil on them, and threatened to…
A former employee of the Buckeye Union High School District claims in a federal lawsuit that she was fired in retaliation for ratting out an assistant principal in a suspected “sexting” case. The assistant principal, Matthew Conover, resigned last year after allegations that a 17-year-old student e-mailed nude photos of herself to his phone…
In a county feud that’s been marked by cries of legal conflicts of interest, here’s one more potential conflict: Remember how Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores is handling the potential criminal cases against two Maricopa County supervisors, thanks to a court ruling about County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ legal conflicts? Well, back in…
A Peoria father who crashed into a bicyclist in 2008 has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and hit-and-run. Aaron Chubick, 32, was released from jail on a $50,000 bond after his Thursday arraignment.The victim, Richard Markarian, 65, was a retired lab tech for General Electric and an avid…
The Centerpoint towers in Tempe were sold for $8 million in a foreclosure sale today to ML Manager LLC, the company representing the project’s investors. The 22- and 30-story towers on five acres of land at Sixth Street and Maple Avenue remain unfinished and upside-down on their mortgage, making for a couple of…
Dan Saban has dropped his lawsuit against the Republican Party, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and various players linked to the shady fund-raising club called the Sheriff’s Command Association. The suit, filed last year in the wake of revelations about the officials behind the SCA, alleged that the former candidate for sheriff’s reputation was damaged…
A California fugitive caught after a years-long “cat-and-mouse hunt” had defrauded the IRS of millions of dollars in a high-tech refund-stealing scheme, federal authorities now say. The fugitive, Daniel Rigmaiden, 29, of Santa Clara, was caught in August 2008, but one of his alleged accomplices, Phoenix resident Ransom Marion Carter III, 43, is still on…
After the Arizona Mountaineering Club launched its Web site on a new domain name last year, www.amcaz.org, club officials figured it would be okay to let the old domain expire. Robert England, the club’s president, says he remembers discussing the issue with other members last summer. Nah, they figured, no…
The company that acquired the Centerpoint towers in Tempe in bankruptcy proceedings will start the bidding for the unfinished project at $8 million. As we reported earlier today, the foreclosed five-acre property and two towers will go up for auction tomorrow. Although he knows what the opening bid will be,…
Got a few million bucks to blow? If so, you can try your luck on a couple of unfinished condominium towers in Tempe. The Centerpoint towers and the five acres of land beneath them at Sixth Street and Maple Avenue are scheduled to be up for open auction starting Thursday. Typically, such auctions put the…
A dump-truck driver who ran into the back of group of motorcycles last month, killing four riders, was on methamphetamine at the time of the collision, Phoenix police say. Eight motorcycles were hit; four people were killed and five were injured. Police arrested Michael Jakscht, 46, today after he allegedly…
A 29-year-old Glendale resident faces a 1st-degree murder charge after gunning down a man he suspected of having an affair with his girlfriend. Julio Angulo, 29, who has a long history of minor offenses, confronted the victim at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday in the parking lot of an apartment…
A Peoria man who smashed his pickup into a bicyclist in 2008, then left the victim dead on the road, was picked up by cops last week on charges of manslaughter and hit-and-run. On October 26, 2008, Peoria resident Richard Markarian, 65, was riding his bike in about 3:30 a.m. on Beardsley Road when the pickup truck careened into him…
We thought it was possible the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had a conflict of interest in picking a new county attorney, with two of the five having been indicted last year. But the board decided today that it doesn’t have a conflict. Whew… what a relief. County attorney Andrew Thomas…
