A 19-year-old man shot in the midsection during a fight outside of a Scottsdale house last week would have suffered worse injuries but for a well-timed punch, says the man’s father. Ted Leitner, a sportscaster for the San Diego Padres and other teams, told a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist that…
David Elms, founder of a hooker-finding Web site, has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison for trying to hire someone to assault a business rival. Elms also was sentenced to five years’ probation for his role in the infamous Desert Divas prostitution ring broken up by authorities a couple of…
Critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will have the chance to air their grievances tomorrow before County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox.Stapley and Wilcox, still fresh from their recent victories over attempts by Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas to prosecute them, will meet with members of…
Police today released the sketch of a man sought in connection with the kidnapping and molestation of a 4-year-old girl in Phoenix on Saturday. The case sounds like the stereotypical parental nightmare: A little girl snatched by a pervert in a public place during daylight hours. Cops say the girl…
Tempe-based LifeLock, Inc. has put former U.S. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge on its board of directors as it tries to recover from a $12 million punishment from the Federal Trade Commission.Ridge, the first secretary to the federal agency after it was created in the wake of the September 11,…
Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley filed a precursor to a lawsuit today against the county and various elected officials — including himself — for alleged malicious prosecution and other grievances. He wants $5 million for his troubles. The notice of claim was filed with the Board of Supervisors, of which he is chairman, Sheriff…
A federal judge today allowed the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office more time to sort through recovered e-mails for confidential info that doesn’t pertain to an ongoing racial-profiling lawsuit. The company that saved the recovered data has until April 11 to produce it for the lawyers on each side, says Cari…
Beware if you’ve got brown skin — Sheriff Joe Arpaio has begun another crime sweep. Maricopa County’s sheriff says he’s turning up the heat once again on illegal immigrants. His 14th such effort, according to the Associated Press, is focusing on “drop houses, drug violators and human smuggling vehicles.” If…
Hear that?It’s the sound of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas saying absolutely nothing after their March 11 news conference was shown to be a total farce.At the conference with the elected officials and their attorney, Robert Driscoll, reporters and the public were led to believe the U.S…
The person who called in a bomb threat that cleared out the Maricopa County Superior Court building on December 2, one day after a detention officer was ordered to jail by a judge, made a similar threat to the Public Defender’s Office two days before. Some folks may never believe…
The music minister of the First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix has resigned after being arrested last week in connection with a misdemeanor sex crime. Phoenix police arrested Gordon Christopher, 59, about 5:45 p.m. on March 9, and sought prosecution on a charge of “public sexual indecency — sexual contact,” records show…
When you file a lawsuit that’s vigorously contested, but withdraw it before any judgment or settlement in the case — that’s called failure, right? At the least, it would appear to be the acknowledgment of a mistake. Not so, according to Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Thomas said today that…
Before the fatal shooting, there was the red couch. It was soiled, stained, and reeked of cigarette smoke. A few days after bringing it into the Central Phoenix antique store, Ruby Sias realized it needed to be moved outside. She asked the new owner’s son to help her take it…
The East Valley Tribune laid off about two dozen workers today, one day after a bankruptcy judge approved a plan to sell the struggling daily newspaper. As we reported yesterday, the Colorado-based Thirteenth Street Media plans to buy the paper and other Arizona holdings of the Trib’s parent company, Freedom Communications, for $2.05…
LifeLock Inc. and its co-founders, Robert J. Maynard Jr. and Todd Davis, have been slammed with a $12 million penalty and ordered to change its deceptive advertising practices in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.The fact that LifeLock lies won’t come as a surprise to New Times readers. We were…
One of three former karate instructors accused in the deadly arson fire at the Phoenix headquarters of Young Champions of America was sentenced today to 14 years in prison. In an emotional hearing before a packed courtroom, Judge Joseph Kreamer told Jonathan Antonucci that he was troubled by several aspects of the case. In particular,…
The FBI is investigating the office of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas as part of its probe into abuse of power by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Arizona Republic reported today. The article contains little red meat beyond the headline: The newspaper’s sources “did not specify what investigators are asking. But…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas forwarded the criminal cases of Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley to Gila County today, ending his quest to hire a special prosecutor. Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores has agreed to accept the cases, Thomas wrote in a short news release, (see full text below).The…
An 82-year-old suspect in a 1987 murder is suffering from memory problems and requires a competency hearing, according to the man’s attorney. Recent paperwork filed in court also clears up confusion about the suspect’s name: His real name is Richard Earl Rodgers, but his fingerprints are the same as the…
A couple more turns of the screw to report this morning on the county front: 1. Former Arizona Chief Justice Ruth McGregor — a retiree who just returned from an out-of-country trip — ruled that a Yuma judge will decide last week’s squabble over the appointment of a special prosecutor in the…
Image: James King David Eisenberg and Victoria Toensing, at a news conference in October. The next step in Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ push to hire special prosecutors will likely be a request for an expedited ruling in a lawsuit that addresses the matter. Thomas wants the special prosecutors…
One of the chief criticisms of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas before he first won office in 2004 was his inexperience. Yet the Board of Supervisors is considering replacing Thomas with someone who has never prosecuted a single felon: Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn. Thomas, who has formed an exploratory committee…
