Police: Drug Dealer Sold Heroin to Gilbert Teens as Young as 15

news release just put out by Tempe police. The suspect, 21-year-old Christopher Fernandez of Gilbert, (right) was arrested on January 14 during a traffic stop. He reportedly had a gram of heroin on him at the time, and four more grams back his crib, which was also searched by police. The…

Bible Study Banned From State DES Cafeteria? No Way, Says DES

Contrary to a Tuesday report in the Sonoran Alliance blog, a spokesman with the state Department of Economic Security tells New Times that the agency has never prohibited Bible study in its cafeteria. The conservative blog site called on the Alliance Defense Fund and Governor Jan Brewer to look into the…

Arizona Photo Enforcement: How to Beat It Mailbag

The wicked flash of a photo enforcement unit sears to the bone, sending out a beam of emotion — indignation, denial, anger, guilt — as it lights up the picture they’ll use to prosecute you.Then, when the ticket comes, it’s like junk mail that bites.Nobody likes getting a photo enforcement…

Pat-Downs of Passengers by Police Approved by U.S. Supreme Court

[jump] Anytime an officer is suspicious someone is carrying drugs or other illegal contraband, the person can be searched for “weapons.” The officer has nothing to lose, now that the Supreme Court has spoken: If the search produces no weapons, there’s no legal foul ball. But if it produces drugs, the cop is…

Tucson Cop Pleads Guilty to Gambling Away $560,000 in RICO Funds

Irony of the Day: A Tucson police lieutenant stole $560,000 in money seized from criminals under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act over the course of four years, gambling most of it away. Richard Garcia, 47, admitted to the crime in federal court today, pleading guilty to “theft from an organization receiving…