Dave Hendershott, the disgraced former chief deputy under Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, will invoke his right against self-incrimination if asked to testify in the job appeal hearing for fired deputy Joel Fox.Barry Markson, Hendershott’s lawyer, told Judge Robert Sparks in the appeal hearing today that his client intended to…
An assault rifle with loaded magazines and 40 pounds of marijuana are just some of the objects found during a clean-up of federal lands near the smuggling corridor of Interstate 8.Dennis Godfrey, spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, says he’ll try to find out exactly what type of…
A ruling on potential punishment for former Maricopa Attorney Andrew Thomas may be put off until April 2.Citing the extensive filings and thousands of pages of exhibits in the ethics case, Arizona State Bar Disciplinary Judge William O’Neil decided to extend the time to make the ruling by 30 days. O’Neil…
A judge wants to know whether a criminal investigation is open on Joel Fox, the fired Maricopa Sheriff’s Office captain at the heart of the infamous “SCA” campaign-financing scandal. Which is great, because so do we. Fox has been fighting to get his job back in a lengthy appeal proceeding…
Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley has filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress in Arizona’s newly created 9th District.The County Supervisor has served as one of five members of the Board of Supervisors since 1996, and is currently suing the county for $15 million due to his…
Two San Diego police officers are lying to cover up evidence of last summer’s illegal “attitude arrest” of former Mesa Police Association president Fabian Cota.At least, that’s what Cota claims. The officers, on the other hand, say they detained Cota because he was yelling at them drunkenly from a pedicab…
A Gilbert homeowner followed three burglary suspects in his car to a park yesterday afternoon, watching as they chucked his snowboard from their vehicle’s window.The excitement began at about 12:20 p.m. in the 3800 block of East Battale Avenue, when a woman noticed some dudes who had pulled in a…
Maricopa County Manager David Smith announced today that he’ll retire on April 27 after 17 years on the job. Smith, 65, was at the helm during countless storms, guiding the county through severe fiscal crises and years of emotional legal battles with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew…
If anyone can match the millions raised by six-term congressman Jeff Flake in his bid to replace retiring Senator Jon Kyl, it’s Valley businessman Wil Cardon.It was Cardon’s family that provided $10 million to help build the Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa, and Cardon has put more than a…
An interesting story by JJ Hensley in the Arizona Republic yesterday mentions how the number of outstanding warrants in Maricopa County has dropped by 20 percent since 2008.For years, critics have been juxtaposing the number of warrants with Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s priorities, questioning why his deputies seem to have so…
The freedom to grow marijuana granted by the state’s 2010 medical-pot law is blossoming along with the plants in an El Mirage warehouse.Bill Hayes, founder of the Arizona Cannabis Society, invited New Times inside last week for a peek at their operation. (See our slideshow of the tour here.) A…
The retirement of veteran Maricopa Superior Court Judge Michael D. Jones this year left a vacancy that’s seen no shortage of applicants. Thirty-five lawyers hope they’ll be the one Governor Jan Brewer selects to fill the job opening for a new judge. Before that crucial step, though, the Maricopa County…
Millions of people will tune in to the Republican presidential candidate debate in Mesa tomorrow, an event that could help decide the outcome of the upcoming primary election.Yet it’s possible (and just about as likely as a summer snowcap on Piestewa Peak) that voters have made up their minds based…
A local Fedex worker claims in a federal lawsuit that he was attacked without provocation by a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputy during a routine inspection of packages.FedEx doesn’t appear to be backing employee Larry Strickler in his lawsuit, though the complaint states that Strickler’s co-workers witnessed the violent incident…
Chuck Coughlin — a.k.a. Governor Jan Brewer’s “brain” — defended Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu while taking lame potshots at New Times in a weekend rant on his PR company’s blog. We were among the recipients who received an e-mail version of the post from the Republican campaign strategist and former Fiesta Bowl lobbyist — which was…
A new lawsuit over Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act targets the provision that bans patients and caregivers from growing pot within 25 miles of an open dispensary.Bill Hayes, a marijuana activist and qualified patient who lives in Surprise, argues in a federal complaint filed yesterday that the provision violates the equal…
A new sign being planned for Camelback Mountain will likely memorialize falling victim Clint McHale with a picture, but don’t call it a memorial, says one Phoenix official.”It’ll be more like an educational or information sign,” says Kathi Reichert, deputy director for Phoenix’s Parks and Recreation department. “It talks about…
Nobody likes a snitch, right?Unless the fink’s name is Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose supporters seem to tolerate all sorts of bad behavior.Arpaio’s own employees have had to put up with his tattling on them for years.And we’re talking significant betrayals by the sheriff, not minor office politics. Had…
The 5 & Diner at Arizona Mills Mall owes a lot more than nickels and dimes to its parent corporation and has breached its franchise agreement, a federal lawsuit claims.Valerie Nabasny, who has owned the mall location since 2001, stopped making required payments in 2009 and now owes more than…
Late 2005 to October 2007 was not a good time to be raped or molested in El Mirage. During that time, the town had signed a contract to pay the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office $3.6 million for police services. But Sheriff Joe Arpaio didn’t use the money to bolster his…
We’re still waiting for the audio and/or video from today’s hearing at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisor’s Auditorium with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, but we’ll post it here when we get it. Arpaio testified this morning at the appeal proceeding for Joel Fox, the former Sheriff’s Office captain fired for…
A rodeo carnival worker was arrested on Sunday in Texas by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with a January 7 abduction and rape of his Tucson girlfriend.Glen Leo Gagnon, 52, was taken into custody without a fuss at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo carnival on Sunday. Gagnon’s…
