A former Valley soccer coach pleaded guilty today to attempted sexual conduct with a minor and charges related to possessing nude pictures of his roommate’s little boys. Before his November 2008 arrest, Daniel Cope worked for two years for the American Youth Soccer Organization, coaching games in Phoenix, Tempe,…
We would never encourage anyone to rob a bank. But if recent history tells us anything, it’s not hard to do — unless you’re an idiot.It seems that nearly every day we get a press release from a Valley police agency telling the story of some thief who robbed a…
As the saying goes: “goodnight, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.” For a Phoenix man, he may have included “or set your apartment on fire” to the end of that bedtime rhyme because he’s blaming bedbugs for a blaze at his Phoenix apartment.He’s not saying the tiny…
A Chandler homeowner opened fire on suspected gang members who had infiltrated his party early Sunday and attacked him while trying to steal a keg of beer.Two of the suspects were killed at the scene in a neighborhood near Ray Road and Arizona Avenue. Cops have arrested eight other gang…
Police on Tuesday released a sketch of the woman suspected of throwing acid on another woman in Mesa last week. Mesa police released a sketch of the woman suspected of throwing acid on another woman last week. The attack left the victim with burns on her face and chest, and…
If you needed a reminder not to drink and drive this holiday weekend …A 40-year-old woman from Sells, Arizona is facing negligent homicide, criminal damage and driving under the influence charges in connection with the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Cops said that based on field sobriety tests,…
We’re hearing a lot about acid attacks these days — now there’s been one in Mesa. Police report that a 41-year-old woman stepped out of her vehicle in her driveway at about 1 p.m. yesterday when a woman walked up and threw acid on her. She then ran away through the…
A 21-year-old Navy man received a 10-year prison sentence in Maricopa County Superior Court today for the murder of his rival for the love of a 48-year-old Chandler schoolteacher.Sixto Balbuena stabbed 18-year-old Samual Valdivia on April 10, 2009, after catching the younger man at the house of Tamara Hofmann, a…
Dr. Emilio Luna, the west Phoenix pediatrician accused of distributing child porn on a public file-sharing system, was the only one who had used his laptop computer, federal agents allege. A complaint filed by agents in court gives more details as to why Luna was arrested, and what kinds of…
Just when you think things can’t get any sicker… Phoenix pediatrician Emilio Luna has been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with distributing thousands of child porn photos into an online, public file-sharing system. The office didn’t offer too many details in its news release beyond that, other than the fact that…
Keith King, the less-than-better half of a marriage built on stolen luggage, pleaded guilty today to a raft of charges that should put keep him away from the airport for a while. King’s wife, Stacy King, was sentenced last month to three-and-a-half years in prison following her own guilty plea…
A Chandler man with a history of violence against his former wife was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of hiring a man to shoot the woman in the head. Michael Stephen Sawins, 33, of 875 West Pecos Road, #1165, gave his .22-caliber Derringer pistol to his friend and former roommate,…
Joe Watson’s gonna have a lot of time to work on his poetry-for-snacks business. The former writer for New Times, (who also spent time scratching for the Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune) was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for his role as the “Salon Bandit.”…
Yesterday, we got our hands on some court documents describing the disgusting conditions of the apartment of the man suspected of putting his 7-month-old son in the freezer while he was high on crystal meth.Of the several disgusting items found in Chance and Leanna Kracke’s apartment, we narrowed them down…
By now, you’ve probably heard about Chance and Leann Kracke — the Chandler couple whose 7-month-old son is believed to have been placed in a freezer while his father made a snack. That aside, it turns out the couple’s other kid, a 19-month-old, somehow ingested a screw, too.If you’re not…
A 22-year-old Surprise man has pleaded guilty in a 2006 crash that left three teens dead, and the firefighter mom of one victim is being treated for depression after learning he might get probation. The Houston firefighter, Jane Draycott, made headlines a couple of weeks ago after being busted for shoplifting a DVD player, some…
It turns out that Jason Shelton, anti-speed-camera activist, was assaulted by a Scottsdale police detention officer in jail is true, after all. We just received a copy of the notice of claim filed against the city of Scottsdale by anti-speed-camera activist Jason Shelton, who’s suing over his bogus 2008 arrest. As…
Some would argue that one of the great things about Arizona’s fairly lax gun laws is that it makes criminals think twice before committing a crime. The thinking is that if a criminal thinks his or her victim — or anyone close by — has a gun, they’ll reconsider whatever…
The man now-dubbed by the Phoenix Police Department as the “Bad Teeth Bandit” has struck again, this time hitting a Wells Fargo on Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix not far from a different Wells Fargo he robbed a few weeks ago.The suspect, described as white, about 35 years old, 5-foot-8, with a…
The leader of the “RIP Crew,” a group of thugs involved in the illegal-gun and drug business, was sentenced to federal prison on Tuesday.A federal judge handed down a sentence of 15 years in federal prison for 30-year-old Juan Victor Munoz, a convicted felon, for his role in the sale…
As is always the case, we must issue the following disclaimer before writing anything about the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club: The purpose of this article is not to provide a forum for Hells Angels and their enemies to bicker over who is a child molester, who beats women, and who…
Any story about someone fondling a sleeping passenger on public transportation is amusing. When it turns out to be a dude-on-dude sexual assault it’s even better. When one of the dudes happens to be a transient train rider, it’s just the icing on the cake.Under said criteria, it appears we’ve…
