Dennis Wilenchik, the one-time special prosecutor whose investigation into New Times led to the nighttime arrests of its top executives, has been cleared of all wrongdoing by the State Bar of Arizona.And, sadly, this isn’t one of those New Times spoofs. The State Bar really has dismissed all claims against…
An elderly man extradited to Maricopa County in November on a 1987 homicide charge is apparently being held under the wrong name. Confusion in the case, however, didn’t help the white-haired, wheelchair-bound guy get out of jail during a court hearing on Monday. As we reported previously, Phoenix police and the U.S. Marshal’s…
A Pinal County judge has put the criminal case of Maricopa County Judge Gary Donahoe on hold until the state Supreme Court figures out what should be done with it. An article in the Arizona Republic this evening says the stay will be effective until March, when the Arizona Supreme…
The U.S.Attorney’s Office in Phoenix announced that the man convicted of leading four Guatemalans to a watery death has been sentenced to close to 10 years in prison.Juan Pablo Moreno-Gonzalez, 27, was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison for his role in the deaths of the four men, whom…
Rachel Alexander, the deputy county attorney now handling the Maricopa County Attorney’s racketeering lawsuit against a host of county officials, was working out of Thomas’ executive office as recently as mid-December, county records show.Indeed, Alexander — a conservative blogger and longtime Thomas supporter — wasn’t transferred to the MCAO’s Major…
A Tempe woman, who was denied parental custody rights last week and then drove her 8-month-old son to Florida, has been caught and will be brought back to Arizona. The baby, however, has not been found and the mother isn’t talking. Elizabeth Johnson, 23, was denied custody of her son,…
We had no idea that Paradise Valley’s veteran judge, Elsa Lynch, was in a peck of legal trouble when she told us in July about her upcoming retirement. Forgive us for momentarily losing our suspicious mind. A few weeks after our chat, it turns out, Lynch was indicted by a federal grand…
In China, 2009 was the year of the cow. In Arizona, however, 2009 may have been the year of the rabid bobcat.Officials at the Arizona Department of Health Services say there were more cases of rabies in 2009 than in any other year to date, including at least two rabid…
Deputy County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon — long considered Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ hatchet-woman for politically sensitive cases — is no longer handling the racketeering lawsuit that Thomas’ office filed against a host of county officials.Instead, the RICO suit will be now be handled by one of the few attorneys…
Several Ahwatukee residents have a bone to pick with some discourteous piggies they say are running amok in their neighborhoods.According to residents, javelinas have become a major problem — knocking over trash cans and destroying gardens.”They terrorize the neighborhoods,” resident Fred Freedle tells 92.3 (KTAR). “They come out in the…
Tucson police say 41-year-old Lisa Marie White admitted to injecting a 2-month-old baby with insulin, as well as the boy’s 18-month-old sister, to “quiet them down.” On December 18, the 2-month-old was taken to Northern Cochise Community Hospital with symptoms of low blood sugar and breathing problems. After the boy…
Barbara Mundell will step down as presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court this summer, but it has nothing to do with being deemed a criminal conspirator by our local sheriff and county attorney. Mundell took the five-year post on July 1, 2005, so her time will soon be up, says Jennifer Liewer, spokeswoman for the Arizona…
A guy trying to break into a home near Central Avenue and McDowell Road turned out to be a “star” of America’s Most Wanted — a suspect in the April beating death of a trucker’s helper. Phoenix police say they received a report of a man trying to force his way through the back…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants approval of his special prosecutors, now that the state Supreme Court has denied a request to stay the prosecution of Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe. We’re hearing this from Thomas’ office, which put out a news release today concerning the decision and two motions…
You can color us very, very surprised.We publicly predicted earlier this morning that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will oppose Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca Berch’s decision to appoint a “special master” to sort through the craziness in this county.Turns out, we were wrong.In an email, Thomas’ special assistant…
It’s either the most appalling lack of judgment we’ve ever seen — or the most amazing show of confidence in one’s ultimate vindication.Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who faces 36 felony counts for failing to disclose loans from the nonprofit Chicanos Por La Causa, even as that agency received…
A few hunters in the high country had a Stand By Me moment Sunday night, while in the mountains about 50 miles east of Prescott — they found a badly decomposed dead body. Police are trying to identify the body, but given the condition it was in when it was found, the…
We wouldn’t wish this job on our worst enemy.Seeking to somehow manage the chaos that has engulfed the justice system in Maricopa County — what with the county’s presiding criminal court judge facing bizarre charges, a host of judges accused of being part of a “criminal enterprise,” and lawsuits on top…
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge won’t give his opinion to county leadership about those pricey special prosecutors County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants to hire.In a ruling that cuts both parties down to size (but seems to ding Thomas more), Criminal Division Judge Roland Steinle refused to block Thomas from…
It’s not a homerun — much less a grand slam.But considering how frequently Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas have been spanked by both the appellate and Superior courts lately, we suppose today’s opinion issued by the Court of Appeals in Trombi v. Donahoe counts as a victory…
To Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio, local lawyer Edward Novak is a scoundrel — one of several conspirators in a federal racketeering lawsuit the county lawmen filed on December 1. Edward Novak To the state Supreme Court, Ed Novak is a respected master of his profession who should spend…
For women doing any last-minute Christmas shopping, you may want to consider wearing pants next time you’re shopping at the Target in Tempe Marketplace. Tempe police arrested a man that has been walking around the store using a mirror to look up women’s skirts, which is frankly one of the more creative methods of perving we’ve heard…
