Deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office paid visits to at least seven rank-and-file county employees over the weekend, attempting to question them about the court tower project, county spending, and other topics apparently somehow connected to the sheriff’s wide-ranging “corruption” probe. That investigation has already resulted in indictments for two county…
The squabble between Maricopa County officials took yet another turn today as deputies raided the offices of a local computer firm, looking for evidence of fraud and other crimes. For close followers of the circus acts that pass for county news these days, you’ll need another branch for the flow…
In the past, criminal street gangs have used names that strike fear in the hearts of their rivals. The Bloods, the Crips, the Jets, the Sharks — all have an intimidating connotation.As for Scottsdale’s latest group of thugs — busted today as part of the Department of Public Safety’s “Operation…
Our acquaintance is anything but a squishy liberal, having served for a few decades as a prosecutor of major felonies for one of Arizona’s 15 counties (we’ll leave it at that for reasons that soon will become apparent). He let us know that he read the direct complaint and…
Deputies are taking boxes of files from the Chicanos Por La Causa buildings at 11th Street and Buckeye Road as the group’s supporters prepare for a possible anti-Sheriff-Joe-Arpaio demonstration. (See update below — a demonstration is now looking less likely). A regional conference of Chicanos Por La Causa officials is…
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies are serving a search warrant this morning at the Chicanos Por la Causa, Inc., 1122 East Buckeye Road. We’re not sure, but it seems safe to assume it might have something to do with the criminal charges filed this week against Mary Rose Wilcox, one of…
Arizona’s got a brand new pair of “bandits” that the FBI believes are linked to at least six bank robberies since October.The FBI is calling the bank-robbing duo the “High Country Bandits” because the majority of their robberies have occurred in places like Payson and Prescott…
The presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court has assigned the criminal cases against Judge Gary Donahoe and County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox to judges in other counties. Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell, (left) who is herself a target of the broad — and vague — racketeering…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas this afternoon struggled to explain his decision to charge the county’s presiding criminal court judge, Gary Donahoe, with three felony counts –bribery, obstructing a criminal investigation, and hindering prosecution.But Thomas couldn’t offer any evidence to the assembled media scrum that Donahoe actually had accepted a…
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced this morning that a criminal complaint has been filed against the Superior Court’s criminal division chief, Judge Gary Donahoe (at left). Michael Scerbo, spokesman for County Attorney Andrew Thomas, stated in a news release that Donahoe is being accused of hindering prosecution and…
There is an unwanted phenomenon happening in California, and Arizona is being pegged to clean up the mess: Chihuahuas — lots of them.California is seeing an influx of chihuahuas popping up at animal shelters, and it’s becoming too much for the state to handle.Rather than take these unwanted pooches out…
A judge has recused herself from the case that sparked a contempt-of-court order for a detention officer who removed papers from a defense attorney’s file. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Lisa Flores filed a minute entry this morning saying the court can’t rely on the Sheriff’s Office to get a…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio vowed on Tuesday to get to the bottom of what they call a serious corruption problem among county leaders and judges. Their afternoon news conference followed the announcement earlier today that County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox have been…
Maricopa County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox (left) were served with indictments this morning that accuse them of committing a long list of crimes. Stapley’s been indicted on 27 felony and misdemeanor accounts. You’re familiar with these accusations by now: perjury, false swearing, theft. He’s been ordered to report for…
Judge Gary Donahoe, chief of the Maricopa County Superior Court’s criminal section, routinely lets criminals off without prison time, yet jailed a detention officer doing his job. That’s the gist of a December 4 news release by the Sheriff’s Office which cites six supposed examples of Donahoe’s lenient judging. The detention…
A Mesa man claims he has no idea what caused his on-again-off-again girlfriend to “turn purple” and die yesterday morning, but a member of his family told police he admitted killing her, according to court documents.Gilbert police received a call yesterday morning from a member of 21-year-old Dartanion Terrial Stroud’s family, saying…
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is conducting the Holiday DUI Task Force across the state, and this week’s big winner when it comes to “giving” DUI citations is the Phoenix Police Department.The Task Force will be in effect through New Years Eve…
Inmates aren’t getting transported to the courtroom of Maricopa County Superior Judge Lisa Flores because the Sheriff’s Office hasn’t replaced Adam Stoddard, the detention officer in jail on a contempt-of-court order. If you’ve been following this case, you’ll recall that Stoddard had been assigned to Flores’ court on the day that he…
The Peoria Police Department and Silent Witness are offering a $2,000 reward for information about a man who robbed prescription drugs from a Peoria CVS last week. The man, according to police, went into the drugstore at 8332 West Thunderbird Road, flashed a large kitchen knife to employees, and asked for…
Prescott police arrested a man that Department of Public Safety officers say was shining a laser pointer in the eyes of a pilot flying a helicopter that was perusing two robbery suspects. On Wednesday night, a DPS air rescue helicopter was called to assist officers trailing two armed robbery suspects,…
The top judge at the Maricopa County Superior Court took a strong stance against four judicial complaints filed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s chief deputy, calling them “false, frivolous and slanderous.” Here’s the entire statement released this morning by Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell (pictured at left): None of the judges have…
It’s been quite a year of ups and downs for Don Stapley, one of five members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He started 2009 under the burden of 118 criminal counts. In September, the charges were dismissed because of a technicality that is now being appealed. Three days after the…
