Crime & Police

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is demanding that county risk managers review “evidence” of criminal acts by county officials before settling any claims by those officials. The demand comes in a strongly worded news release and letter by Chief Deputy David Hendershott that accuses County Supervisor Andrew Kunasek of stealing $15,000…

If you’re smooth enough to leave your stash of kiddy-porn in a photo kiosk at the pharmacy where you work, chances are you’re gonna get in some trouble. That seems to be the case for a Phoenix man who prosecutors say did exactly that late last month.The Maricopa County Attorney’s…

  Phoenix prosecutor Will Gonzalez says he’s “fascinated” by the case of Marcos Mejia, the 42-year-old graffiti vandal who recently received a one-year jail sentence for tagging. Not only is that the toughest punishment ever given to someone in the city’s history for a graffiti crime, Gonzalez says, but it’s plain “odd” to…

We’ve got some new details about the Phoenix woman who was arrested yesterday for the 2005 murder of her husband — a veteran of both the Army and Navy and father of what police estimate to be about 30 children — and she claims she murdered the man because “she was angry…

  A judge last month sentenced a Maryvale graffiti tagger to one year behind bars, the harshest sentence in the city’s history for a graffiti crime. Marcos Domingo Mejia, 42, who police described as a longtime gang member, was charged with dozens of counts of vandalizing after his arrest in January of 2009. Though…

One of the Arizona Department of Corrections’ repeat customers apparently found himself on the wrong end of a shank over the weekend. He died last night from what DOC officials are calling “puncture wounds.”DOC spokesman Barrett Marson tells New Times 26-year-old Dana Seawright was found in his cell at the…

Phoenix police arrested a woman today who they say is responsible for the 2005 murder of her then-79-year-old husband — a veteran of both the Army and Navy and father of what police estimate to be about 30 children.Phoenix police Sergeant Trent Crump tells New Times 43-year-old Larisa Garcia was…

Police are asking the public’s help in tracking down a man who robbed a bank in Mesa on Friday. In a press release from the Phoenix Police Department, (we’re not sure why it didn’t come from the Mesa Police Department, and calls to Phoenix PD Detective Mike Fischer weren’t immediately returned), officers say…

A day after the federal government announced that it will sue the state of Arizona over the state’s controversial, new immigration law, Weekly World News announced the Obama administration’s other, secret plan to get Arizona to repeal the law: Chupacabras.Of course, chupacabras don’t actually exist, and like everything in the…

A Yavapai County man was arrested last week after police say he’s been producing, distributing, and possibly starring in kiddy-porn films recorded at his Rimrock home for the last nine years.Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn tells New Times 29-year-old David Antonio Rodriguez was taken into custody last week…

A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 25-count indictment yesterday against a man dubbed “The Hothead Bandit” by the FBI’s over-worked bandit-naming department.Timothy John Kestle, 55, of Litchfield Park, has been charged with 13 counts of armed bank robbery and 12 counts of possessing or using a firearm during…

If Elena Kagan wants to be the next justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, she’s gonna have to do it without the support of “The Maverick.”Arizona Senator John McCain will not support Kagan’s rise to the country’s highest bench and he explains why in an op-ed piece he…

The Phoenix Police Department is asking the public’s help in finding the person (or persons) responsible for murdering a 57-year-old Phoenix woman who was found dead in her home last night. Phoenix police Sergeant Tommy Thompson tells New Times that at about 9:30 p.m. yesterday, Phyllis Mizioch was found murdered…

In what might be deemed the least-cool police chase in recent memory, a 33-year-old Bagdad man was arrested after leading police on a 40-mile chase while driving his Ford Aerostar mini-van.The suspect, Steven Cox, who police say didn’t appear to be drunk and had no warrants for his arrest, was…

A former teacher at a Mesa high school admitted to police today that he’s been having sex with a student for nearly a month.Ray Hutson, a 36-year-old former teacher at Mountain View High School in Mesa, was arrested this morning after the 16-year-old victim told her parents the two had…

If you got nabbed driving drunk this weekend, there’s good news and bad news.The bad news, obviously, is that you were arrested and — if you live in Maricopa County — will likely be spending a little time in Joe Arpaio’s tents.The good news is you won’t be alone –…

Mohave County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man they say molested a 5-year-old girl.In a brazen move of stupidity, police say 19-year-old Eric Allen Urquijo Jr photographed the alleged molestation with his cell phone, too.Mohave County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Sandy Edwards tells New Times Urquijo Jr was arrested last week after police…

A Bullhead City couple accused of “brutally” sexually assaulting and murdering their six-week-old baby pleaded not guilty to murder, and several other charges related to the boy’s death, yesterday. Staci Lynn Barbosa, 19, and Jonathan Edward Vandergriff, 23, appeared in Mohave County Superior Court yesterday where they each pleaded not…

  Residents of Scottsdale and Tempe who want to know the locations for recent crimes can go to an info-sharing, map Web site fed by police data. The RAIDS Online site provides a mapping service for several PDs across the country, including the two east Valley cities. We spent a few minutes…

For what is now the third time in about a month, a female teacher at an Arizona school has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a student (well, this time, a former pupil).The latest pin-up girl for your adolescent fantasies: 26-year-old Andrea Martinez. Check out Martinez’s mug shot after…

A Phoenix man was arrested yesterday after police say he tried to lure a 14-year-old boy for sex by promising him cash.Roy Sherman, Jr, 33, of Phoenix, was arrested after police say he offered the victim $60 on June 2 to go with him to his apartment for sex. The 14-year-old, police say, was…

People do a lot of crazy shit to get their hands on drugs, but the “Blue Basket Bandit” may be one of the only junkies to steal eyeliner to fuel his habit.According to court documents obtained by New Times, Anthony Hamilton copped to being the infamous bandit after his arrest…