In the midst of the state’s looming budget catastrophe, the Arizona Legislature got down to the, um, important business of determining a state horse.The House Government Committee approved a bill that would make the Spanish Colonial the state horse of Arizona.HB 2634, dreamed up by Representative Pat Flemming, would revise the…
Yesterday’s court proceedings examining the question of whether the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office must be removed from prosecuting Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox contained a number of big revelations, as we detailed in this earlier blog post.But one of the most fascinating pieces of news for anyone following these cases involves…
An organization called Dogs 24/7 will be hosting a “speed-dating” event this weekend that hopes to match humans with the Valley’s most eligible dogs.Get your minds out of the gutter — although the group describes the eligible dogs as “bachelors” and “bachelorettes,” this isn’t a bestiality convention, it’s an event…
In a hearing yesterday that stretched to more than four hours, both Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk shared their perspectives on the investigation, and prosecution of, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. The hearing allowed Wilcox’s attorney, Colin Campbell, to argue that Thomas must be disqualified…
Police in Gooding County, Idaho, arrested two men suspected of murdering a man and assaulting another in Aguila, an unincorporated section of Maricopa County last week.It wasn’t all that difficult tracking the men down, either, police say. They turned themselves in.Corey Ainsile, 25, and Quinn Messersmith, 22, are believed responsible for…
A man suspected of murdering two people in Oregon who was last seen in Mesa will be featured on America’s Most Wanted this weekend if authorities can’t track him down before the show airs on Saturday night.Police in Bandon, Oregon, have been looking for 34-year-old Gabriel Morris since February 8,…
It’s one thing to “just walk away” from that upside-down mortgage and let your home sink into foreclosure. Some folks, though, like to hitch up a flatbed trailer and drive away with every toilet seat, cabinet, and AC unit. Chandler police say that’s what Daniel Clark, 35, tried to do with his former…
The father and step-mother of the 14-year-old girl who was forced to live in a tiny bathroom for nearly two months have been indicted, authorities announced today.A grand jury decided that Scott Bass, 33, and Andrea Bass, 31, will be charged with three counts of child abuse and one count of…
Carlos Mendoza, the justice of the peace who “retired” under questionable circumstances in May 2008, appears to be exploring another run for office.Mendoza filed paperwork in December suggesting that his long dormant campaign-finance committee is again active, according to county records. The paperwork indicates that Mendoza has yet to collect…
The Arizona Game and Fish Department reports a record number of wildlife violations in 2009, including 416 big-game poaching violations. In other words, people were illegally shooting or trapping animals.In total, there were 768 total violations reported to AGFD’s Operation Game Thief program, an increase of 317 from 2008.AGFD officials…
“Hump smarter, save the snail darter,” is one of six, um, catchy slogans that will appear on condoms to be distributed by the Tucson-based endangered species advocacy group, Center for Biological Diversity, on Valentine’s Day.No, “don’t be a whore, save a condor,” is not one of the slogans, although we…
A judge on Wednesday cleared the way for a court hearing next week that will have county attorneys Andrew Thomas and Sheila Polk answering questions by Mary Rose Wilcox’s lawyer. Thomas’ office had tried to quash the compelled testimony, but Pima County Judge John Leonardo wouldn’t hear of it. “The…
The founder and former owner of a popular hooker-finding Web site pleaded guilty on Tuesday to trying to hire a hit man to kill a prostitute who’s suing him. David Elms founded TheEroticReview.com in 1999 and eventually became one of the most influential men in the call-girl biz. His…
The parents of a 14-year-old Phoenix girl have been arrested after the girl escaped from a bathroom-turned-dungeon, where she was kept for nearly two months.The girl was kept in the dungeon as punishment for stealing food, according to Phoenix’s Fox affiliate, KSAZ.The details of the girl’s captivity are pretty gruesome,…
If Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas runs for state Attorney General, as he plans to, he’ll have to resign from his post sometime this year. But if he resigns, the Board of Supervisors — his political enemies — would get to choose a successor. Thomas doesn’t want them to make that…
Robert Troutt’s future as a poster boy for the evils of meth addiction now seems assured. As we reported last month, Phoenix police accuse Troutt (pictured) of beating his 85-year-old mother, Eva Fitzgerald, while he was in a drug-induced haze. Troutt, 55, admitted to police that he recalled standing over his…
The man suspected of animal cruelty for leaving his 23 dogs alone at his home for nearly two weeks with no food or water says Pima Animal Control Center’s putting 19 of the dogs out of their misery is “messed up.”Yesterday, we posted a story about 34-year-old Raymond Quintero and his…
Wells Fargo informed Maricopa County in a recent letter that it wants the Sheriff’s Office to vacate the office space it has inhabited in the bank’s downtown Phoenix building since 1998.One of our trusted sources read us the letter this evening — we don’t have it yet, but we’ll post it here…
A Green valley man was arrested yesterday after he left nearly two-dozen of his own dogs to starve in his house about two weeks ago.The Pima County Sheriff’s Office arrested 34-year-old Raymond Quintero after an anonymous tipster called authorities to report that Quintero had disappeared for about two weeks and…
A woman who took a 3-year-old neighbor boy to the store and bought him a Tootsie Roll faces a charge of custodial interference after sparking fears of a kidnapping. Cops scoured the streets near 32nd Street and Indian School for more than a half an hour on Friday evening,…
For those of us who don’t stand accused of being criminals, or literally face felony charges simply for doing our jobs (see: Donahoe, Gary), it’s been something of a hoot to read the filings by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas in his conspiracy-fueled attack on other county officials. Of course…
It’s a small victory, and a technical one.But an order yesterday from Pima County Superior Judge John Leonardo could have a major impact on the resolution of the criminal case against Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.Leonardo, who was assigned to hear the case against Wilcox by Special Master Ruth…
