Friday,  May 16, 2008

12 News: Phoenix man fatally shot after opening door 05-16 news story

Police search for the suspect who shot and killed a man late Thursday night. The shooting happened near 38th Street and Baseline in Phoenix. Officers say someone knocked on the man's door. When he opened it, the suspect shot him four times and then took off. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/05/16/20080516manshot-CP.html

KTAR/KPHO: Police: Ahwatukee rapist arrested where he met victim 05-15 news story

A man accused of raping one woman and assaulting another was arrested Saturday at the convenience store where he allegedly met the rape victim, Phoenix police said. Jorge DeAvila-Lucatero, 24, met the 57-year-old woman at an Ahwatukee Valero gas station shortly before 4 a.m. May 9, according to police. The woman bought a six-pack of beer and offered one to DeAvila-Lucatero. Police said DeAvila-Lucatero declined but offered to walk the woman home because the streets were dangerous. The two walked to a nearby apartment complex and began drinking behind a Dumpster, according to police. . .

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=837893&r=1

KTAR: Mesa man charged in serial predator investigation 05-15 news story by Sandra Haros, KPHO and AP

Neighbors of the 38-year-old Mesa man charged with being a serial predator are shocked. Mesa police say Trent Christopher Benson has now been charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of violent sexual assault, three counts of kidnapping, and one count of sexual assault. Benson was arrested Wednesday and questioned about attacks on four women dating back to 2004. "He looks normal too, you know he looks like a really nice guy," one woman said. "He waves to me every time he drives by." Neighbors said Benson was a loving father. He would ride his bike with his little boy around the complex and would look after the other children in the area. . .

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=837258&r=1

Co-workers called murder suspect quiet, mysterious: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/15/20080515mr-benson.html?source=nletter-news

12 News: 911 tapes reveal details of student’s death 05-16 news story by Andy Harvey

Cocaine and alcohol, that’s what a college professor told police a student who was found unconscious at his house used. Newly released 911 tapes are giving more clues into the death of 19-year- old Andria Ziegler. She died April 20th after being found at 51-year-old Michael Todd’s north Phoenix condo. According to the tapes, Todd told an operator he called a neighbor for help. In the background, you hear the neighbor saying “Andria, wake up." The professor said they tried performing CPR on the student. The operator asked "Is she breathing?” Todd said, "We can't tell. She's tried mouth to mouth, tried putting cold stuff on her. Her lips are starting to turn a slight bit blue." According to a police report, the professor said he met Ziegler at a convenience store and she wanted to talk to him, so she followed him to his home. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516collegedeath0516.html

Republic: Woman finds man climbing through bedroom window 05-15 news story by Colleen Sparks

A 29-year-old woman's quick thinking coupled with fast police work stopped a burglary suspect in his tracks Wednesday morning. Phoenix police arrested a man at about 9 a.m. after he tried to climb into a woman's apartment on South 51st Street in Ahwatukee Foothills. Ahwatukee resident Michael G. Murray, 26, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and had outstanding warrants charging failing to appear in court on previous theft charges and driving with a suspended license, Phoenix Police Sgt. Leonard Pinuelas said. At about 7:30 a.m. the 29-year-old woman heard someone knocking on her door in the Pacific Bay Club Apartments in the 11000 block of South 51st Street south of Elliot Road, Pinuelas said. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/15/20080515ar-burglar0516.html

KTAR/KPHO: Police hunt for man accused of molesting teen son 05-15 news story

A man who molested his teenage son removed an electronic ankle monitor and failed to appear in court, Mesa police said. Garrison Chase Colby, 42, is accused of molesting his son over a six-year period. Colby was arrested in February on 11 counts of child molestation and one count of public sexual indecency. After his arrest, Colby was released from custody with an electronic ankle bracelet. Police said Colby removed the ankle monitor sometime in mid-April and failed to appear in court for trial. . .

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=838464&r=1

Tribune: Wanted felon barricades self in hotel 05-16 news story by Gary Grado

A wanted felon is holed up in the attic of a Mesa hotel, police said. SWAT officers have converged on the Regency Inn, 1302 W. Main St., where the incident began to unfold about 2 a.m. today when officers knocked on his door to arrest him on warrants. Westbound Main Street is closed from Alma School Road to Longmore, according to detective Steve Berry, Mesa police spokesman. Eastbound lanes are still open. Berry said officers at the door heard commotion inside the room. . .

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/116459

KTAR: Valley survivors of priest abuse protest molester-led retreats 05-16 news story by Colton Shone

Valley members of SNAP -- the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests -- are outraged that a convicted child molester in Texas will lead summer retreats in Texas and Minnesota for the Episcopalian Church. They gathered in front of an Episcopalian Center in Scottsdale Thursday, handing out flyers warning about the religious retreats and urging church head Katharine Schori to warn families about the retreats. The church has said the retreats are for adults only. SNAP member Russ Marley said, ``Our only purpose here as SNAP members is to let people know that we want to protect the children. There is nothing more we can do other than to make people aware of what this man has done." . .

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=839084&r=1

Republic: DMX arraigned after arriving an hour late 05-15 news story by Amy Brooks and Carol Sowers

Earl Simmons, better known as rapper DMX, was arraigned Thursday on four felony drug charges and seven misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges and will be back in court July 2. Dressed in a white baggy T-shirt and dingy jeans, Simmons walked into Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Lisa VandenBerg's courtroom at 9:30 a.m., an hour late. VandenBerg entered a not-guilty plea on all 11 charges for the internationally known rapper. Simmons four felony drug charges include two counts of marijuana possession and two for drug paraphernalia. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/15/20080515dmx0515ON.html?source=nletter-news

Republic: Off-duty Phoenix officer accused of choking neighbor 05-15 news story by Brent Whiting

A Phoenix police officer is being prosecuted by Glendale authorities for an off-duty incident in which he is accused of choking a neighbor who went skateboarding past his home. Donnie Coury, 42, a 16-year member of the Phoenix force, has been charged in the Glendale City Court with assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanor violations. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed April 18, and a pretrial conference is set for June 9. Coury declined to discuss the case when contacted earlier this week, but Sgt. Joel Tranter, a Phoenix police spokesman, said the alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/15/20080515gl-beating0515-ON.html

Republic: 9 arrested in Wickenburg sweep 05-16 news story by JJ Hensley

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested nine people suspected of being in the country illegally in the Wickenburg area Wednesday. The sheriff's human-smuggling unit made the arrests during traffic stops in the area, as deputies have recently done through concerted efforts in other parts of the Valley. Civil-rights groups and politicians have criticized the agency's recent operations in Phoenix and Guadalupe as racial profiling. Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Wickenburg area is a corridor for smugglers transporting their human cargo to the Valley from Mexico. "We stop violators of the law," Arpaio said. "We know there's a lot of smuggling activity coming into that area.". .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516roundup0516.html

Arpaio faces hefty budget cuts, vows to continue sweeps: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516sheriffbudget0516.html?source=nletter-news

Tribune: Wounded dog recovering from gunshot 05-15 news story by Mike Sakal

Tank, a 2-year-old 100-pound Rottweiler who lives in south Scottsdale, is down in the mouth right now, but considering the circumstances, he's a lucky dog. The black-and-brown dog is recovering from a gunshot wound to his mouth after a man opened fire on him about 8 p.m. Friday as he was walking in the 6800 block of East Almeria Road near McDowell Road. Tank suffered partially fractured jaws on both sides of his mouth and had three of his teeth knocked out before the bullet exited through his tongue. Tank now has stitches on his chin, a wire across his mouth and has to be spoon- and bottle-fed for at least four weeks while he is recovering, according to owner Ronetta Shepherd. . .

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/116422

Republic: Tax preparer arrested in scam 05-16 news story by Alex Whitlatch

A Chandler man was arrested earlier this week after investigators said he tricked people into wiring their tax returns into his own bank account. Stephan J. Doimas, 61, was arrested Tuesday at his home. Sgt. Richard Griner, a Chandler police spokesman, said Doimas claimed he could prepare taxes for people who are in need of financial help and primarily targeted single females, police said. He is not a certified public accountant but has a tax-preparer number and has been doing taxes for nine years. Doimas was arrested on suspicion of fraudulent schemes, theft, threats and multiple counts of forgery. Police said that on a search of his home, they gathered tax documents and account information on several people, both victims and potential victims. Officers seized six weapons and several computers. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516taxfraud0516.html

Republic: 'America's Most Wanted' re-enacts robberies 05-16 news story by Megan Boehnke  

It's been seven months since three bank robbers tied up two Chandler families in their homes and forced a branch manager to open the vault at a Wells Fargo Bank in Tempe. Now America's Most Wanted hopes to generate new interest in the dramatic $400,000 bank heist, one of the largest in state history. A re-enactment of the October kidnappings and robbery will be broadcast Saturday at 8 p.m. on Fox. "That's the most compelling part - there are still three or four people out there with guns willing to hurt people to get what they want," said Andrew Holland, a producer for the series. A day after news of the heist broke last fall, Holland said he was on the phone with investigators trying to decide what America's Most Wanted could do to promote the case. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516evwanted0516.html?source=nletter-news

Republic: Customs officer held in smuggling plot 05-16 news story

A Yuma customs officer was among five people arrested this week on suspicion of conspiring to bring undocumented immigrants into the U.S. The federal complaint alleges Officer Jose Magana, 44, of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, allowed an unknown number of illegal immigrants to cross into the states without verifying or recording the crossers' identification. Magana is accused of getting kickbacks for conspiring with Ana Calderon, 28, of Yuma; and Mexican nationals Jesus Gastelum-Rodriguez, 41; Guadalupe Milan de Gastelum, 38; and Brenda Covarrubias, 39. Covarrubias is scheduled for a hearing today in U.S. District Court in Phoenix. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516bordercross0516.html

Republic: Prosecutor to fight molestation suspect's bail, Teacher who fled is caught, freed on bail again 05-16 news story by Robert Anglen

Nearly three years ago, Apache Junction charter-school teacher Bobby Kennedy posted $150,000 bail on charges of molesting girls in his elementary class, and then fled the state. Now, after being captured by the U.S. Marshals Service in March, history is repeating itself. He is again free on $150,000 bail. Pinal County Superior Court Judge Bradley Soos has awarded Kennedy the same amount of bail he was freed on when authorities say he left the state to avoid prosecution. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516molest0516.html

Republic: Eye surgeon indicted of obtaining a dangerous drug 05-16 news story

TUCSON- A Tucson-area eye surgeon has been indicted on four counts of obtaining a dangerous drug by fraudulent means, authorities said. Melanie McCarty, 33, of Eye Associates of Tucson has not been booked into jail but will be summoned to appear later in court on the charges, Pima County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Deputy Dawn Hanke said Thursday. The sheriffs fraud unit, with the help of the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigated McCarty on suspicion of prescription fraud. She was indicted May 6 by a Pima County grand jury. McCarty is accused of getting two drugs - a sleep aid and an appetite suppressant - by falsifying a prescribing physicians name and credentials on prescriptions she wrote for herself, authorities said. . .

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/16/20080516surgeon16-on.html