June 2010 Archives

A Pinal County Superior judge sentenced a former Mesa police officer to 682 consecutive years in prison on Monday after being convicted of 32 counts of various sex crimes, which included child molestation, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, public sexual indecency, and furnishing harmful items to a minor.

The East Valley Tribune reports that 31-year-old Justin Bowman was given the maximum sentence for his convictions, which was 15 consecutive life terms in prison. The man was arrested back in 2008 when police responded to an attempted suicide attempt at his home. His wife told police officers that she found child pornography on their home computer, which prompted an investigation. Authorities then accused the man of molestation against two children, including a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.

A 51-year-old man from Tucson faced a prison sentence of 16 to 20 years on Monday, but through a plea deal he was able to receive the minimum sentence for a second degree murder charge.

Associated Press reports that the defendant Henry Fischbacher was initially charged with first degree murder for his wife's death, with Pima County prosecutors saying that the man repeatedly struck his wife Lisa Fischbacher in the head with a flashlight. The two started arguing after the woman came home late one night in October 2006. Lisa Fischbacher's body was later dragged to the backyard and dumped into a swimming pool.

According to the Arizona Republic, Phoenix police officers are investigating an office fire that sparked on Sunday as a homicide. The investigation of the fire is still ongoing, but authorities say that there was only one person inside the real estate office at the time of the fire, who was reported to be dead. The cause of the death has still not been determined.

The victim was identified as 50-year-old Blanca Acevedo, but it's still not clear if police have any suspects for the incident. If Phoenix police officers are able to arrest a suspected arsonist, it's likely that the suspect will face a murder charge because somebody was found dead.

Mesa police officers say that an angry Mesa mother threatened her 7-year-old son and his father with a kitchen knife last week. The police proceeded to arrest the woman on charges of aggravated assault, endangerment, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.

The Arizona Republic reports that the mother named Charlene Jones held the knife aggressively toward the father because she didn't want him to take her son away. The man's girlfriend, who was in a nearby parking lot at the time of the incident, called police when she heard yelling and screaming.

A male nurse who had worked at multiple Phoenix hospitals had been charged with four counts of sexual assault, but a Maricopa County Superior Court jury found him not guilty of the charges last Wednesday. The Arizona Republic reported that the defendant, James Pierre Williams, could have spent the rest of his life in prison if he had been convicted of the sexual assault charges.

Perhaps James Williams should be thanking his Phoenix criminal defense attorney Ken Countryman, who challenged the prosecutor's arguments before the jury. The defendant had been accused of performing unwanted sexual acts with hospital patients on various occasions. In one instance, Ken Countryman argued that lab technicians found DNA from two other men on the victim, but not DNA from James Williams. In another instance, James Williams admitted to having consensual sex with a woman after phone records showed that they had been talking for several days. Witnesses said that the two had been flirting prior to the incident.

The town of Surprise proves time after time to be full of surprises. A recent burglary arrest this week just shows how bizarre theft crimes can be.

The Arizona Republic reports that three men had been going door-to-door carrying clipboards and walkie-talkies, making police believe that the men were each pretending to be salesman. Two of the men allegedly forced their way through a back door of a home near Bell Road and Cotton Lane. A homeowner was startled and called police officers to the scene.

Most Maricopa County residents probably realize that the summer's high temperatures can adversely affect pets if they're left in the heat for long periods of time. But should a person face felony criminal charges for leaving animals exposed to the sun?

Phoenix criminal lawyers are probably wondering this very same question, which is why they'll be paying close attention to the case of Kenneth Tucker. The Arizona Republic reports that 19-year-old Kenneth Tucker was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of animal cruelty after his dog died of the heat.

A father and his 14-year-old daughter could be facing criminal charges after the two got into a physical family fight. A neighbor called police to the 14800 block of West Redfield Road in the city of Surprise to break up the fight, which is where arrests took place.

The Arizona Republic reports that the teenager got into an argument with a 40-year-old woman, who police believe is the girl's stepmother. The teenage girl the allegedly started pulling the woman's hair and punching her in the head. Police also say that the girl picked up a fish tank and threw it during the fight.

Arizona's new immigration law is set to go into effect on July 29, but controversies continue to arise surrounding the legal and financial dilemmas that are associated with the law.

SB 1070 was signed into a law last April by Gov. Jan Brewer, which makes it a crime in the state of Arizona to be in the country illegally. The law has the support of many Arizona law enforcement agencies, but the Arizona Republic reports that a criminal suspect's Miranda Rights may complicate the enforcement of SB 1070.

Brothers Roberto Mondragon and Rafael Mondragon were each sentenced to 15 years in Arizona prison earlier this week after a judge found them guilty of conspiracy to sell or transfer methamphetamine. Associated Press reports that the drug smuggling convictions came after a yearlong investigation by the Tempe Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

According to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, the brothers were leading a drug trafficking organization that was responsible for the distribution of more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine each month in the Phoenix metro area. Tempe police and the DEA reportedly arrested about 130 people that were part of the Mondragon drug organization.

The Phoenix New Times reports that prosecutors will seek a hate crime enhancement in the murder case involving the death of Juan Varela, which will allow the defendant to receive the maximum sentence of 22 years in prison for his second degree murder charge.

The family of the victim insists that Juan Varela was shot because of his skin color and believes that Arizona's new immigration law caused animosity and tension toward the Latino community. Antonio Varela, the brother of the victim, says that he was standing right next to his brother when he died. He claims that he heard the suspect Gary Kelley say "Go back you f'n wetback. Go back to Mexico. You are going to die today."

The hip-hop star Lil Wayne appeared in Yuma County Superior Court via video feed last week and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a dangerous drug. The Yuma Sun reports that his guilty plea comes after his criminal defense attorney was able to establish a plea agreement with prosecutors. In exchange for Lil Wayne's guilty plea, charges of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia against him were dismissed.

His Arizona criminal charge stems from a January 2008 incident, in which authorities found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun on his tour bus when being stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. Yet even after the rapper's guilty plea, it looks like Lil Wayne can only handle one criminal charge at a time.

An elderly father shot his 39-year-old son David Pain in the leg after the son forced his way into his father's Scottsdale home and got into a fight with his dad. The Arizona Republic reported that fights between David Pain and his father Michael Pain had become frequent, but that the details of this particular fight are still unknown.

Mesa police officers found David Pain dead in a hotel parking lot about an hour after the incident. Authorities believe that he died from the gunshot wound, but it's still not clear whether Michael Pain will be facing criminal charges over the incident because Scottsdale police officers say that it appears that the shooting was a form of self-defense.

After a man suspected of kidnapping his wife turned himself into Avondale police, authorities have come to the conclusion that the entire incident of question was a large misunderstanding. However, the incident has been documented and Phoenix criminal lawyers may need to get involved in the future if it is believed that a crime has arisen.

ABC News reports that a witness reported a crime, stating that a passenger in her car named Italia Figueroa was forced out of the vehicle by her husband. The witness said that she and Ms. Figueroa were driving to court in order to get an order of protection. Ms. Figueroa had reportedly told the witness that she had been a victim of domestic violence by her husband for the past two days and that she had sustained several bruises from her husband.

If you regularly visit L.A Fitness on 23rd Avenue in Phoenix, then you should probably avoid leaving valuables in your car when working out at the gym. This is because there has been a string of car burglaries on the site this year. ABC Family News states that the Phoenix Police Department has actually reported 35 incidents of theft at the gym since the beginning of last year.

What should gym members and Phoenix residents do in order to prevent car burglaries? Phoenix police say that people should lock their car doors, avoid leaving valuable items in plain sight, and try parking the vehicle near an entrance or under a light. The most recent case involved a woman getting her purse stolen after it was sitting on the passenger seat in plain view.

A party in Phoenix got a bit out of hand last week when a verbal argument escalated into a physical fight, which led to a shooting in an apartment complex near 35th and Dunlap avenues. Now, it looks as if 21-year-old Anthony Granado will need a Phoenix criminal defense attorney because ABC News reports that he has been accused of killing 19-year-old Haki Miggins with a handgun.

When Phoenix police officers arrived at the scene, they found that Haki Miggins had died from a gunshot wound. Witnesses then helped identify the suspect that shot the victim. Once the suspect was taken into custody, he was reportedly interviewed by homicide detectives and admitted to the crime, though it is not clear that the shooting was intentional.

Phoenix police officers arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of breaking into a north Phoenix elementary school and attempting to steal computers and projectors, but the police believe that a second suspect is involved in the crime that has not yet been found.

According to the Arizona Republic, authorities say that there's an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 worth of damage from the burglary and vandalism that occurred at Stetson Hills School. The burglars reportedly damaged four windows and a classroom door. They also allegedly tried to take several computers and LCD projectors, but all the stolen property has been recovered.

ABC News reports that 22-year-old David Estrada was kidnapped, robbed, beaten, and then stuffed inside the trunk of his vehicle, where he died last week. Police have been trying to put together the pieces of the man's murder and have so far arrested 21-year-old Robertson Brown, 17-year-old Cecelia Vega, and 17-year-old Jose Bosquez, all of who are part of a central Phoenix gang.

All three of the suspects face charges of first degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and auto theft. The police are recommending that the two 17-year-old suspects be tried as adults due to the violent nature of the crime.

Jeremy Tuffly, of Mesa, probably thought that he could make an interesting video of a python snake eating a 6-week old kitten. However, KPHO News reports that the python didn't actually eat the kitten and that the owner kicked the kitten like a football until it died in the middle of the street. While it may seem like a trivial matter to some Arizonians, cruelty against animals can lead to serious charges.

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Jeremy Tuffly once they learned about the man's behavior. The suspect pleaded guilty to one felony count of animal cruelty in Maricopa County Superior Court last month and was sentenced to three years of supervised probation last week.

Officer James Wren of the Phoenix Police Department was arrested by fellow police officers after allegedly stealing money from drug dealers. KPHO News reports that the officer faces several felony charges, including attempted theft, attempted money laundering, and conspiracy and participating in a criminal syndicate.

According to KPHO, court records state that the officer has admitted to being involved in the alleged thefts of drug money. James Wren allegedly took up to $40,000 over the past 14 months from drug couriers and then let them go without arresting them. While the officer reportedly confessed to the crimes, it's still a good idea for him to hire a Phoenix criminal defense attorney. A defense attorney can provide representation and court and may even be able to establish a plea bargain.

Leslie Spencer Mersky, a 64-year-old man who owns a group of companies based in Phoenix, has been charged with a total of 51 counts of fraudulent schemes that include theft, forgery and identity theft.

With a skilled Phoenix criminal defense attorney, the man might be able to establish a plea bargain with prosecutors so that some of these charges are dropped. However, the man's alleged fraud victims in this case probably don't want to see Leslie Mersky get off easy. The Arizona Republic reports that the suspect sold Internet business opportunities to thousands of consumers across the United States through his company Bankcard Empire. The company owner has been accused of making fraudulent charges to the credit-card accounts of purchasers and forging payment-authorization forms.

A former teacher and cheer squad coach at Empire High School who was accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy now faces an additional felony charge of influencing a witness. Now, it looks like the Phoenix criminal lawyers have additional work to deal with.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that 25-year-old Christie Elliot wanted the 15-year-old boy to change his testimony at an upcoming court hearing in exchange for money. Contacting the boy was reportedly in violation of her conditions of jail release and bribing a witness is illegal under Arizona and federal laws. Perhaps this new criminal charge can be seen as more severe than her charge of sexual conduct with a minor, although the state of Arizona does treat sex crimes with a minor very seriously.

The investigation of 68-year-old Robert Heydorn started in 2008 after he was first accused of child molestation. He initially faced 14 felony counts of molestation, after seven girls between the ages of 6 and 11 came forward and told Surprise police officers that they had been touched inappropriately by the man.

But with a Phoenix criminal defense attorney, Robert Heydorn was able to make a plea deal with prosecutors. The Arizona Republic reports that the defendant agreed to plead guilty to just two counts of molestation and five counts of attempted molestation, with all the other charges being dropped from the case.

Phoenix criminal lawyers are probably relieved that the 14-year legal saga of Christopher Lamar has come to a close. The convicted murderer was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole last week after Maricopa County juries could not come to a unanimous decision of whether the defendant should be given the death penalty.

The Arizona Republic reports that Christopher Lamar was found guilty of the 1996 murder of Ronald Jones in 1999 and that a judge had sentenced him to death the following year. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that judges could not sentence defendants to death, only juries could.

Anybody who watches criminal investigations on television or is a fan of "Law & Order" probably is aware that criminal suspects have the right to remain silent. This right was established in 1966 through the Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona.

However, a recent Supreme Court decision has changed the rules of a person's Miranda rights, requiring suspects to now verbally speak up if they want to exercise their right to remain silent. With a 5-4 decision in a Michigan murder case, a suspect's words can now be used against him unless he tells authorities that he does not want to talk.

Authorities are searching for man that has been described by Associated Press as a white male, 40 to 50 years of age, 6-feet-2 with a stocky build. Tucson police say that this man shot 39-year-old Thomas S. Piazza while the victim was sitting with a Christian businessmen's networking group near the Tucson Mall.

Many Tucson residents probably never expected such extreme violence to occur within a religious networking group, but the victim ended up dying from a fatal gunshot while he was just sitting at a table inside a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Sometimes theft can occur in places that are unexpected or just plain bizarre. ABC News reports that a man was recently arrested last Sunday for burglarizing a fast food restaurant that he used to work at.

The suspect was identified as Phillip Tipa from Prescott Valley, who was booked into the Yavapai County Jail in Camp Verde for one count of burglary. Officers say that the suspect reached through a Wendy's drive-thru window and took an unknown amount of money from the register. Phillip Tipa was then reportedly scared off when an employee from inside saw the burglary.

If you're in an accident and you're thinking that you can drive off with no consequences, you might be mistaken. If a person fails to stop after an accident in which there is damage to a vehicle, Arizona Law 28-662 states that the person should be found guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor. If a person leaves the scene of an accident when there is death or serious physical injury involved, then that person is guilty of a class 2 felony, according to 28-661 of the Arizona Legislature.

With any type of hit-and-run, it's likely that the offender can end up in jail. Perhaps 31-year-old Michael Chicharello will now be getting a Phoenix criminal lawyer, since he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.

A 35-year-old Valley cab driver was recently arrested on a charge of aggravated assault against a police officer, but the driver claims that he is "100 percent innocent" and did nothing wrong.

ABC News reports that Jeremy Jenson was arrested after dragging a deputy more than 100 feet with his vehicle. The officer reportedly suffered from road rash and needed stitches. However, the suspect now plans on getting a Phoenix criminal lawyer and pleading not guilty to criminal charges.

Police detectives detained three men and three women last week in a Phoenix identity theft case. Now, it looks as if all six suspects will need a Phoenix criminal lawyer if they're charged with this type of fraudulent crime.

Associated Press reports that an airline employee found a suspicious package that was shipped to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on a commercial airline. Police say that the employee then opened the package and found three fictitious Texas driver's licenses and two credit cards that were later determined to be stolen. The suspects also allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars from several banks via cash advances on stolen credit cards.

With almost every criminal case, a Phoenix criminal lawyer will consider the jury selection process to be one of the most significant aspects of a trial. After all, it's the members of the jury that ultimately decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty in criminal cases. But how exactly are jury members selected and why is the selection process so important?

FindLaw states that choosing a jury in Phoenix typiically involves a judge, prosecutors, and Phoenix criminal lawyers, who all have a chance to question a pool of potential jurors on matters that pertain to the case. The questions often relate to ideological predispositions or life experiences and the answers to these questions may exclude certain people from a jury. For example if a potential juror says that he feels marijuana should be legalized, then he could be dismissed in a drug-related criminal case.

Some people may consider marijuana a harmless herb, but the state of Arizona has some strict laws regarding marijuana possession. FindLaw states that the possession of any amount of marijuana in Arizona can lead to a felony charge. Possessing any amount less than two pounds of marijuana can lead to a class 6 felony charge, where an offender can face anywhere from six to eighteen months in prison.

Typically the punishment a person faces for marijuana possession depends on how much pot the suspect was caught with. For example, a person caught with 2-4 pounds of marijuana can face an enhanced sentence with a class 5 felony charge, where a conviction can lead to anywhere from nine months to two years of imprisonment. Anybody caught with over four pounds of marijuana can face a prison sentence of up to three years in prison with a class 4 felony.

One Arizona mother is facing a great deal of legal trouble after a car crash because she has been accused of driving under the influence of drugs while her children were in the car. Jessica Wayas was arrested after the accident on charges of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated DUI, two counts of child abuse, and felony criminal damage.

Jessica Wayas is probably hoping that a Phoenix criminal defense attorney can come to her rescue. A criminal lawyer may be able to establish a plea bargain and get some of these charges dropped.

A man accused of killing a 29-year-old Phoenix police officer will now need a Phoenix criminal lawyer so that he can be properly defended in court.

Associated Press reports that Danny Ledezma, from Tucson, was indicted last week by a Maricopa County grand jury on several criminal charges, including first-degree murder. Danny Ledezma was accused of killing Officer Travis Murphy on May 26 after trying to flee the scene of a hit-and-run accident.

Four suspects and four victims are involved in what will likely turn into a heated Phoenix robbery case. ABC News reports that the four suspects were put in custody after police responded to a robbery call. Police say that there were several men that robbed and assaulted four other men with a gun and a metal pipe inside of a Phoenix home.

What's interesting is the way that police were able to catch the alleged robbers. After the initial 911 call, another police officer noticed four men acting suspiciously as they ran into a house in the area. After an investigation, police found that the men had items that came from the homes of other people.

Margaret Maloney was accused of passing counterfeit money and has now been linked to other crimes after a criminal investigation. The suspect will probably need a Phoenix criminal defense attorney to examine all the evidence associated with the case and for defense to the criminal charges.

ABC News reports that Scottsdale police officers recently arrested Margaret Maloney after she allegedly passed counterfeit money at a Valley business. Investigators then searched the woman's home and found evidence that linked her to various burglaries in the Valley and in the state of Arizona.

A fight between cousins on Tuesday got a bit out of hand, leaving one man dead and another three men injured. ABC News reports that the altercation broke out in the town of Picacho in the 6000 block of E. Monitor Street.

A 23-year-old man named Benjamin Franklin was shot in the dispute and died. Another man was shot multiple times, but still lives after sustaining a head injury. The victims were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Simply possessing a form of child pornography is illegal almost everywhere in the world; however the state of Arizona is known to have some of the strictest and most heavily enforced child pornography laws in the United States. This is because a person who is caught in possession of child pornography can be charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, which is considered a class 2 felony under Arizona Revised Statute 13-3553.

Perhaps the case of Berger v. Arizona best demonstrates how severe child pornography possession is in the Grand Canyon state. In 2004, a Phoenix high school teacher was sentenced to 200 years in prison for his 20 counts possessing child pornography. Associated Press reports that 200 years in prison was actually the minimum sentence that Morton Berger could have received, as there's a 10 year minimum sentence for each crime of child pornography possession.

A man from Tempe was arrested as a suspect in the murder of 27-year-old Natalie Allan on Monday night, after an employee at the Oreganos restaurant in Tempe reportedly recognized the suspect from a news report on television.

ABC News reports that Eugene Wade Bradford allegedly shot the victim with a handgun in his own home. The two had just ended a relationship and Natalie Allan came to his house in order to get some of her belongings. After shots were fired, the man allegedly fled the scene near the 700 block of South Beck Avenue. However, the suspect was then arrested at Oreganos restaurant on University Drive while drinking a beer and eating cheese and bread after employees had recognized him.

It may not be the smartest idea to attack a police officer when you're already in trouble with the law.

ABC News reports that a 30-year-old man named Dick Simmons from Scottsdale was pulled over for speeding near 100th Street and Cactus Road last Sunday. However, the driver decided to leave his vehicle and run away from the scene by foot. Once police caught the suspect in the front yard of a nearby home, the man then reportedly began to fight police officers.

A former lieutenant with the Tucson Police Department is likely to get off with just probation after pleading guilty to fraudulent use of a credit card. According to the Arizona Daily Star, the man was also indicted last fall of numerous felony charges including money-laundering and credit-card fraud.

Lieutenant William Ryberg has been accused of paying more than $67,000 for a personal computer repair with money from the Tucson Police Officers Association, even though he had no authorization to make such a purchase. He has also been accused of paying $5,000 in association funds on a fraudulent credit card.

Two men tried to flee the scene of an Arizona burglary, but such efforts came up short. Now, it looks as if the two suspects will need a Phoenix criminal defense attorney, since they were both booked last week in a Pinal County detention facility on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and theft of means of transportation.

ABC News reports that officials with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office received reports of a suspected burglary, but that the suspects had already fled the scene by the time deputies arrived. Officials then received a second report of suspicious activity in the Arizona City area and were able to link the suspects to the initial burglary.