If the state Supreme Court had a disciplinary panel for sheriffs, Joe Arpaio would in all likelihood be stripped of his ability to practice law enforcement.Yet Arpaio continues to skate toward potential re-election despite his role in many of the same actions that got his former ally, ex-Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas,…
Today’s written ruling by the three-person panel that calls for the disbarment of former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his “special assistant” Lisa Aubuchon should be mandatory reading, and not just for lawyers. It is profound in fact and happens to be beautifully written. One example of what we’re…
Barbara Mundell, the now-retired Maricopa Superior Court Judge targeted in an unethical investigation by county lawmen, received $500,000 from the county to settle a lawsuit.Susan Schuerman, the executive assistant for Supervisor Don Stapley, also received a $500,000 settlement, county officials confirm.The county’s spokeswoman, Cari Gerchick, says that Mary Rose Wilcox…
Despite earlier reports from the Tempe Police Department that the men involved in yesterday morning’s shooting weren’t students at the nearby Arizona State University, it turns out the alleged shooter actually is.Kyle Levitt, the 25-year-old Tempe resident who police say fatally shot 20-year-old Gabriel Batten, is an undergraduate student at…
Several former and current Maricopa County officials received settlements in their lawsuits against Maricopa County last night — but the county isn’t giving up the amounts. No news release for this one — and it’s not hard to understand why. The issue of payoffs is sensitive because public money will fund…
Andrew Thomas, former Maricopa County Attorney, was disbarred this morning by the three-member disciplinary panel of the Arizona State Supreme Court. So was his former deputy, Lisa Aubuchon. Former Deputy County Attorney Rachel Alexander’s law license was suspended for six months and one day. The disciplinary panel dismissed a few…
Andrew Thomas, former Maricopa County Attorney, violated several ethical rules, a state Supreme Court panel has found. William O’Neil, State Disciplinary Judge, now is reading the summary of the panel’s conclusions. Some charges are getting upheld, others are being dismissed. Thomas and his former deputy, Lisa Aubuchon, face disbarment. This is looking bad for…
Also read: Tempe PD: Man Shot, Killed After Argument Over Playing Loud Music at Apartment PoolTempe police have arrested a 25-year-old man on a murder charge in the shooting death of a man at an apartment complex pool yesterday.Police say Tempe resident Kyle Levitt shot 20-year-old Gabriel Batten after an…
Mary Rose Wilcox, Maricopa County Supervisor, settled with county in her lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.UPDATE: The county has not yet settled with Wilcox, spokeswoman Cari Gerchick reports. See our blog post about the other settlements that occurred last night.Back to original post, now rendered somewhat moot:Wilcox just walked in…
Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is about to learn whether or not he has an Arizona law license. Thomas and his former deputies, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander are facing punishment on a range of alleged ethical violations, which you can read about in previous New Times coverage. We’re…
Update: Kyle Levitt Arrested in Murder of man Shot at Tempe Apartment Complex PoolA 20-year-old man was shot and killed this morning after an argument over loud music at a pool inside a Tempe apartment complex, police say.Two people are currently being held for questioning in the shooting death.Tempe Police…
Cab driver Joseph Goldmeer was sentenced to five years in prison today for a June incident in which Goldmeer ended an argument at a Phoenix gas station by running a guy over with his cab.Goldmeer was convicted by a jury in February of three counts of aggravated assault, and received…
El Mirage police were informed yesterday that Albert Arias stabbed his father, possibly to death, after Arias allegedly came into the police station and told them about it.Pete Arias, 76, was pronounced dead at a hospital, and his son is in jail for his murder.According to court documents obtained by…
Julian Titcomb, a former volunteer basketball coach at a Valley elementary school, was sentenced today to six months in jail for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.Titcomb, 22, was booked into jail on eight counts of sexual conduct with a minor in March 2011, but pleaded guilty in February to three…
Police say 21-year-old Martin Garcia crashed into one officer’s motorcycle, another officer’s car, got shot at by police, then managed to crash his car into a guardrail, leaving it hanging over the edge about 15 feet above a highway and running away.According to court documents obtained by New Times, Garcia…
“Chasing girls” is supposed to be a colloquialism, not an actual game plan to pull off at a Tempe park.Curtis Earl Mann apparently missed that memo, as Tempe police say the 19-year-old was literally chasing a pair of 13-year-old girls through Harelson Park on Monday.According to police, Mann approached the…
Joe Sauceda Gallegos, who beat two young Phoenix boys to death with a baseball bat a few days before Christmas in 2008, is finally going to prison.Gallegos was found incompetent to stand trial in 2010, and was sent to a mental health facility.After some meds and time in the nuthouse,…
In late February, Brent Ian Anderson decided the best way to avoid paying child support was to take his 3-year-old daughter to Mexico and not tell the kiddo’s mother about it.Turns out, Anderson was incorrect about that, because the authorities just flew him and the youngster from Mazatlan, Mexico, to…
Michael Brown, a former CVS pharmacy employee who was busted on child-porn charges in June 2010, pleaded guilty today to five related charges.Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brown after they received a tip that he had left several pornographic images of children in one of the store’s photo kiosks.Maricopa County…
Angela Simpson, the Phoenix woman who impaled, stabbed, strangled, beat, and extracted the teeth from a disabled man — then dismembered him and set pieces of his body on fire — was sentenced today to life in prison for the 2009 murder.Simpson pleaded guilty on March 22 to first-degree murder…
Kevin J. Augustiniak, one of the Hells Angels charged in the 2001 murder of Mesa resident Cynthia Garcia, was sentenced yesterday to 23.5 years in prison.Augustiniak pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October, nearly eight years after his 2003 indictment.Sentencing for second-degree murder is typically capped at 22 years, but…
It’s probably safe to say plenty of butts are touched just every night at Arizona State University, but cops say someone was doing it illegally on Wednesday.This isn’t the first booty problem at the University, as ASU police had to deal with a serial booby- and booty-gripper starting in August 2010.Police…
