You’re free to go — but we’ll keep your money. That’s the position of Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard on the failed case of Mario de la Fuente Manriquez, a Mexican media millionaire accused of organized crime. Manriquez was arrested and charged earlier this year with 19 counts of money laundering, assisting…
“My life has been a disaster.”That’s what 37-year-old Michelle Bennett, who was kidnapped, shot, and left for dead in the desert near Apache Junction in January of 1999 told reporters at a press conference at Phoenix Police Headquarters this afternoon.As we reported earlier, the man police believe attacked Bennett was…
The man police say is responsible for the 1999 sexual assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder of a Valley woman is currently in an Arizona state prison serving a life sentence for crimes very similar to the ones with which he’s now accused — and he’s been there since 2003.Clayton Roinuse…
The Tempe Police Department announced minutes ago that an arrest has been made in the murder of 21-year-old Arizona State University senior Kyleigh Sousa.No details were announced — further information is being held until a 3 p.m. press conference this afternoon.Sousa was murdered on May 26. Tempe police responded to…
The Phoenix Police Department announced last night that an arrest has been made in a sexual assault/ kidnapping that happened in 1999.The Phoenix P.D. says DNA evidence retrieved at the scene of the alleged crimes match the DNA of Clayton Roinuse, who was arrested yesterday.According to police, on January 6,…
A Chandler man accused of a vampire-related aggravated assault pleaded not guilty in a Maricopa County Superior Court yesterday.Buckle up — this is a weird one.According to court documents obtained by New Times, the alleged “vamp,” 24-year-old Aaron Homer, and his 21-year-old “vamp” girlfriend, Amanda Williamson, are “into vampire stuff”…
Time’s a wastin’, people. Hit those phones. Hit ’em hard. The DREAM Act, proposed legislation that would legalize the status of undocumented students brought here when they were young, is being discussed on the floor of the U.S. House even as I type this. A vote in both houses of…
Last month, following the New Times article linked here, the Tempe Police Department reportedly had a canal — in which the body of 47-year-old Jeff Ahlers was discovered shot to death in June — drained so they could look for evidence. They didn’t find anything, but a Tempe man walking…
A former deputy with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s hired to shore up operations for Surprise police attended a meeting last year in which bogus charges against a judge were cooked up, an investigative report states. After the meeting, the Superior Court judge, Gary Donahoe, was charged with bribery and hindering a prosecution…
Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander, all late of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, were the key figures in a damning 76-page disciplinary report released yesterday. They’re the ones who stand to lose their law licenses. But if you just scanned the report by out-of-state investigator John Gleason, you might have missed a few interesting…
It was a great game between the Suns and the Trail Blazers last night, but the Suns lacked the sizzle to overcome Portland in the fourth quarter. Steve Nash played brilliantly, with 24 points and 15 assists, but it was backup Blazers point guard Wesley Matthews’ team that won the…
Has tobacco titan Dimitri Rozenman, convicted earlier this year of plotting to kill his wife and her family, scored a new trial? That might be the result of Judge Kristin Hoffman’s decision to vacate judgment in the Rozenman case. Rozenman, the owner of a lucrative web of online and retail cigar outlets, was…
In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries:…
State Attorney General Terry Goddard will leave office without resolving the case against Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Joel Fox and the shady SCA fundraising group. And that, it’s safe to say, means almost no likelihood of criminal charges – on a state level, anyway. Which would be a shame, because this scandal looked so…
[jump] As you may have heard, Elizabeth Edwards, estranged wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, sadly lost her battle with cancer today. That said, this is what appeared as back-to-back stories on the homepage of the KPHO website this afternoon — notice the time stamps on each…
We’ll spare you the obligatory “nine lives” lede and just hit you with it straight up: a cat in Tucson is lucky to be alive after jumping off a 30-foot-tall utility pole.The cat, “Kim,” climbed up the pole and stayed there for two days before taking the plunge as rescuers…
It’s not quite official, but it seems we can finally say buh-bye to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson — this week, anyway.Anderson’s still on the team, but chances of him making the start against the Broncos on Sunday seem slim-to-none — the team announced today that Max Hall has been…
The Peoria Police Department has a message for residents: don’t kill yourself.In a 24-hour period starting at about 5 p.m. last Friday, three people in Peoria committed suicide. That, the Peoria PD says, is a lot. “This is a time of the year where we see depression rise and this…
The Maricopa County detention officer seen beating two inmates in the psych ward at one of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jails has not been charged with a crime — yet, the Maricopa County Superior Court announced this morning.”Charges against MCSO Detention Officer Kevin Gerster were not filed by County…
Even after benching him in the Arizona Cardinals’ pitiful loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Coach Ken Whisenhunt seems to still be toying with the idea of starting quarterback Derek Anderson against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.Anderson, as has been well-documented by New Times, sucks. He’s sucked all…
Huffing Co2 gets you high — and guess where you can find more Co2 canisters than you could “huff” in a lifetime? Wal-Mart — which is apparently where a Maricopa teen went to get his fix before passing out while still in the store.Police in Maricopa say the unidentified teen…
A domestic violence suspect in Gilbert was arrested yesterday — after police had to call the fire department to pry him out of the ceiling where he got stuck while trying to flee police.About 1:30 a.m. yesterday, Gilbert police responded to a domestic violence call in the 500 block of…
