Two Local Men Plead Guilty to Stealing Copper from BHP

Two local men have pleaded guilty to charges of stealing copper from the BHP mine. They were caught in the act by Miami Police Lieutenant Spencer Preston during the early morning hours of May 9.

Thirty-two year old Michael Woods will be sentenced today (October 28). He faces a mandatory sentence of three years in the Arizona Department of Corrections followed by a term of supervised probation.

Twenty-five year old Anthony Stewart had only been released from prison for one week when this incident occurred. He will be sentenced on November 2.  Stewart  faces a mandatory sentence of 4.5 years in the Department of Corrections.

Globe Man Sentenced for Domestic Violence Assault and Drug Convictions

On Monday, 43 year old Jason Moss was sentenced to more than six years in the Arizona Department of Corrections in two separate cases.

On June 23 the Gila County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic violence call. At the scene the victim said that Moss assaulted her and that the assault may have been caught on the residence’s video surveillance system.

The video showed Moss hitting the victim twice in the face.

Moss was arrested for the domestic violence assaults and while on pretrial release, he was found in possession of methamphetamine. He plead guilty to the assault and methamphetamine charges on October 1.

The plea agreements dictated aggravated, consecutive sentences in the Department of Corrections

Pahe Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison

Gila County Attorney Bradley Beauchamp has announced that on Monday, October 14, 50 year old Globe resident Lyle Pahe was sentenced to 7.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for aggravated assault.

On August 2, Pahe stabbed the victim several times while the victim was sleeping on a bench in downtown Globe. Pahe initially said that the victim attacked him first and he was just defending himself. He then changed his story several times and told investigators that he couldn’t remember what happened because he was drunk.

Pahe plead guilty to aggravated assault on September 6. At the sentencing the state recommended an aggravated term of 7.5 years in prison because Pahe caused physical  harm to the victim and had a criminal history of 6 misdemeanor convictions.

Globe Cold Case Investigated Tuesday Night on TNT

Tuesday's episode of the TNT network’s true crime series “Cold Justice” investigates the 1988   hit and run death of 17 year old Globe High School student Rachelle Escalante.

TNT’s promotions of the TV series claim that the crimes are solved during the program. We’ll find out if that’s true Tuesday night. 

TNT is channel 37 on Cable One.

Renzi Convicted of Extortion and Bribery

Former First District Congressman Rick Renzi and his former business partner have been convicted of extortion and bribery  by a federal jury in Tucson.

Evidence showed that in 2005 Renzi used his legislative influence to profit from a federal land exchange that involved property owned by real estate investor James Sandlin.

Renzi threatened a proponent of the land exchange that he would not support it unless they purchased Sandlin’s property in Cochise County.  When that person refused, Renzi made a deal with another proponent of the land exchange.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Renzi was convicted of 17 felony offenses including conspiracy, extortion, racketeering, money laundering and making false statements to insurance investigators.

Sandlin was found guilty of 13 felony offenses.

Sentencing is set for August 19.

Copper Theft Ring Arrested for Stealing Raw Copper from ASARCO

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has announced that a multi-million dollar copper theft ring has been broken up.

The Department of Public Safety began investigating the ring after a traffic stop of a semi-truck in September. The truck was carrying nearly $180,000 worth of raw copper stolen from the ASARCO mine in Hayden.

During the criminal investigation, DPS determined that several ASARCO employees helped steal the raw copper. Others drove the raw copper loads to heavy metal recyclers in both Arizona and California. The heavy metal recyclers would purchase the stolen copper from them at a fraction of the commodity price and then resell it to Chinese importers at a profit.

The defendants face 10 criminal counts including conspiracy, money laundering and theft involving nearly $10 million in stolen raw copper from ASARCO.

Bashas' Customers Targeted by Cyber Thieves

An international fraud investigation into cyber theft includes stolen credit card information from Arizona Bashas’ customers.

KVOA-TV reports that the thieves apparently used ‘malware’ never seen before. They used the software  to duplicate credit card numbers and then use the numbers to buy prepaid cards.

The FBI says it is searching for three suspects.

Bashas’ says that the malware has been contained. But the grocery chain urges its customers to closely monitor their debit and credit card transactions and report any unusual activity.

San Carlos Woman Sentenced for Stealing Tribal Funds

A San Carlos woman has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for embezzling  tribal funds.

34 year old Holly Faye Youvella was also ordered to pay $272,000 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service.

While she was the bookkeeper for Peridot Shopping Center, Inc.—a San Carlos Apache Tribal Organization—Youvella embezzled about $268,000 of the shopping center’s money by cashing fraudulent checks made payable to either herself or a family member. She also admitted that she stole about $4,300 by directing multiple fraudulent electronic payments to personal credit and utility accounts.

Youvella has been ordered to self-surrender to serve her sentence on December 10. 2012.

DPS Finds Thieves Who Stole Copper from Hayden Mine

The Arizona Department of  Public Safety has found the copper theft organization that was stealing metal from the ASARCO mine in Hayden

ABC15 reports that  DPS stopped a commercial vehicle on Interstate 10 and found about 48 copper ingots  inside the trailer attached to the vehicle. Ingots are large copper plates that weigh about 880 pounds.

DPS also searched a home in Marana and found 54 more copper ingots.

The value of the stolen copper is estimated to be about $300,000.

Gila County Murder Suspect Caught

A suspect wanted for the murder of an Eager man was located and arrested yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon at Roosevelt Lake.

The Gila County Sheriff’s Office says they got a tip from a boater that a man who was dirty and asking for water approached their boat while they were swimming. The boater left and called the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.

57 year old Gabriel Jaramillo was taken into custody  and flown to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office Roosevelt substation, where he was checked by Tonto Basin Fire medical personnel and then flown to Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center for evaluation. Police say Jaramillo complained of  back pain, due to falling down a cliff.

Jaramillo was wanted in connection with the disappearance of 47 year old Steve Long of Eager. He reportedly shot at Gila County Sheriff’s deputies during a chase from Globe to Roosevelt Lake Saturday night but didn’t hit anyone.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter unit, Department of Corrections K-9 and tracking crews,  and officers from several other agencies participated in the search for Jaromillo.

Search Continues in Gila County for Homicide Suspect

The search continues in Gila County for homicide suspect Gabriel Jaramillo.

Jaramillo was pursued by Gila County Sheriff’s Deputies Saturday night from Globe to the northern shores of Roosevelt Lake. Several other law enforcement agencies were also involved.

During the pursuit, two deputies exchanged gunfire with Jaramillo, and he shot at a third deputy. The deputies were not hurt.

On Monday, Department of Corrections tracking teams located tracks heading in a northeasterly direction away from Roosevelt Lake and away from any populated areas of Tonto Basin.. The tracking teams have helped narrow the search but Jaramillo is still at large.

Jaramillo should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, don’t approach him but call your local law enforcement.

Suspect Flees After Abandoning Stolen Vehicle

The Gila County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the driver of a stolen vehicle connected to the disappearance of an Eager man.

57 year old Gabriel Jaramillo abandoned the vehicle Saturday night in the Roosevelt Lake area and fled after shots were exchanged with law enforcement

Jaramillo is 6’2”, 195-210 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Gabriel Jaramillo, contact the Gila County Sheriff’s Office at 425-4449.

Arrest Made in 1995 Murder Case

Last week the Gila County Sheriff’s Office arrested 47 year old Arthur Tarango Sr. in connection with the 1995 murder of Hector Mendez. The murder  occurred at the “Round Table” recreation site at the base of the Pinal Mountains.

The investigation into this “cold case” was conducted by Detective Emmett Dickison over the last three years and was assisted by Detective Ray Hernandez with the Gila County Attorney’s Office.

Details of the offence are not being released at this time because this is an ongoing investigation and additional interviews are still pending.

Anyone who has any additional information on this case is encouraged to contact Detective Dickison at 425-4449 or Detective Hernandez at 402-4243.

Chavez Found Guilty of Kidnapping and Assault

A Gila County jury has found 38 year old James Chavez of Globe guilty of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, theft of means of transportation and aggravated assault.

The jury heard that on the evening of August 27, 2011, the victim was kidnapped in the Claypool area and driven in his own car to a remote location near Wheatfileds, where he was beaten. The victim was held captive for 12 hours and then stabbed. Chavez then drove the victim to El Maguey Trailer Park in Miami,  where the victim escaped and ran towards Latham Avenue and hid on the side of a mountain.

A Good Samaritan found the victim with life-threatening injuries the next morning. Chavez was arrested as he was fleeing down Latham Avenue in the victim’s car.

Chavez will be sentenced on August 12 at 10:am by Judge Robert Duber. In light of the serious nature of these offenses and Chavez’s multiple prior convictions, he is facing a minimum of 10.5 years and a maximum of 65 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Globe Seeking Information About Stolen Street Signs

The City of Globe is experiencing thefts of its street signs. A person who takes these signs or possesses them can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and /or a $2,500 fine.

Anyone who has information about these thefts can report them to the Globe Police Deaprtment at 425-5751. Or you can report the information anonymously to the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME. You could be eligible to receive a reward of up to $1000.

Jury Finds Susan Hernandez Guilty

Last week a Gila County jury found 30 year old Susan Irene Hernandez guilty of luring a minor for sexual exploitation.

In March of 2010, Hernandez sent explicit text messages to a 15 year old girl. The victim’s family found the phone later that night and turned it over to the Globe Police Department. Globe PD was able to save the text messages which were presented to the jury,

Susan Hernandez is scheduled for sentencing  on May 29 at 4:pm. She is facing a sentence of up to 3.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week

April 22-28 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The Gila County Attorney’s Office will have a display and information booth at the Gila County Courthouse to raise awareness about domestic violence. The display will have information on resources, safety plans, and services available for victims of abuse.

If you are a crime victim and need assistance or referral for local services related to domestic violence, visit Gila County Victims Services on Broad Street or call 402-8836.

Redondo Pleads Guilty

On Friday, former Globe resident Christopher Angel Redondo plead guilty to first degree murder in the death of Ernie Singh.

Redondo admitted that on the evening of June 24,2009, he went to the Singh residence in Miami with the intent to kill Ernie Singh. Redondo used a shotgun to shoot the victim through the window of the residence. It was not until months later that Redondo was identified as the shooter through the cooperative investigation of multiple local agencies.

Redondo was sentenced by Judge Peter Cahill to life in prison without parole.

Reed Found Guilty in Domestic Incident

Yesterday (Thursday) a Gila County jury found 32 year old Wesley Reed guilty of aggravated assault, criminal trespass, threats and intimidation and criminal damage.

Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores presented the case to the jury.

On October 16, 2010 the former Young resident threatened his grandmother with a knife. He also threatened to kill his mother and grandmother separately from his use of the knife. Reed’s grandmother ordered him out of the houise. He left but came back later and banged and kicked at the front door. He then entered the home through a window.

Reed has 5 prior felony convictions and this offense was committed while he was on parole from his most recent conviction.

Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores says it is fortunate that no one was hurt, but a situation like this can easily escalate to where law enforcement is responding to a homicide or a victim with serious injuries. She says no one deserves to be subjected to this behavior. Anyone who is a victim of domestic violence should call local law enforcement immediately.

Because of his extensive criminal history, Reed is facing a minimum of 7.5 years, and a maximum of almost 19 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Wesley Reed is currently at large. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts should contact the Gila County Sheriff’s Office at 928-425-4449.

Weekend Bank Robber Gets $10,000

A bank robber got away with more than $10,000 Saturday morning at Bank of the West on Highway 60.

Around 10:00, a man walked into the bank, left a package on the counter with blinking lights, and said it was a bomb. The man also displayed a handgun and demanded money.

After obtaining the money, the suspect left the bank, got on a bicycle and rode behind the bank to a location where he is believed to have been picked up in a vehicle.

The suspect is described as tall and thin, about 5’10’ to 6’ tall, with dark complexion. He was wearing a dark colored wig, sunglsses and a ball cap.

The bomb squad was called and determined that the device left behind was not a bomb. The man also left an air gun on the counter top.

The suspect is still at large and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Steve Shaw at the Globe Police Department at 425-5751. You may remain anonymous.