Is there snow in your future?

20121214flagFLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS — The long-rage weather forecast shows a slight chance of rain and snow on Wednesday for Williams and Flagstaff. There is another chance next Sunday. Little or no accumulation is expected.

Otherwise temperatures will hang between 50 and 60 during the day with temperatures just above 20s at night.

There is a hazardous wind advisory for tomorrow for Apache, Coconino, Northern Gila, Navajo and Yavapai counties. Wind gusts of 40 miles-per-hour are expected across Coconino County.

A fire watch will be in effect Monday for the northeast quarter of the State.

Board of Supervisor regular session April 7

Coconino-County-4FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors meets next Tuesday, April 7 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Board of Supervisors First Floor Meeting Room, 219 E. Cherry Ave, Flagstaff.

They remind you that if you are carrying electronic devices, that they are set to silence before the meeting begins.

Some highlights of the meeting include:

  • Approve the request to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to designate Coconino County as a Local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Area under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
  • Approve the appointment of John Lamb as Justice of the Peace Pro Tempore for Coconino County, February 9, 2015, through June 30, 2015, on an as-needed basis.
  • Approve the renewal of the contract with GPS Monitoring Solutions for an additional one (1) year term to provide home detention, electronic monitoring and continuous alcohol monitoring of clients in all four (4) Justice Courts and in Superior Court. The term of the renewal is from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
  • Approve the budget amendment and grant award totaling $22,200 from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Program for the term of 4/1/15 – 9/30/15 for drug tests and substance abuse assessments for those clients that are court-ordered and require a thorough assessment for treatment/prevention referrals for Integrated Family Court and DUI/Drug Court.
  • Approve a Grant Award, Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning (HMEP) Grant FFY 2015, Grant Award Agreement Number, HM-HMP-0454-01-00 for the amount of $5700 from the Arizona Emergency Response Commission (AZSERC) and a budget adjustment of $6567.
  • Approve the purchase of two (2) vehicles under Arizona State Contract No. ADSPO12-01667 from San Tan Ford in the amount of $57,546.66.
  • Pass and adopt Flood Control District Resolution 2015-01 authorizing and directing District staff and legal counsel to accept the counter offer made by the Defendants in settlement of Cause Number CV 2014-00390, and to execute any documents that may be necessary to carry out the purpose of the resolution.

Brief Agenda (PDF)

Fleas Test Positive for Plague in Picture Canyon

640px-HookeFlea01FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) officials confirmed that fleas collected in Picture Canyon, a popular hiking area located in northeast Flagstaff, tested positive for plague (Yersinia pestis).

Picture Canyon is located east of Highway 89 North, and north of Interstate 40 and Old Route 66.

The tests were recently conducted by the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University.

CCPHSD Environmental Health staff collects and tests flea samples from locations throughout the County. The recent samples were collected from burrows located along the Picture Canyon hiking trails. Visitors to the area are asked to avoid rodent burrows and keep dogs on a leash as required by Arizona State law.

The CCPHSD and the City of Flagstaff have notified nearby residents of the situation and posted signage at the trailheads. The burrows are being treated and the area will be closely monitored to determine if further action is required.

This positive test is the first evidence of plague activity reported in the County this year. While this is the only location within the County where the plague has been confirmed, the disease is endemic to areas throughout the County and may be more widespread.

The CCPHSD is urging the public to take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to this serious disease, which can be present in rodents, rabbits, and sometimes predators that feed upon these animals. The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea or by direct contact with an infected animal.

Symptoms in humans generally appear within two to six days following exposure and include the following: fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain, and swollen lymph glands (called “buboes”) in the groin, armpits, or limbs. The disease can become septicemic (spreading throughout the bloodstream) and/or pneumonic (affecting the lungs), but is curable with proper antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early.

Additional Information: PDF

Coconino County Board of Supervisors meet tomorrow in support of illegal immigration

300-illegal-alienFLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will be conducting a special executive session (PDF) tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the first floor board room in Flagstaff. The location is 219 E. Cherry Avenue.

In this session the Board of Supervisors will discuss the possibility of filing an amicus brief in support of President Obama and the defendants in Texas v. United States, No. 1:14-cv-254 (PDF). This is case in which a Texas federal judge ordered a cease to executive orders stopping deportation of illegal aliens. The case is in the 5th Circuit Court while Arizona is part of the 9th Circuit Court.

The session is an executive session, which means there will be no discussion allowed by the public.

Texas and 13 other States and several governors have filed suit against the United States representatives who have decided not to enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress.

Upcoming Neighborhood Watch meetings for Doney Park and Timberline/Fernwood areas

FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and District 4 Supervisor Mandy Metzger would like to invite residents of the Doney Park community to attend the monthly Neighborhood Watch meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2015. The meeting will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Summit Fire District Station 32 and Administrative Offices located at 8905 Koch Field Road Flagstaff, AZ.

In Timberline/Fernwood, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and Coconino County Supervisor Liz Archuleta would like to invite residents to the monthly Neighborhood Watch meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. The meeting will be held from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Summit Fire Station 33, located at 6050 Firehouse Lane, off of Highway 89N. Members of the Sheriff’s Office staff will be at the meeting to share information and encourage continued neighborhood participation.

The guest speaker at both events will be Charlotte Peterson who is an Animal Management Officer for Coconino County. Charlotte will speak about animal abuse, animal hoarding and will give a broad overview of the animal management department and county ordinances that pet owners should be aware of.

Community Deputies will be available to answer questions and provide support to this partnership between law abiding citizens, law enforcement and county government.

Neighborhood Watch is similar to the Block Watch program commonly conducted in urban areas and goes back to the concept of “neighbors looking out for neighbors” that many people remember from 30 years ago. It is one of the most effective ways to prevent and deter criminal activity, attend to home and personal security, address the safety of our children and the elderly, and to alleviate fear and isolation. Residents learn how to observe and report suspicious activity and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime.

For more information about the Neighborhood Watch program and the meeting schedule, please call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5089.

Possible suicide hoax causes lockdown at Thomas Elementary School

flagstaff-policeFLAGSTAFF — On Monday, March 23, 2015 at approximately 2:40 p.m., the Flagstaff Police Department received an anonymous call from a subject stating they were suicidal, had a firearm and were near Thomas Elementary School in the 3300 block of East Lockett.

The caller used an administrative line, and when transferred to dispatch stated they were suicidal, armed and near children. The caller did not respond to any other questions asked my dispatch and hung up.

Officers immediately were sent to the area. The school had already activated their lockdown procedures. Officers conducted a room by room search of the school, including the playground area and surrounding residential area with negative contact with any armed subjects or suspicious persons. Area schools were contacted and provided the information regarding the suspicious call.

The Flagstaff Police Department will continue to investigate this call, but at this time we believe the call to be a hoax.

COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION: LEVEL 2 SEX OFFENDER ALERT

robert-leeNAME: Robert Curt Lee
AGE:  54   HGT: 6’01” WGT: 160 HAIR: Brown           EYES: Brown
ADDRESS:  124 S. San Francisco St Flagstaff, AZ 86001

COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION

LEVEL 2 SEX OFFENDER ALERT

The Flagstaff Police Department is releasing the following information pursuant to ARS 13-3835, the Community Notification on Sex Offender Law. The offender in this publication is living in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Notification must be made when certain sex offenders are released from the Arizona State Prison, accepted under an interstate compact or released from the county jail back into the community.  Offenders are categorized into three levels; Level One (low risk to the community), Level Two (intermediate risk to the community), and Level Three (high risk to the community).

The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense, which allows for community notification. He is not wanted by the Flagstaff Police Department at this time.

This notification is not intended to increase fear: rather, it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public. CITIZEN ABUSE OF THIS INFORMATION TO THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, OR HARASS SEX OFFENDERS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. The Flagstaff Police Department may be reached at 928-774-1414 and is available to help you join or start a neighborhood watch program as well as provide you with useful information on personal safety. If you have information regarding current criminal activity on this or any offender, please call 928-774-1414 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.

SYNOPSIS: Robert Lee was convicted in 1990 for Child Molestation out of Sarasota, Florida.

Please contact the Flagstaff Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 928-556-2201 with any questions or concerns. If you have information and do not want to leave your name please call SILENT WITNESS at 928 774-6111.

Bridge work starting on I-40 west of Holbrook

NOTE: We noted a lot of bridge work happening between Williams and Flagstaff on I-40. Please remember that ARS provides for double-fines for speeding through a highway construction zone.


The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project on Monday, March 23 to make improvements to the Leroux Wash Bridges on Interstate 40 just west of Holbrook.

The $1.2 million dollar project will include removing and replacing both bridges approach slabs and repairing both bridge decks. The project is anticipated to be completed this fall.

Work hours will be 7 a.m.to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Work crews will be working on both the eastbound and westbound bridges at the same time. One of the two lanes in each direction will be closed leaving one lane open for traffic. The speed limit will be reduced through the construction zone and there will be width restrictions.

Drivers are asked to use caution and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Multi-Agency Response to Backcountry Fatality on San Francisco Peaks

sf-peaksFLAGSTAFF — On Saturday, March 14th, at approximately 12:50 PM the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Coordinator was notified by the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Patrol of a fatality in the backcountry near Doyle Saddle at approximately 11,400 feet elevation.

The victim, identified as Dan Huebner a 53 year old Flagstaff resident, had been on a backcountry ski tour with a friend. At approximately 10:45 AM Huebner collapsed below Agassiz Peak and just west of Doyle Saddle. Huebner’s skiing partner performed CPR for approximately 45 minutes with no change in Huebner’s condition. At that time he skied to the Arizona Snowbowl and reported the incident to Ski Patrol personnel.

The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit, Sheriff’s detectives, the United States Forest Service, and Arizona Snowbowl coordinated a response to the scene and the recovery of Huebner.

It was determined that the best course of action would be to ski and snowshoe to the victim’s location, conduct the investigation and prepare Huebner for extraction via a long line with the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter. Ski Patrol, Search and Rescue, and a detective arrived at the scene at approximately 4:30 PM.

The DPS Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to the Fort Valley Lodge and prepared for long line extrication. Huebner’s body was flown from the scene to the Lodge at approximately 5:45 PM where custody was transferred to the Coconino County Office of the Medical Examiner.

Huebner and his ski partner were very experienced and well prepared for the activity that they were engaged in. Backcountry winter travel has some unique hazards including the possibility of avalanche. Huebner and his partner were carrying the “Ten Essentials” and were additionally equipped with avalanche beacons, probes, and shovels. Both men had experience and training in the winter backcountry environment and are well respected in the backcountry skiing community.

Sheriff’s detectives and the medical examiner are continuing this investigation. At this point there are no signs of foul play and there is a possibility that the victim died as the result of a preexisting medical condition.

FLAGSTAFF: LEVEL 2 SEX OFFENDER ALERT

COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION
03-11-2015

The Flagstaff Police Department is releasing the following information pursuant to ARS 13-3835, the Community Notification on Sex Offender Law. The offender in this publication is living in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Notification must be made when certain sex offenders are released from the Arizona State Prison, accepted under an interstate compact or released from the county jail back into the community. Offenders are categorized into three levels; Level One (low risk to the community), Level Two (intermediate risk to the community), and Level Three (high risk to the community).

The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense, which allows for community notification. He is not wanted by the Flagstaff Police Department at this time.

This notification is not intended to increase fear: rather, it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public. CITIZEN ABUSE OF THIS INFORMATION TO THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, OR HARASS SEX OFFENDERS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. The Flagstaff Police Department may be reached at 928-774-1414 and is available to help you join or start a neighborhood watch program as well as provide you with useful information on personal safety. If you have information regarding current criminal activity on this or any offender, please call 928-774-1414 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.
SO Leon Slim
NAME:. Leon Anderson Slim
AGE: 49 HGT: 147 WGT: 5’09” HAIR: Brown EYES: Brown
ADDRESS: 901 W. Rt. 66 #120

SYNOPSIS: Leon Slim was convicted of sexual abuse of a child under 15 years of age in 2011.
Please contact the Flagstaff Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 928-556-2201 with any questions or concerns.