Category Archives: Flagstaff

Traffic delays expected on SR 89A due to Coconino County Fair this weekend

Posted on by

adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation is urging motorists headed to the annual Coconino County Fair this Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1) to allow extra travel time as traffic delays are expected. The main entrance to the Fort Tuthill County Park along State Route 89A remains closed due to an ongoing improvement project and traffic is routinely backed up onto Interstate 17 and SR 89A during special events at the park.

The park’s main entrance at Fairgrounds Road, which intersects with JW Powell Boulevard and SR 89A/Beulah Boulevard, has been closed since early June while ADOT continues construction of the realignment of SR 89A and two new roundabouts at this location.

During the fair, attendees will enter and exit the fairground at two alternate locations north of Fairgrounds Road. The first location is Fort Tuthill Loop, approximately 300 yards north of the main entrance. The second location is at West Purple Sage Trail, which is slightly more than one-half mile north of the main entrance on SR 89A.

Law enforcement officers will be in the area and signage will be placed to guide fairgoers into and out of the park through the holiday weekend.

Construction started on the $6.25 million SR 89A project in May and will continue through the end of the year, until the winter shutdown takes effect. ADOT will return in spring 2015 to perform final paving, striping and sign installation at that time.

In an effort to improve traffic flow and enhance safety, ADOT is reconstructing the SR 89A/JW Powell Boulevard intersection and southbound I-17 ramp/JW Powell Boulevard intersection, both of which were built in the 1950s and do not meet today’s modern safety design standards.

Once completed, SR 89A will be realigned and a new roundabout will facilitate the movement of traffic through SR 89A and JW Powell Boulevard at the park’s entrance. A second new roundabout will aid the flow of traffic using the southbound on- and off-ramps at I-17 and JW Powell Boulevard. In addition, the project includes new bike lanes and sidewalks in the area.

For more information on the project, please visit the project Web page at azdot.gov/I17_Powell, or call 855.712.8530.

Flagstaff Man Arrested for Sexual Assault

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF – On Saturday, August 16, 2014 the Flagstaff Police/Coconino County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch center received a cell phone call from a motorist who said he was driving in the area of Old East Route 66 by the Market Place retail outlets when he was waved down by a female who said she had been physically and sexually assaulted. The 35 year old female victim of Flagstaff declined medical examination and treatment at the scene and was transported to the Sheriff’s Office to meet further with investigators.

Thus far the investigation has revealed the victim was in downtown Flagstaff on Friday evening when she was contacted by her ex-boyfriend, a 45-year old male of Flagstaff. According to the victim the suspect drove alongside of her and ordered her into the car and she complied. During the victim’s contact with the suspect at times he was brandishing a handgun. Initially the suspect drove the victim to the area of Buffalo Park where she exited the vehicle and attempted to escape. According to the victim, the suspect physically assaulted her, bound her hands together in front of her, attempted to choke her, and tied a rope around her neck. The suspect threatened the victim’s life and forced her back into the vehicle. The suspect then drove the victim to an area in East Flagstaff off of Old East Route 66 where he physically and sexually assaulted her.

According to the victim, at one point inside the vehicle the suspect fell asleep allowing the victim to escape. According to the victim she ran to the location where she flagged down the passing motorist.

Following her interview with Sheriff’s Office investigators, the victim was transported to the Northern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault. Deputies issued an attempt to locate on the suspect and his vehicle and he was subsequently located by Flagstaff Police officers and arrested for one count of Kidnapping per Domestic Violence, one Count of Sexual Assault per Domestic Violence, one count of Aggravated Assault per Domestic Violence and one count of Weapons Misconduct/Prohibited Possessor. Due to the previous relationship between the suspect and the victim the suspect’s name is not being released in an attempt to protect the victim’s identity.

Adult Male Campers Engage in Confrontation with a Shot Fired

Posted on by

MORMON LAKE – Police/Coconino County Sheriff’s 911 Center received two 911 calls that were made from cell phones yesterday at about 11:23 am in Flagstaff. The first caller advised that an angry man with an assault rifle was at his camp site and that he the caller was hiding behind a tree. The second caller told dispatchers that the original caller had fired a shot at him.

While deputies were enroute to the camp site located off FS Road 125 in area of Kinnikinick Lake, deputies requested the 911 dispatcher call both of the involved parties on their cell phones and advise each of them to disarm and separate themselves.

Upon their arrival, deputies contacted a 51-year old male in possession of a 9-mm semiautomatic handgun. The second involved person was a 44-year old male who was in possession of a semiautomatic assault rifle and two handguns. Investigation revealed that although both individuals were from Anthem, they did not know one another. Both individuals were detained without further incident.

Both individuals were camping in the area and came into contact in the parking lot of the Mormon Lake Lodge convenience store where they had a brief conversation. Afterward, they passed each other while driving in opposite directions.

According to one of the drivers, the other driver turned around and began to follow him. In response to being followed, one of the involved parties stopped and exited his vehicle and fired a single shot in what he described as an attempt to warn the driver who was following him.

He then continued to drive to his camp site as the other driver continued to follow him. Once at his camp site, he exited his vehicle and hid behind a bush. The other individual also exited his vehicle with binoculars and an assault rifle. According to the subject with the binoculars and assault rifle, he believed the other driver had fired a shot at him and it was his intent to obtain the license plate number to provide it to the deputies.

No arrests have been made at this time and the case will be referred to the Coconino County Attorney’s Office for review and possible criminal charging.

In a situation such as this, it is best not to pull over and shoot at a person who may be following you. You should call 911 first and fire only if you need to. While it is legal to defend yourself, A.R.S 13-401 provides that you can be charged should you hit an innocent third party.

Deputies and School Bus Drivers Participate in Armed Intruder Response Exercise

Posted on by
Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

BLUE RIDGE – On Saturday, August 9, 2014 Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies, Chevelon Butte Elementary School District personnel and school bus drivers, United States Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers, Blue Ridge Fire District personnel, and Coconino County Sheriff’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members participated in a training scenario that simulated an armed intruder (also known as Active Shooter training) on a school bus with student passengers.

The goal of the exercise was to instill in school bus drivers and involved law enforcement officers the knowledge, skills, abilities, and mindset necessary to successfully respond to an active threat event. The training was designed to focus on the roles, responsibilities and interagency coordination of responding officers and school bus drivers. Active Shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Typically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to the victims. Because active shooter situations often last 10 to 15 minutes, school staff members must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation while law enforcement responds to the scene.

SDexercise-02

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Linda Blosser who is the President of the Governing Board for the Chevelon Butte Elementary School District requested that the training be provided to district school bus drivers and was instrumental in the planning, organization and implementation of the exercise.

Following the training Blosser said, ‘Our training event was a great success. As a small rural school district it gave us a chance to identify areas we needed to review and follow up with additional in house training. Chevelon Butte Elementary School District is being proactive, making sure our employees have received the training they need if an emergency were to happen on one of our school buses full of students. Safety is our #1 priority; our goal is to make sure every student and bus driver go home at the end of the day. The cooperation we received from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has been great. They shared their time and expertise with us, and may I say it was an eye opener. When I asked, ‘what do we do if an emergency happens on one of our buses?’ a small army of several law enforcement agencies being led by the CCSO drove out and ‘role played’ with us for a day.”

More rain for Flagstaff and Williams

Posted on by

rain-140810-20WILLIAMS – The roar of glasspacks from the Cool Country Cruise-In have been replaced with the rolling thunder of the monsoons. Thunder started sounding about 1pm in Williams and the rain descended shortly thereafter.

Williams and Flagstaff share a similar forecast through next week. 40% chance of showers overnight rising to 50% tomorrow through Wednesday with a 40% chance Monday night. The rain Monday is expected to occur mainly after noon. Winds are expected to be from 5- to 11-mph during that period.

There is a chance of thunderstorm activity from Thursday through next weekend.

Deputy County Attorney receives Prosecutor of the Year Award

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce that one its felony prosecutors has received statewide recognition.

Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker was awarded Prosecutor of the Year for Rural Counties by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council on July 31st at the annual conference in Tucson. Barker competed against numerous other worthy candidates from other County Attorney Offices, but prevailed as a result of his exceptional year in obtaining jury verdicts in several major criminal cases.

“Ammon had a stellar year in the courtroom and we are very proud of him”, said County Attorney David Rozema.

Barker arrived in Coconino County less than four years ago through the office’s recruitment program with dreams of trying the most violent offenders. During the last year, his dream became reality, as he successfully tried a first degree murder, two machete attack cases and a domestic violence murder. The first degree murder conviction was based largely on a tire print taken from the scene and other scene reconstruction. The other cases presented challenges as well, including evidentiary difficulties and hostile witnesses.

Additional APAAC award recipients from the County Attorney’s Office include Chief Deputy County Attorney Michael Lessler, who received the Prosecutor Lifetime Achievement award in 2006, and former Senior Trial Attorney Jonathan Mosher, who received the Prosecutor of the Year award in 2011.

Man Arrested on Four Counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested a 69 year-old man of Doney Park on four counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor involving his granddaughter.

On Thursday, July 31, 2014 a Doney Park resident walked into the Sheriff’s Office to turn himself in for engaging in sexual conduct between the years 2006-2011 with his then eight year old granddaughter.

During a subsequent interview with Detectives the suspect made statements implicating himself in the crime of continual sexual conduct with a minor. The suspect was arrested on four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and was booked into to the Coconino County Detention Facility located in Flagstaff.

The suspect’s name and booking photo are being withheld in an effort to protect the victim’s identity.

Arguments ‘For’ and ‘Against’ Coconino County Ballot Tax Question Sought for November 4, 2014 Election

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF – On November 4, 2014, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors will hold an election asking the voters of Coconino County to vote on a ballot question that would authorize a County Sales (Transaction Privilege) Tax for maintaining and preserving the conditions of Coconino County maintained roads.

Specifically, voters will be asked:

Shall Coconino County be authorized to levy and collect a three-tenths of a cent ($0.003) sales tax, for a period of twenty (20) years, beginning January 1, 2015, to fund the maintenance and preservation of roads maintained by Coconino County and fund those costs related to, but not limited to, snowplowing, dirt road grading, road surface chip sealing, road maintenance and other road-related expenses?

The proposed three-tenths of a cent ($0.003) sales tax is equal to thirty cents on each one hundred dollars of taxable sales within Coconino County.

Coconino County will prepare an informational pamphlet for the election. The pamphlet will be mailed to all households of registered voters in the county. Arguments “For” and “Against” the ballot question are being requested by the County for inclusion in the informational pamphlet.

Anyone who would like to submit a “For” or “Against” statement regarding the election can mail or hand deliver their statement to Coconino County Elections, 110 E Cherry Ave, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001.

The statement may not exceed 300 words and must include the original signature of the submitting party. If the argument is sponsored by an organization, it must be signed by two of the organization’s executive officers. If the argument is submitted by a political committee, it must be signed by the committee’s chairman or treasurer. The person(s) signing the argument must provide their mailing address and phone number (this information will not be printed in the pamphlet).

The cost to file an argument is $100 per argument filed on paper. If the argument is submitted electronically (on a cd or USB drive), the cost is $75 but, in order to meet the requirement for an original signature, it must be accompanied by a paper copy.

Arguments must be received by 5 p.m., August 11, 2014 in the Coconino County Elections Office at 110 E Cherry Ave., Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

For more information regarding the statements, call 928-679-7860
.

Inmate Death at Coconino County Detention Facility

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF – Clinton Lee Davis, age 49 of Idaho, was discovered in his cell on Wednesday evening and was subsequently determined to be deceased as the result of suicide by hanging.

Mr. Davis has been an inmate at the Coconino County Detention Facility since April, 13 2014 when he was booked by Page Police Department for multiple criminal offenses to include Burglaries, Thefts, Criminal Damage and Prohibited Weapons Possession. Mr. Davis also was being held on an out of state warrant for original offenses of Burglaries and Thefts.

Prior to his death Mr. Davis was assigned to a two person cell in a housing unit. The housing unit has a common day use area that inmates are allowed to use. At approximately 4:42 pm Detention Officers were alerted by inmates assigned to the housing unit that Mr. Davis appeared to be hanging from a ladder attached to a two person bunk bed. Detention Officers immediately responded and placed him on the floor at which point they began life saving efforts to include CPR. A Registered Nurse assigned to the facility also responded with an AED device.

Detention Officers and the nurse continued to administer lifesaving efforts until the arrival of Guardian Medical personnel who assumed medical care of Mr. Davis. He did not respond to life saving efforts and was pronounced deceased. Mr. Davis was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office and Sheriff’s personnel notified his next of kin.

At this point in the investigation no foul play is suspected and it appears that Mr. Davis died of a self-inflected injury.

Mountain View Ranchos Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Posted on by

neighborhoodwatchFLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and District 4 Supervisor Mandy Metzger would like to invite residents of the Mountain View Ranchos community to attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting on Thursday, July 24, 2014. The meeting will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Ranchos Thrift Shop which is located across the road from the Mountain View Market.

Representatives of the Sheriff’s Office will be at the meeting to encourage continued neighborhood participation and to share information. Doney Park Community Deputies will be available to answer questions and provide support to this partnership between law abiding citizens, law enforcement and county government.

Representatives of the Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Department of Emergency Management will speak about the awareness of and preparedness for natural disasters and other emergencies. Instructions will be provided on how to build a “Go Bag” which contains items required for an evacuation out of the residence lasting up to 72 hours. Participants will also be given instructions how to build a “Home Emergency Kit” that will sustain a family for up to 72 hours in the event they are required to “Shelter in Place.” Presenters will speak about the Coconino County Code Red emergency notification system and participants will be given the opportunity to register to receive the notifications.