Category Archives: Yavapai

Night work scheduled tonight on the Hell Canyon bridge replacement on SR 89

Posted on by

CHINO VALLEY/PAULDEN — Crews will shift traffic on State Route 89 to a new temporary detour parallel to the existing highway tonight, Dec. 3, approximately 18 miles north of Chino Valley as part of the bridge replacement project.

Work hours will be from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and drivers will be restricted to one lane and guided through the work zone with flaggers. Delays of up to 10 minutes are possible.

This $14.4 million bridge replacement project began in mid-July and is expected to be completed in late 2016.

Flagstaff police seek suspect

Posted on by

James Darryl Hickey Ht: 601 155 lbs BLU/BRO Last Known Address: 456 Phelps Dr. Clarkdale, AZ 86324

James Darryl Hickey
Ht: 601 155 lbs BLU/BRO
Last Known Address:
456 Phelps Dr. Clarkdale, AZ 86324

FLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Police department is seeking the assistance of the public to locate a suspect. James Darryl Hickey may be driving a white 2001 FORD Ranger Pick Up with AZ plates AYS1085. He may also be using a different name and might be trying to disguise his appearance with glasses.

This subject currently has two Felony Arrest warrants for FTA on voyeurism out of Yavapai County and needs to be interviewed by investigators for an incident that occurred in Flagstaff on 07-22-2015.

The public should be aware that criminal suspects could be dangerous and you should not confront the suspect. If you have any information on his whereabouts call the Flagstaff Police Department at (928) 774-1414 or SILENT WITNESS at (928) 774-6111.

Flagstaff Police would also like to remind the community to be wary of subjects going door to door offering goods or services. Any legitimate business will have their employees clearly identified and they will produce identification upon request. If you fell the subject is suspicious DO NOT LET THEM INSIDE your residence and notify the Flagstaff Police Department.

PUBLIC NOTICE: Town of Prescott Valley AZPDES permit modification

Posted on by

PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) PERMIT MODIFICATION

Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No. 15-62                                   Published on June 7, 2015
Published in the Prescott Daily Courier

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025381
Town of Prescott Valley
7501 E. Civic Circle Drive
Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314
Continue reading →

Public Meeting for State Route 260 widening set for May 20 in Camp Verde

Posted on by

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, will host a public information meeting on Wednesday, May 20, in Camp Verde to discuss the upcoming State Route 260 widening project that is slated to begin in spring 2016.

The $62 million safety improvement project in Yavapai County will upgrade a nine-mile segment of SR 260 from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane, modern divided highway east of Cottonwood between Thousand Trails Road and the Interstate 17 junction in Camp Verde (mileposts 209-218).

This project is the final step in transforming SR 260 into a continuous four-lane divided highway between the I-17/SR 260 junction and Cottonwood to enhance safety and improve traffic flow for the Greater Verde Valley area, which includes the communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Sedona and Camp Verde.

The project will include the construction of seven full-access roundabout intersections at Thousand Trails Road, Coury Drive, Cherry Creek Road, Horseshoe Bend Drive, Wilshire Road and two new locations to accommodate future traffic demands and meet the forecasted commercial and residential development in the area.

The May 20 meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (presentation starts at 6 p.m.) at the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, 555 Middle Verde Road in Camp Verde. Members of the project team will be available to provide information, answer questions and discuss the project.

Is there snow in your future?

Posted on by

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.

PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) PERMIT DENIAL

Posted on by

Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-B903(C) the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to deny an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant:

Public Notice No. 15-44                   Published on Friday, March 13, 2015
Published in the Prescott Courier

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025925
Chimney Ranch Mobile Home Park, LLC
P.O. Box 1012
Rocklin, CA 95677

Chimney Ranch Mobile Home Park, LLC applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the discharge of up to 0.017 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the Chimney Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to the Big Bug Creek in the Middle Gila River Basin in Township 12 N, Range 1 E, Section 23, in Yavapai County, Arizona. ADEQ proposes to deny the application for the AZPDES permit pursuant to A.A.C. R18-1-507(C). This preliminary decision is based on the applicant’s failure to sufficiently respond to all items in the notice of administrative deficiencies sent February 10, 2014, the Second Notice of Administrative Deficiencies sent July 3, 2014 and a follow-up notice sent on October 7, 2014.

The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).

 

President’s Day Weekend Busy for Search and Rescue

Posted on by
300-AL-Flags

American Legion Cordova Post #13 posts the colors in Williams on President’s Day.

FLAGSTAFF — While many were off for this weekend in honor of President’s day—perhaps taking selfies at the Grand Canyon—Search and Rescue (SAR) crews had a busy weekend responding to three missions. Rescue assistance from Coconino County Search and Rescue was required in Williams, Ash Fork and Flagstaff.

The first occurred on Saturday at approximately 3:15 pm when the Williams Fire Department requested assistance responding to an injured adult male hiker in the Bennett Spring area. The hiker had sustained a fall and was complaining of back pain. Search and Rescue personnel responded and assisted with interpreting some GPS location information and rescuing the hiker from the location where he was injured.

Williams Fire personnel hiked in and made initial patient contact and SAR personnel hiked in with additional equipment. It was determined that a helicopter short haul rescue was the most appropriate technique due to the patient’s condition. An Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to the scene and picked up a Heli-Rescue Technician from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The Heli-Rescue Technician was inserted a short distance away from the patient and then hiked to the scene and placed the patient, who was on a backboard, into the Bauman Bag which is the device used during short haul rescue. The helicopter then conducted a short haul during which the rescuer and the patient were suspended 150 feet below the helicopter on a rope. The patient and rescuer were flown from the accident scene to Camp Clover landing zone where the patient was transferred to LifeLine Ambulance for transport to Flagstaff Medical Center. The rescue was complete by 6:30 pm.

While the rescue in Williams was occurring the Sheriff’s Office was responding to a report of a missing 9 year old male in the Westwood Ranch area north of Ashfork. The child had been last seen at 1:00 pm at a residence near Stone Lake and had run into the woods following an argument. When the child did not return in a short period of time the family contacted the Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

640-SAR-Mt-Elden

Helicopter rescue at Mt. Elden. Coconino County Sheriff photo.

Deputies and Search and Rescue responded to the scene. Both a tracking and trailing search dog and an area search dog were used during the initial response. Additional ground search and rescue and the DPS Air Rescue helicopter joined the search using night vision in forward looking infrared units to search for the child. Due to the large search area additional search and rescue resources were requested from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to respond in the morning. At approximately 7:24 AM on Sunday as the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office team were driving to the incident command post location they located the child walking down a road. The child identified himself and asked for help. The child was cold and tired but in otherwise good condition. He was transported to the incident command post and reunited with his family.

On Sunday night at approximately 9:30 PM the Sheriff’s Office and SAR personnel responded to a report of four lost hikers; three males and one female, on Mt. Elden in need of assistance. The hikers had become stranded due to darkness near the waterfall area on Mt. Elden. Rescuers made voice contact with them in that area and then DPS Air Rescue was able to locate them and guide them down the slope which they illuminated with the spotlight. Rescuers met them on their descent and then guided them to the trail head. The hikers were lightly dressed and not prepared for cold overnight temperatures. This was the second rescue in the waterfall area of Mt. Elden in a week.

Search and Rescue would like to remind outdoor recreationists to follow some simple advice to keep them safe and aid in a search and rescue effort if it is needed. Outdoor recreationists should always tell someone where they are going and when they will be back so that if a person does not arrive as expected Search and Rescue will have a place to start the search effort. Recreationists should also carry the 10 essentials on every hike since no one ever intends to get lost or hurt on their outing but it can happen. Those essentials include:

1. Water
2. Food
3. Extra warm clothing
4. Navigation equipment (map, compass, GPS)
5. Headlamp/Flashlight and extra batteries
6. First Aid Kit
7. Shelter Material such as a space blanket or large leaf bag
8. Fire starting kit or backpacking stove
9. Pocket knife or multi-tool
10. Whistle/Signal mirror

An eleventh essential is a cell phone. While a cell phone doesn’t always work in backcountry locations, sending and receiving texts sometimes works when calls don’t. Also, your cell phone can help provide rescuers with important information about the situation and the location.

Missing Person Thomas Lang Found Deceased

Posted on by

thomas langFLAGSTAFF – Sadly, searchers believe they have located the skeletal remains of 22 year old Thomas Lang who was originally reported as an overdue hiker on December 18, 2013. His parents have spent many weekends since the formal search was suspended, hiking areas where they believe their son might be located.

On Saturday, November 29, 2014 Thomas’s parents were searching for their son in the Secret Canyon area located within Yavapai County. Thomas’ mother, called the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue advising she believed she found a jacket and shoes that possibly belonged to her son.

Yavapai and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue units coordinated a further search effort. The Arizona Department of Public Safety launched one of their Air Rescue Helicopters with a Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteer on board to conduct overflights of the area where the items were located. During the flight two additional items consistent with what Lang was believed to have taken with him on his backpacking trip were located from the air.

640px-LANG1On Sunday morning a multi-agency intensive ground search was commenced. Agencies who assisted with the search included Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, Yavapai County Sheriff’s helicopter and Thomas Lang’s parents. At about 10:00 am the crew aboard the Yavapai Sheriff’s helicopter confirmed that the items spotted the previous day were a backpack, tarp, and a guitar. Teams from Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, including two search dogs, and Yavapai Sheriff’s Search and Rescue hiked in very rough and steep terrain reaching the items spotted from the air at approximately noon. At 12:45 pm the team located what they believed to be the remains of Thomas Lang.

The remains have not been positively identified and have been released to the Yavapai County Medical Examiner. The Yavapai County and Coconino County Medical Examiners are working together in an effort to identify the remains and determine the cause and manner of death.

The initial search was started after Lang’s father dropped him off at the Manzanita Campground on December 18, 2013 at about 11:00 am. It was Lang’s intention to hike in the area and return on December 22, 2013. When Lang did not return his family members called the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and reported him as a missing person. It was at this point that a multi-agency, intensive ground and air search was commenced.

Agencies and resources that were involved with the initial search efforts in 2013 included the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO), the YCSO Search and Rescue Unit, the YCSO helicopter, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the CCSO Search and Rescue Unit, Lang’s parents, the Civil Air Patrol, the Maricopa County Search and Rescue Unit, the Mojave County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team and the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Unit. The formal search was suspended on December 27, 2013 after an extensive five day search.

In addition to the initial search effort, the Civil Air Patrol flew over the search area and took photographs utilizing a high resolution camera in April 2014. On several different dates hikers reported seeing items that they believe might belong to the missing person. In response to these reports the YCSO helicopter flew multiple missions.

Until the recent discovery of items by Lang’s mother, all of the previously reported items were determined not to belong to Lang. Throughout 2014, both the YCSO and the CCSO Search and Rescue Units conducted numerous training missions in the area where Lang went missing with the dual purpose of training as well as possibly uncovering more clues about his disappearance. It is common to conduct training missions in areas where outstanding missing persons are believed to be.

71 Year Old Seligman Area Man Arrested for Homicide

Posted on by

hollman, richardFLAGSTAFF – On Saturday, November 15, 2014 at approximately 10:00 AM, Richard Hollman called and reported he had shot his wife at a home located west of Seligman, AZ . Arizona Department of Public Safety and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office officers had units closer to the area and responded to the scene first. They detained the suspect and confirmed the victim was deceased while Coconino County Sheriff’s deputies were in route. The suspect in the case is identified as 71 year old Richard Hollman. The victim was later identified as 62 year old Carol Sheansy.

Detectives of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene and interviewed Hollman who implicated himself in the shooting death of Sheansy. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and located a weapon believed to be used in the homicide along with over 20 pounds of high grade marijuana.

Hollman is currently being held in the Coconino County Detention Facility on a First Degree Murder charge; his bond has been set at $1,000,000. This incident is still under investigation and further details are not available for release at this time.

Yavapai election results

Posted on by

Arizona-electsHere is an unofficial list of the voting for Yavapai County based on the reported results. Results must still be canvassed to be final. Offices and Propositions decided on a higher level are excluded. Offices with only one candidate are excluded because, quite frankly, if you cannot figure that out, we do not want you wasting our bandwidth.

OFFICES

City of Sedona Council Member
Scott Jablow 1,324 (634 Coconino votes)
Rio Robson 690 (293 Coconino votes)
Write-in 26

Constable Bagdad/Yarnell
Dennis Dowling 1,185
Jim Armstrong 553
Write-in 5

Justice of the Peace Seligman
Dominick Sarno (IND) 277
Wade Simon 211
Marcus Jacobson 145
Write-in 0

Camp Verde USD #28
Kitty McDowell 1,447
Tim Roth 1,277
Mick Marton 1,041
Write-in 22

Clarkdale-Jerome ESD #3
Laurie Lozano 616
Becky O’Banion 555
Dale Williams 497
Robert Szmanda 391
Write-in 7

Prescott USD #1
Maureen Erickson 10,350
Greg Mangarelli 8,139
John Lamerson 7,198
David Stringer 5,624
Write-in 75

Yavapai College District 2
Deb McCasland 4,816
Herald Harrington 3,331
Write-in 37

Yavapai College District 5
Dale Fitzner 2,312
Steve Irwin 5,006
Write-in 37

Black Canyon Fire District
Daniel R. Brett 359
Jim Speer 356
Sharon McMahon 326
Write-in 9

Mayer Fire District
Paul F. Coe 686
Jack Williamson 675
Russ I Dodge 637
Chuck R. Leon 589
Bill G. Slankard 474
Write-in 24

Red Tock Road EMD
Ruth E. Kane 1,142
Paul Gazda 1,083
Steven L. Fiedler 834
Write-in 8

American Ranch DWID
Monte L. Anderson 38
Jason J. Gisi 35
Charles Dickson 29

Mayer DWID
Bob Kaufman 186
James W. Sherwood 175
Kathryn L. King 168
Frank C. Soto 158
Write-in 3

PROPOSITIONS

Proposition 431
NO, AGAINST THE BONDS 2,129
YES, FOR THE BONDS 1,011

Proposition 432
YES 1,589
NO 1,472

Yavapai County Jail District
NO 34,386
YES 31,692

Proposition 433
YES 1,429
NO 973

Cottonwood-Oak Creek ESD Question
YES, BOND APPROVAL 4,248
NO, BOND APPROVAL 3,155

Mingus Union HSD Question
NO, BUDGET INCREASE 4,609
YES, BUDGET INCREASE 3,927