Category Archives: Coconino County Sheriff

Sheriff’s office attempting to locate two missing persons

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hildwine-darby-2FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Sheriff’s office is trying to locate two persons who may be suicidal.

Ashley DARBY is a 23-year-old white female, 5’6″, 175 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. She has been known to change hair color. She has Bass Cleft musical nots on each shoulder blade and a ppierced nose and piercing below the lower lip.
Jeriah HILDWINE is a 35-year-old white male, 6’5″, 270 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair. His tatoos include Nordic crows on either side of head, dinosaur on back, “hobo alphabet” symbols on both forearms, dinosaur skeleton on chest, blue puzzle piece upper left chest, map on left thigh, dinosaur skull on right thigh. He has pierced ears and nose.

They were both last seen on September 2 at about 3 p.m. at a lawyer’s office in Flagstaff. Darby was reported missing by her father September 3 and Hildwine by his mother September 8. A vehicle known to be used by Darby was located in the Bear Jaw-Abineau trail head parking lot on September 19, along with a note indicating HILDWINE and DARBY intend to commit suicide.

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Labor Day Weekend 2015 Busy with Search and Rescue Events in Coconino County

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This Labor Day weekend proved extremely busy for Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Deputies and Search and Rescue. There were at least 11 search and rescue events logging over 35 hours of response time. The 35 hours represents only the time from start of the calls to resolution and does not include the collective time of multiple responders. Several events required call out of Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers and personnel from assisting agencies such as US Forest Service (USFS) and the AZ Department of Public Safety (DPS). Many of the individuals were residents from outside of Coconino County who were visiting the area for outdoor recreation activities during the holiday weekend. Below is a summary of the events with additional information on assisting agencies.

Friday, September 4, 2015

At 12:48 pm we received a call that an 18 year old male subject exited a vehicle in Oak Creek Canyon and ran into the woods. The subject had made earlier statements in the day indicating that he may be suicidal. Deputies searched area business, trailheads and roads looking for the individual. DPS, Cottonwood Police Department and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office also were given a description of the individual and asked for their assistance in attempting to locate him. After an extensive search, the subject was located after a citizen reported seeing him walking along State Route 89A.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

At 11:54 am we received a report of a 64 year old male and 6 year old female who were overdue from an ATV ride off of FS169 in the Forest Lakes area. Responders included CCSO, USFS, DPS Air Rescue, Forest Lakes Fire Department, and Coconino Sheriff’s SAR. The subjects were located by DPS Air Rescue at 4:18 pm, and ground units were guided to their location which was approximately 0.36 miles south of the camp. The subjects were then led by ground units to their camp. Neither subject was injured.

At 7:11 pm we received a report of a 59 year old male hiker on Humphreys Trail who was overdue. The overdue subject intentionally separated from his son at approximately 5:30 as he was hiking slowly. When he did not arrive at the vehicle as expected, the hiking partner called 911 to report him overdue. Thunderstorms were active in the area. Sheriff’s Office responders were assisted by volunteers from the SAR Unit and DPS Air Rescue. Deputies began the search by checking the trail heads and along the trail to the wilderness boundary. During a break in the weather DPS Air Rescue was able to fly over the area and located the subject at about 10:20 pm. He was off trail in the Snowbowl Ski Area approximately 0.9 miles east of the trail head. SAR personnel hiked to his location and escorted him out to the trail head. He did not request any medical treatment and was reunited with his son.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

At 1:26 pm we received a report of a male subject who was injured while riding an ATV in Pink Bowl which is located in the Cinder Hills OHV area. The injured subject was later pronounced deceased. Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene of the accident and SAR units responded to assist with recovering the body of the deceased.

At 3:18 pm we received a report of a 50 year old male who was stranded off the AB Young Trail in Oak Creek Canyon. Cell contact with the individual revealed he was not in need of medical attention but was unable to navigate the terrain. Due to the difficulty in locating the subject who was off trail the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) helicopter and the DPS Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to assist. SAR units were prepared to hike from East Pocket end of the trail to attempt to locate and assist the subject while Sedona Fire units hiked from Bootlegger Day Use Area end of the trail. By around 7:00 pm the YCSO helicopter crew had located the subject and guided searchers to his location. Rescue efforts required use of a rope hand line to stabilize the individual as he was assisted down the canyon walls back to the trail. DPS Ranger also assisted by providing light along the trail as rescuers escorted the individual back to the trailhead. He was evaluated by medics and refused medical treatment. The subject was then reunited with his family.

At 7:00 pm we received a report of a male subject who had been gone from his family campsite for over three hours. The subject was on his dirt bike riding in the Cinder Hills OHV area. Deputies patrolled the area looking for the overdue person. The subject later made his way to Leupp Road where he used someone’s phone to contact his family and advise them of his location.

Monday, September 7, 2015

At 1:15 am a deputy patrolling the Mormon Lake area received a report of two women who were overdue in returning to their campsite after taking a ride from two unknown subjects on a UTV. The reporting party also called the information into dispatch. Deputies patrolled forest service roads and when following up with the reporting party learned that the two women had returned safely.

At 12:00 pm DPS Air Rescue in Flagstaff requested a CCSO-SAR helicopter rescue technician to assist Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with a technical rescue of an injured climber on Granite Mountain in the Prescott area. The climber was rescued and transported to the hospital for treatment.

At 12:42 pm we received a report of a 10 year old and a young adult overdue from an ATV ride near their campsite off of FS124 in the Mormon Lake area. The other people at the campsite had located the ATV but the subjects were not with it. The Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from USFS (both law enforcement and fire personnel), SAR, and DPS to conduct a search by ground and air. At 3:21 pm DPS Air Rescue from Phoenix located the subjects in good condition approximately one mile east of their camp site. Ground personnel were guided to the location and transported both subjects back to camp. Neither subject required medical attention.

At 12:51 pm we received a report from a woman that her husband and two children, a 7 year old and a 3-1/2, were overdue from a hike on the Kachina Trail. Deputies and SAR units responded and located the subjects on the Kachina Trail. Rescuers assisted them to a vehicle and drove them to the trail head at Snowbowl where they were reunited with family members.

At 3:50 pm we received a report that a male and female were overdue from their campsite near the Lava Tubes. Deputies patrolled forest service roads in the area. Approximately an hour later the reporting party called to advise that both people had returned to the camp safely.

2015 Fall Session of the Northern Arizona Citizen’s Police Academy Open for Enrollment

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flagstaff-policeFLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Police Department, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Northern Arizona University Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are pleased to announce that the 2015 Fall Session of the Northern Arizona Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA) will begin on Wednesday, September, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

CPA is a multi-agency program designed to promote awareness and understanding thus fostering a partnership of trust and shared responsibility between interested law abiding citizens and law enforcement. This 10 week 13 class program meets on Wednesday nights and couple of Saturday’s beginning September 9, 2015. Wednesday night classes are held at the Brent Cooper memorial auditorium located at 911 E. Sawmill Road, Flagstaff Arizona from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Participation in this program is free of charge and open to all law abiding community members.

Topics that are covered include:
1. Tour of the Coconino County Detention Facility
2. Overview of Felony Crimes and Criminal Investigations
3. Tour of the AZ Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory
4. Demonstration of the drug interdiction K9 unit from the Department of Public Safety.
5. Overview of Traffic Enforcement and Highway Safety Programs

For more information or to register for this program please call Sgt Margaret Bentzen of the Flagstaff Police Department at (928) 556-2300 or Community Programs Planner, Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928)226-5089. Applications will be posted on both the County and City websites.

Registration or applications will be accepted at this time and up until August 28, 2015.

Jerold Joseph Williams Found Deceased

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jerold-williams-nJACOBS LAKE — The worse fears of the community of Northern Arizona have been realized. The smiling 5-year-old boy who came up missing at Jacob Lake has been found deceased.

The body of Jerold Joseph Williams was found on August 10, 2015 around 4:30 pm by a group of volunteer searchers from Colorado City. The group was driving along Forest Service Road 240 when some boys who were in the back of the pickup saw the body of Jerold on the ground around 15-20 feet off the road.

Jerold’s body was found approximately 3.7 miles point-to-point from the place Jerold was last seen. By road it was approximately 8.6 miles from the place he was last seen.

Because Jerold was found close to the road and the road would have been a natural walking area for him compared to the very thick brush, it is believed that Jerold probably found his way to Forest Road 240 and followed it to Forest Road 241 in the direction away from the camp site and may have walked off into the forest to lay down to rest.

He was found fully clothed with no obvious external injuries, and there is was no evidence of foul play indicated at the scene. The weather had turned inclement early during the time he was missing. An autopsy was performed today and Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminary findings appear to be accidental death due to environmental exposure. Based on the environmental conditions Jerold was exposed to it is unlikely he survived the first night.

The focus of the search area was based on information from data gathered from other searches (for example the Arizona Lost Persons Behavioral database and other resources), proven mathematical models, as well as a profile of the lost person including location and time last seen, mobility, activity level, and other behavior.

Jerold was found within what is known as the containment area of the search. This area is a concentric circle outside of the area of the main focus of the search efforts but within the search perimeter. Natural boundaries such as roads are often part of the containment area with the hope that the person will be found before leaving the containment. The main focus of ground search efforts had been some 21 square miles, which was a 2.1 radius from the point Jerold was last seen.

The search spanned 5 days and 4 nights with 1,000 or more people assisting. The support from the community was overwhelming. There were close to 900 people from the community who collectively volunteered thousands of hours of their time to the search efforts, not only in the field, but also by providing meals and other support. A great majority of these volunteers were from the community of Colorado City who gave their full support to the search efforts. In addition to the community volunteers, we are grateful to all of the state, local and federal organizations including the U.S. Air Force Rescue community which involved the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Air Force Rescue air crews, maintainers, and para-rescue. The Air Force Rescue crews were able to utilize advanced night optics to conduct overnight search operations. Many area businesses provided equipment and resources which was greatly appreciated. This was the largest spontaneous volunteer response the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has handled, and the cooperation of the community was greatly appreciated.

Personnel from Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Coconino County CERT Teams, Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol, Utah Wing Civil Air Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, FBI, Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children participated in this search.

Search for Jerold Williams continuing

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Coconino County Sheriff photo.

Coconino County Sheriff photo.

JACOB LAKE — The search continues for the missing five-year-old boy Jerold Joesph Williams who came up missing at Jacob Lake Thursday. Several agencies have been searching for the boy since.

Unfortunately searchers were dealing with heavy rains and winds estimated at 40 plus mph which created extremely muddy conditions and small windows for the use of aircraft to assist. The weather today has improved significantly and allowed for the use of more air resources. There are approximately 300-350 searchers in the field.

Personnel from many agencies have been assisting the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, including: Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue, Mohave County Search and Rescue, US Forest Service law enforcement and fire crews, National Park Service law enforcement, AZ Game and Fish law enforcement, Coconino County CERT teams, Page Rural CERT teams, Nellis US Air Force Base, National Guard Blackhawk and Special Forces, AZ Department of Public Safety troopers and Air Rescue, Bureau of Land Management personnel and dog teams, and Civil Air Patrol.
coco-sheriff-01
The missing child is from Colorado City and there has been huge support from the community in Colorado City in assisting with this search. In addition to assisting on search teams, members of the community have been preparing meals for the responders.

The Coconino County Sheriff expressed gratitude at the community support and willingness to aid in the search

Michael Moening found deceased by family and friends

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Michael MoeningThe search for Michael Thomas Moening is over with an unfortunate end. Micheal and his dogs were found today deceased in the woods by friends and family. Foul play is not suspected.

No further information is available at this time. Investigators continue to work this case.

Update on missing boy

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JACOB LAKE — The search for five-year-old Jerold Williams at Jacob Lake is still active. The Coconino County Sheriff’s office issued this statement:

The search for missing 5 year old Jerold is still active and ongoing with ground and air resources. There is limited radio/phone communication in the area and we are working on that as well. There has been an outpouring of offers from people throughout Arizona and nearby communities offering to assist. We want to express our gratitude for the offers, but at this time we are not in need of additional searchers. If we need additional resources, we will certainly reach out.

Seeking Assistance in Locating Missing Person Michael Moening

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Michael-Moening1FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives are attempting to locate 44 year old Michael Thomas Moening. Investigators believe that the last time Michael was in contact with his friends or family members was approximately 2 weeks ago. A hiker who was on a dirt road close to the Mountainaire Community reported seeing Mr. Moening’s vehicle abandoned for at least 4 days. Responding Deputies checked Michael’s home located in Mountainaire and it was obvious that he had not been there for quite some time. It is believed Mr. Moening has his two adult Boxer dogs with him. He is a white male, 5’11”, 165 lbs, blue eyes, balding with red/brown hair on the sides.

Anyone with information regarding circumstances leading up to Michael Moening’s disappearance or knowledge of his current whereabouts is asked to call the Coconino County Sherriff’s Office at 928-774-4523 or 1-800-338-7888 or Silent Witness 928-774-6111.

Search for Jerold Joseph Williams continues

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Jerold WilliamsJACOB LAKE — There has, apparently, been a generous amount of offers by citizens to assist in the search or Jerold Williams, the five-year-old missing since yesterday. With several agencies already on scene, however, the Coconino County Sheriff’s office is requesting that the public only call in any known information to 928-226-5012. They would like to keep the phone line open only for tips and not for general inquires. Any unauthorized search parties risks erasing clues which might lead to the whereabouts of the five-year-old.

Five-Year-Old boy goes missing near Jacobs lake

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UPDATED: 8/7, 9:27: Photo added
Jerold WilliamsJacobs Lake, AZ — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received the report yesterday at about 5:30 p.m. of a missing 5 year-old boy at an unimproved campsite located approximately 12 miles south of Jacobs Lake in the area of Highway 67 off of Forest Service Road 241. This area lies within the northern portion of the Kaibab National Forest.

Jerold Joseph Williams is described as a white male, 5 years of age, approximately 3’6” in height, and weighing approximately 35 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair cut very short. Jerold’s mother described him as having a thin build and a light complexion. Jerold had visible facial abrasions and was last seen wearing a gray or tan shirt size (4) and a pair of blue jean pants size (4) and hiking boots size (12) and white long handled underwear.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies were immediately dispatched to the campsite. Upon their arrival they spoke with the missing child’s mother who identified her son as Jerold Joseph Williams.

According to Mrs. Williams she and her son were with 15 to 20 other friends and family members who were camping in the area. At approximately 1:30 pm Jerold and his mother were approximately 100 to 200 yards from the camp site and Jerold was chasing grasshoppers. Mrs. Williams lost site of the child and for the following 4 hours members of the camping group to include Mrs. Williams searched for Jerold. At approximately 5:30 pm the decision was made to call the Sheriff’s Office.

The search continued through the night with personnel from various agencies, 2 search dogs and two night-vision equipped helicopters from Nellis Air Force Base searched the area where Jerold was believed to be missing.

Anyone with information regarding the possible location of Jerold Williams or the circumstances leading up to his disappearance is urged to call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.