Tag Archives: Flagstaff

Bellemont gets hit first

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640-15-05-15-11WILLIAMS — A winter storm warning has been issued for northern Arizona as snow and fog is predicted overnight. There is an 80% chance of snow overnight in Williams with a possibility of up to 2-inches. There is a 20% chance of snow and rain Saturday clearing by Sunday. Flagstaff has a 10% better chance of precipitation over the same period.

It appears that Bellemont bore the brunt of the storm today with snow turning to mostly rain in Flagstaff. Snow started to fall in Flagstaff about 4 p.m.
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Williams received mostly rain and fog.

Multi-Agency Response to Injured Hiker in the Area of West Clear Creek

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FLAGSTAFF — On May 10th at approximately 2:30 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit responded to a report of an injured hiker in West Clear Creek. The adult male victim was believed to have a broken leg and was in need of rescue.

The Blue Ridge resident deputy sheriff and the Pine-Strawberry Fire District responded and requested Search and Rescue. The Search and Rescue team responded for a litter carry. Given the time of day and the conditions in the bottom of West Clear Creek it was determined that a helicopter short-haul rescue would be the safest option.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Central Air Rescue in Phoenix responded to the area and a Coconino County Sheriff’s Office SAR volunteer who is trained as a heli-rescue technician boarded the helicopter and performed heli-rappel into the scene.

Once on scene the SAR heli-rescue technician and Pine-Strawberry Fire District personnel packaged the patient on a backboard and then placed him in a Bauman Bag device for the short-haul. The patient and the SAR heli-rescue technician were then short-hauled out of the canyon to the intersection of State Route 260 and State Route 87 where a ground ambulance was waiting for the patient.

This mission was another good example of interagency coordination among northern Arizona responders and the Department of Public Safety Aviation Bureau.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and US Forest Service Offer Woods Watch Training and Orientation

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Coconino-County-3FLAGSTAFF — Concerns regarding very dry conditions and the impending Wild Land Fire Season are on the minds of many community members who live in cities and unincorporated areas throughout Coconino County. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and the US Forest Service are offering “Woods Watch” training and orientation.

This volunteer program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are trained to assist local officials in watching for and properly reporting people accessing closed areas or people who are using fire carelessly or against fire restrictions, especially on forested lands.

Woods Watch has been very successful in years past. Volunteers assist Northern Arizona law enforcement officers in watching access points to the forest. By providing additional sets of eyes in our community, Woods Watch Volunteers assist law enforcement officers in keeping unlawful fire activity under check. With the extremely dry and windy conditions our communities often experience, a fire start may spread very quickly endangering lives and property.

This year, we are offering Woods Watch re-certification and new volunteer training on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 6:00 pm at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility located at 911 E. Sawmill Rd. Citizens who have attended this training in previous years are asked to attend again as a review and to receive updated information. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will also provide Woods Watch training to our established volunteer groups such as Search and Rescue, existing Neighborhood Watch Programs, and CERT during their regular meetings. The training takes approximately one hour.

The Woods Watch Program is a commitment to join local law enforcement officers with community members to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires. For any additional questions or information, please contact Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-226-5089 or Sergeant Margaret Bentzen at 928-556-2300.

Veterans Court not just for Stand Down

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stand-down-1FLAGSTAFF — Tomorrow is the third annual High Country Stand Down organized by Philan Tree—Assistant to Coconino County Supervisor Mandy Metzger. The event will open with the posting of the colors at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.

The services that will be available are numerous. There will be hot meals, hygiene kits, and clothing and survival gear available. Services include notary, dental, vision, medical care and pet food and care.

The services and products are free and available to any veterans that require them.

There will be a special version of Veterans Court held by Judge Cathleen Brown Nichols and Flagstaff Justice of the Peace Howard Grodman. Veterans with warrants for arrest that can be transferred to Veterans Court can have them removed at this special session.

DNA legal services of Flagstaff will be available for consultation at the event.

The Veterans Court is a service of the Coconino Superior Court system and the other judicial courts of Coconino County. It is not just available at the High Country Stand Down. This special court meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Warrants that are transferable to this special court setting may be eliminated at this special court system, but possible penalties are subject to the laws of the State of Arizona.

In an interview with Justice of the Peace Rob Krombeen of the Williams Justice Court, he noted the significant savings to taxpayers to quash outstanding warrants.

Judge Krombeen said, “[W]hen you look at the out-come from a warrant arrest—the police involvement, the detention facility involvement, and then everything else that has to happen to get that defendant back into court—there’s a significant cost.

“In fact, Maricopa County did a study this last year, and through their research down in their county they found that a warrant arrest cost the taxpayer about 793 and some-odd cents. So it’s a significant amount of money per warrant that acutally ends up being closed by arrest. So this is saving, literally, thousands of dollars by getting folks to voluntarily appear and get their cases back underway.”

The special Veterans Court at the Stand Down is empowered to hear cases from all judicial jurisdictions in Coconino County. Veterans can also obtain more information about the Veterans Court system at the Stand Down.

Philan Tree, organizer of the event, said that last year over 200 veterans took advantage of the services last year. She said that there could be as many as 500 this year because the word is getting around about the event.

Williams says good-bye to Run for the Wall

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Corrected 5/14/2015, 11:59 p.m.
640-AL-15-05-13-02WILLIAMS — The sun was lower than normal as The Riders of the 2015 Run For The Wall event rolled into town later than usual. They even managed to miss the snow predicted for this weekend.

Run for the Wall has stopped exclusively in Williams in the past. For the last two years, the group has split with some proceeding to Flagstaff as the popularity of the event grows. The Williams group conducted their normal parade down historic Route 66.

After which they formed up at the American Legion Cordova Post #13 where volunteers from the community served dinner and deserts for the riders.

The American Legion dedicated the event to the memory of the late Richard Aguilar. Richard was a member of the post and worked hard every year to make this event successful.
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Rain did come the next morning as they gathered to have breakfast at the Wild West Junction. Mayor John Moore has been supportive of the event since he took office. He even came out in the blizzard of 2011 that met the group when they arrived.

640-RunWall-15-05-14-11The annual event is run to keep the memory of prisoners of war and those missing in action alive. There was some good news in 2014 with the remains of 14 Vietnam Veterans located and returned and their names removed from the Vietnam Veterans memorial.

Walt “Detour” Reichard is a Vietnam Veteran from Virginia and the Virginia State Coordinator for Run For The Wall. His motorcycle reflects the dedication of the rider of this event right down to his license plate. It reads simply “R4TW.”

Walt said that he makes the ride from Virginia to California only to return on this ten-day ride because he appreciates the dedication of this group. He is a seven-time veteran of the ride.

Sadly, many of the Vietnam veterans are either getting too old to ride or are passing away. The event organizers have opened up the event and active-duty military and some civilians have been making the memorial ride.

Run for the Wall update

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640-r4w-5-05-13-02WILLIAMS — The latest news from the American Legion Cordova Post #13 is that the motorcycle riders of Run for the Wall were delayed. They will not be arriving until later in the evening. They are currently expected from 6 to 7 p.m. Half of the riders should arrive in Flagstaff about 30-minutes later.

Run for the Wall motorcade arrives today

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UPDATED 5/13, 9:21 a.m.
WILLIAMS — The motorcycle riders of Run for the Wall will arrive today as their first stop on their ride to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington. The riders goal is to bring attention to the plight of those real prisoners of war and missing in action from all wars. They also honor those active-duty military who carry on the tradition.

On the east coast, Rolling Thunder serves the same function.

Each year the riders plan their journey to reach the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day meeting up with Rolling Thunder.

The riders will stop in Williams tonight to eat at the American Legion Cordova Post #13. They will depart early tomorrow morning after a breakfast provided by Wild West Junction and served by the Kiwanis Club of Williams.

The event was formed by Vietnam Veterans and included them and their families on the ride. The last few years, however, others—including active-duty military—have joined in the ride. The organizers of the event now invite everyone to ride for those who can’t.

METRO Flagstaff arrests man on drug and weapons charges

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William Brown -Flagstaff Police Photo

William Brown -Flagstaff Police Photo

FLAGSTAFF — The Northern Arizona Street Crimes Task Force (METRO) arrested 20 year old William N. Brown after an ongoing investigation into narcotic activity at 901 S. O’Leary. This investigation led to a search warrant at Brown’s residence at 901 S. O’Leary # 82.

METRO was assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshall’s office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Seized during the search warrant were approximately 90.5 grams of Cocaine, 6 grams of Molly (MDMA), over 1,000 pills believed to be Xanax, and a variety of other illegal prescription medications including Morphine 30mg, OxyContin 20 mg, Clonazepam 2 mg. Alprazolam 2mg, as well as several other random pills.

Also seized during the search warrant of his apartment were 5.1 grams of marijuana and various items of drug paraphernalia. The street value of the seized narcotics is estimated to be over $25,000.

Police seized a firearm and ammunition, belonging to Brown, found in the search of his apartment.

William N. Brown was taken into custody and charged with

  • Weapons Misconduct
  • Possession of Narcotics for Sale – 2 counts
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – 2 counts
  • Possession of Marijuana
  • Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale
  • Possession of Narcotic Drug
  • Transport of Dangerous Drugs
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
  • Possession of Marijuana

 

This investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.

If you have any information regarding any criminal drug activities please call 928 779-4549, or if you have any information regarding any Felony crimes please contact SILENT WITNESS at 928 774-6111.

Flagstaff Police Department to participate in services in Washington

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police-image009FLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Police Department is honored to be participating in the 2015 National Police Week ceremonies which will be held in Washington DC during the week of May 11-15th. National Police Week takes place each year in Washington, D.C. to pay tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. The series of events is attended by tens of thousands of law enforcement officers and their families leading up to Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15th.

The Police Unity Tour is an awareness and fundraising bicycle ride in support of law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The 250-mile, four-day ride begins in Portsmouth, Virginia and ends in Washington D.C. at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. In 2014, more than 1,800 members participated and raised more than 1.9 million dollars to support the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).

Northern Arizona is represented by Officers from both the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in the memorial ride. Arizona has lost eight Officers in the line of duty during 2014.

Flagstaff Police Department’s Officer Tyler J. Stewart’s name will be officially memorialized on the national monument in honor of his ultimate sacrifice. Members of his squad will be in attendance during the scheduled events during this week.

High Country Stand Down for Veterans next Friday

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stand-down-logoFLAGSTAFF — The 3rd Annual High Country Stand Down for Veterans will be held Friday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event provides services to homeless and at-risk veterans and their families.

Along with a hot meal, the volunteers of the event will provide hygiene kits, Haircuts, clothing and survival gear. For pets they will provide pet food and pet care. Legal assistance, notary services will also be available along with dental, vision and medical care.

The High Country Stand Down will be held at the Flagstaff Armory, 320 N. Thorpe Road in Flagstaff next to Thorpe Park.