An apartment fire at a small complex in downtown Mesa damaged one unit and left several families without electricity Tuesday morning.Mesa Fire Department deputy chief Mike Dunn said the fire started about 2:22 a.m. in a back bedroom at 151 N. Hibbert. The apartment complex is around the corner from a Mesa fire station, and Dunn said firefighters responded within two minutes. He said one woman and her teenage son lived in the damaged apartment. They were displaced but found a temporary home with relatives, Dunn said.American Red Cross spokeswoman Tracey Kiest said relief workers provided aid to three other families left without electricity. Dunn said Mesa utility crews worked throughout the morning to restore electricity. He did not have immediate information about whether power had been restored as of 9 a.m. Dunn said no people were injured in the fire. He said investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire.The complex was quiet at 9 a.m., and a pile of charred mattresses and other rubble remained in the courtyard.
Archive for September, 2007Police: Man fired shots into airSeptember 24th, 2007, 4:02 pm by Katie McDevittPolice arrested a man Sunday on suspicion of firing several shots into the air in Tempe.Jovhan Anderson, 27, was arrested just before midnight near Center Parkway and Washington Street after shots were fired near Mill Avenue and Curry Road, police said.Officers located Anderson walking along Washington Streetand found him in possession of a .22 caliber handgun, police said. Investigators also recovered several bullet casings from the scene.Police said Anderson admitted involvement in the crime and was booked into Tempe City Jail. Thief drives Lexus from showroomSeptember 24th, 2007, 10:25 am by Gary GradoIf you see a dark blue, banged up 2008 Lexus 350, then it might be the one that a thief drove from the show room through the plate glass of Superstition Springs Lexus, 6211 E. Test Drive. The thief struck the corner of the building and then drove through the gate of the dealership. This happened about 4:15 a.m. He is described as white with dark hair, 5 feet, 7 inches, late teens or early 20s, wearing a black t-shirt, dark pants and black shoes.The car is valued at $45,000. Tempe police arrest sex suspectSeptember 23rd, 2007, 10:54 pm by andrebowserTempe police arrested a man Friday in connection with a sexual abuse attack on September 16. Robert Douglas Nowak, 25, is accused of pushing down an grabbing at a female who was walking with a friend, according to police. He fled the scene when she screamed, and was caught by police officers the next morning, police reported. Officers also discovered Nowak had previously been arrested and booked into the Tempe City Jail on a misdemeanor warrant out of the Maricopa County Sherriff Deadly crashes close down state roadsSeptember 23rd, 2007, 10:36 pm by andrebowserCrashes on Interstate 17 and State Route 87 caused both fatalities and lane closures Sunday morning, according to authorities.The single-car collision on I-17 near New River led to one fatality and a line of cars backed up on the freeway for miles, according to Harold Sanders, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.Passenger Dora Rios, 72, of Munds Park was killed and driver Felipe Rios, 71, of Munds Park was injured when their 2000 Ford crashed, according to Sanders. There were no findings on what may have caused the loss of vehicle control by the driver, according to Sanders. No exact time was provided for the morning accident. Sanders said both occupants were wearing seat belts. The second southbound lane on I-17 was reopened to drivers at 3:54 p.m., DPS dispatch officials said.In another vehicle crash, a gasoline tanker on northbound SR 87 caught fire after a fatal collision around 11: 30 a.m., according to Sanders. The driver, James J. Magierka, 48, of Glendale died at the scene, according to Sanders. Because of possible road damage, the Department of Transportation said it was assessing the safety of SR 87. Poor visibility from smoke and the wreckage led to northbound and southbound lane closures. It was not known how many drivers returning from the north were delayed by the lane closures.Both sides of SR 87 reopened about 7:50 p.m., DPS officials said.-Reporter Shannon Doyle contributed to this blog Escort service customer robs womanSeptember 21st, 2007, 10:18 am by daryljamesA female escort who let a stranger into her west Mesa apartment to provide "company" was robbed at gunpoint Thursday evening, police said.According to a news release from Mesa police, the robbery took place about 5:20 p.m. at the Homestead Studio Suites at 1920 W. Isabella Ave. southeast of U.S. 60 and Dobson Road. Police said the woman let a man into her apartment who called himself "Matt." Once inside, he pulled out a black handgun and demanded money.When the woman told the man she had no money, he pushed her into a bathroom and locked her inside while he looked through the apartment. Police said a second man joined the robbery. The two assailants fled the apartment with the woman’s laptop computer and cell phone. The victim told police she was expecting "Matt," who was sent to her room by a female friend who owns an online escort agency. The victim told police that "Matt" had agreed to pay her for her "company," not sex. Maricopa fire under controlSeptember 20th, 2007, 6:28 pm by Nick R. MartinFire crews have contained a large rubber fire burning south of the Valley in the City of Maricopa, officials said. As many as 200 firefighters are on the scene at the PermaLife rubber recycling plant, where the fire broke out a little after 2 p.m., said city spokeswoman Jennifer Grentz.The city is worried about the heavy smoke pouring from the blaze, which has drifted into neighborhoods a mile away, Grentz said. The fire could last three days, she said.Officials set up an evacuation center at Maricopa High School in case those residents wanted to escape the smoke. No one was injured and no other buildings were threatened, Grentz said. Fire crews have not determined the cause of the fire, she said. Man assaults officer after DUI arrest, police saySeptember 20th, 2007, 2:16 pm by daryljamesA bad day got worse Tuesday for a Tempe man accused of DUI in Mesa. Enrique P. McTeer, 29, was arrested about 12:30 a.m. after he drove a vehicle into a block wall. Court records indicate that McTeer showed signs of alcohol impairment but refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. So officers obtained a search warrant and took his blood by force.As an officer was booking McTeer into a Mesa holding cell, the suspect kicked the door into the officer. According to court records, the cell door struck the officer in the left shoulder and leg. The officer forced McTeer to the ground, handcuffed him and then arrested him again on suspicion of assaulting an officer. McTeer also faces charges of extreme DUI and criminal damage. Court records show he had a suspened driver’s license. He is listed as a legal U.S. resident or citizen. Woman defends self against purse snatcherSeptember 20th, 2007, 1:38 pm by christianricharA 21-year-old woman foiled an early Thursday morning purse snatching near Applebee’s on Gilbert Road, authorities said.The woman was walking home on Gilbert Road near Baseline Road when Filemon Del Hoyo, 22, of Mesa, ran toward her and asked for a cigarette, then grabbed her purse, said Gilbert police spokesman Lt. Eric Shuhandler.The woman was armed with a knife and attempted to defend herself and cut Del Hoyo, who then fled in a vehicle without the purse.At 12:40 a.m. police officers learned of the robbery and eventually officers found the vehicle and Del Hoyo near Eighth Street and Gilbert Road in Mesa. |