Archive for March, 2008Police I.D. man who ran in front of trainMarch 24th, 2008, 12:10 pm by Katie McDevittPolice have identified the senior citizen who they believe killed himself early Sunday by running in front of a train as 67-year-old Antonio Jaime. Police said the train’s conductor and engineer both saw Jaime run directly in front of the train, which was westbound near The train was traveling about 26 mph, police said. An investigation is ongoing. Man found dead on make-shift bedMarch 24th, 2008, 12:03 pm by Katie McDevittA 65-year-old man was found dead on a make-shift bed on the patio of a Mesa home Saturday, police said. Police haven’t released the man’s name. Police said that witnesses told investigators that the man’s friend had picked him up from Tempe the night before and dropped him off at a home located in the 600 block of W. 5th Avenue, where he drank hard liquor with friends on the patio. When the man passed out, his friends made a bed for him and covered him with a blanket so he could sleep, police said. A girl tried to wake up the man in the morning, but he was cold and unresponsive. Paramedics tried to give the man CPR, but it was too late. Man killed by train in possible suicideMarch 23rd, 2008, 10:37 am by Devon HersomPolice believe an elderly man committed suicide early Sunday when he threw his body in front of a speeding train. Det. Chris Arvayo said the man may have jumped in front of the train around 7:20 a.m. near the corner of Roosevelt Road and Main Street in Mesa. The man’s identity has not been released and an investigation is underway to determine the official facts of the case. One man dead, another injured in nightclub shootingMarch 22nd, 2008, 1:02 pm by Devon HersomAn argument inside the Scottsdale nightclub Buzz carried into the parking lot early Saturday morning when two men were shot around 1:55 a.m. The victims, aged 19 and 20, were shot by a man who is still at large. The 20-year-old Phoenix resident was killed while the 19-year-old is currently in critical condition with multiple gun shot wounds, according to Scottsdale officer Dave Pubins. According to Pubins, the victims were acquaintances but it is unknown if the men knew the shooter. The gun man was last seen walking through the Buzz parking lot at Scottsdale Road just south of Shea Blvd. Witnesses gave different descriptions of the man’s clothing and police have yet to release a description of the suspect. The identities of the victims have not been released. Man detained in connection with kidnapped girlMarch 22nd, 2008, 11:21 am by Devon HersomA possible abductor of a 13-year-old Phoenix girl has been taken into custody in southern California. The girl was kidnapped Monday night and was released several hours later. The arrested suspect, Jose Peiro-Rojo, 23, has not yet been charged in the case, said Sgt. Joel Tranter of Phoenix police. According to Associated Press reports, victim Marquesia Thomas was transfered between vehicles, verbally threatened and physically hit by her captors. Police also believe Thomas may have been kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. Gilbert man kidnapped by armed groupMarch 22nd, 2008, 10:03 am by Devon HersomA possible kidnapping occurred in Gilbert early Saturday morning by three males armed with weapons, according to Det. Joe Gilligan of the Gilbert police department. A 47-year-old man was taken from his home on the north east corner of Gilbert and Elliot Roads close to 3 a.m., Gilligan said. The victim has been located and is now safe. An investigation is in progress to determine the reason for the kidnapping. The victim and the suspects have not been identified. Check back on EastValleyTribune.com for more information as it becomes available. State Route 87 closed indefinitelyMarch 21st, 2008, 8:10 pm by Eddi TrevizoDPS officials have announced that State Route 87 is being closed north and south bound for an indefinite amount of time that is expected to last at least throughout the weekend. Authorities closed the south bound lanes Friday at 6:30 p.m. and north lanes where closed at around 7:30 p.m. Authorities say that the lanes were closed because of underground springs that are washing out the roads and causing landslides on both sides. North bound lanes are being routed onto the Bush Highway, South bound lanes are being routed on to State Route 188, said DPS officials. Roads were closed before any collisions occurred, said DPS authorities. Man gets 2 life sentences for Ahwatukee stab murdersMarch 21st, 2008, 4:45 pm by Nick R. MartinA man will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without the possibility of parole for stabbing to death two people and wounding another in an Ahwatukee Foothills apartment complex in 2004. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday spared the life of Matthew Cunningham, 30, whom prosecutors asked be put to death. In doing so, the judge sentenced Cunningham to two life terms, plus another seven and a half years for a burglary charge. Cunningham was convicted in February of killing his roommate, Robert Barker, and neighbor, Katherine Spain, in a wild stabbing spree. Another man, Gerardo Barrientos, was also stabbed but fought back with a baseball bat, critically injuring and almost killing Cunningham. Cunningham survived, only to face arrest and years of court that drew to a close on Friday. Read the Tribune’s original story of the crime: Two dead, one critical after stabbing spree (Oct. 13, 2004) Woman, 81, killed in head-on crash in MesaMarch 21st, 2008, 11:10 am by Nick R. MartinAn 81-year-old woman was killed Thursday afternoon in Mesa when the car she was driving drifted into oncoming traffic and hit a freight truck head on. The woman, Betty McCready, was dead by the time emergency crews arrived, said Mesa police spokesman Detective Chris Arvayo. McCready was driving east at about 3:30 p.m. on University Drive near Gilbert Road when her gold-colored Honda Accord eased into westbound traffic and slammed into the front of the freight truck, Arvayo said. Police still aren’t sure why she swerved, but “it almost looks like the reason…may have been medical,” Arvayo said. Two other vehicles also became tangled up in the crash, but there were no other injuries, he said. Man slashes roommate with a razor bladeMarch 20th, 2008, 5:55 pm by Eddi TrevizoA man suspected of stabbing his roommate with a razor blade may face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Scott Lopez, 21, is suspected of stabbing his 19 year-old roommate with a razor blade after an argument in their apartment home at 850 S. Longmore in Mesa, resulted in a violent slashing, police say. Initial police reports indicate that the victim arrived at the Banner desert Hospital in “He’s fine he basically has staples and stitches in his back, but he’s fine,” said Det. Christopher Arvayo of Investigators, who located Lopez at the scene of the crime, said he was found with wounds along the inside of both arms. After receiving medical treatment Lopez was taken into police custody. The assault will fall under the State of Arizona’s domestic violence statutes because the victim and suspect in the case are roommates. |