Archive for August, 2008
August 21st, 2008, 10:05 am by John Leptich
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Wednesday arrested Akram Musa Abdallah of Mesa based on an indictment that charges him with making false statements related to his involvement in fund-raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief & Development. Abdallah, 54, aka Abu Saiaf, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court Thursday afternoon.
The indictment alleges that Abdallah knowingly and willfully made a false material statement when he represented to FBI agents that he was not involved in fund raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation. It further alleges that he was involved in fund-raising activities on its behalf from 1994 to 1997 in the Valley. The Holy Land Foundation is an organization alleged to have provided financial support for Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned the indictment against Abdallah on Tuesday afternoon. A conviction for false statements carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Posted in: Mesa | 4 Comments »
August 21st, 2008, 9:54 am by John Leptich
During a traffic stop around 3 a.m. Wednesday at Gilbert Street and Hackamore Road, a passenger in the vehicle, police discovered that a passenger, 20-year-old Timothy Charles Hroma, had an outstanding warrant for desertion from the U.S. Marine Corps. He is being held at Maricopa County’s Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix.
Posted in: Gilbert | 9 Comments »
August 21st, 2008, 9:52 am by John Leptich
Police arrested Erik O’Donnell at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a naked man hiding behind a tree in the 1600 block of East Hearne Way. O’Donnell, 18, told police he walked to the park from his house without his pants for “the thrill of it” and that he “wanted to feel what it was like to be free.” He is being held at Maricopa County’s Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix on suspicion of disorderly conduct.
Posted in: Gilbert | 10 Comments »
August 21st, 2008, 9:51 am by John Leptich
Gilbert police arrested James Canty at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after a man was seen in the 1500 block of East Indigo backing his Honda pickup into the driveway at a foreclosed house. A neighbor saw a man with a hand truck attempting to remove a refrigerator from the house through the side gate. Police found Canty, wearing cotton gloves, attempting to hide in the backyard of the house. Police said Canty, 47, entered the home by removing its back patio Arcadia door.
Posted in: Gilbert | 2 Comments »
August 21st, 2008, 7:45 am by John Leptich
A Mesa man was robbed Wednesday afternoon while getting his mail at a cluster box in the 1100 block of South Clancy. Two men approached the 41-year-old victim and demanded his wallet. The two began assaulting the victim and, at one point, one of them took out a knife. The victim eventually gave the men his wallet. He sustained minor injuries.
The two were last seen walking west through a retention basin. One is described as 6-foot, 165 pounds, in his early to mid 20s, wearing blue shorts and a white T-shirt, with a tattoo on his left shoulder. The other man is 5-6, 130, in his early 20s, with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a red baseball hat, yellow shirt and black pants.
Posted in: Mesa | 6 Comments »
August 19th, 2008, 10:18 am by John Leptich
Five teens on their way to Mountain View High School and an adult were involved in a collision at 8 a.m. Tuesday in Mesa.
As a Honda Civic with a male driver and four female passengers headed south on Lindsay Road approaching Hope Street, a Pontiac Grand AM driven by a man tried to turn left onto west Hope. The Civic didn’t have time to stop and hit the Grand AM.
Three of the female passengers were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Civic driver and one passenger refused medical treatment at the scene and were turned over to their parents.
The Grand AM driver did not report any injuries and was cited for failure to yield.
Police did not provide identification of anyone involved in the incident.
Posted in: Mesa | 14 Comments »
August 18th, 2008, 9:56 pm by Eddi Trevizo
A Mesa woman was arrested on suspicion of child abuse after she gave police different explanations for her baby’s broken arm.
Ana Alvarado-Rodriquez, 22, was arrested Saturday night after taking her 5 month-old daughter to Desert Banner Hospital in Mesa because the baby had red marks on her arm and was crying in pain. According to police reports a skeletal scan showed that the 5-month-old had a spiral fracture in her arm. According to an online medical information site, a spiral fracture, also called a torsion fracture, occurs when bone has been twisted apart.
Alvarado-Rodriquez first told police that she had watched the baby carefully throughout the entire day except for a short time around 7p.m. when she took a shower. Family members that live with Alvarado-Rodriquez also told police that she had taken the baby with her to do some laundry for a few hours in the afternoon, according to reports.
When police questioned her again Alvarado-Rodriquez said that she had taken the baby in her car while running errands around 7 p.m. Alvarado-Rodriquez explained to police that she had failed to properly secure the car seat and that the baby had fallen to the floor and been caught under the car seat, according to police reports. An officer who wrote in the report stated that “In my experience a spiral fracture cannot occur in the manner described.”
Child Protective Services is investigating the extent of damage to the child. Alvarado-Rodriquez faces charges on suspicion of child abuse.
Posted in: Mesa | 14 Comments »
August 18th, 2008, 9:09 pm by Eddi Trevizo
A man suspected of trying to repeatedly scam a Scottsdale strip club with phony cash was arrested Saturday night.
James Johnson, 25, visited Skin Cabaret late Friday and spent more than $500 worth in counterfeit bills, Scottsdale police said. Johnson returned to the club at 1137 N. Scottsdale Road on Saturday and attempted to dupe the club again, according to police reports.
Employees recognized Johnson and notified police. Scottsdale authorities as well as the Secret Service conducted an investigation, which led to another arrest and the confiscation of additional counterfeit money and money printing equipment.
Shannon Daugherty, 37, was arrested on suspicion of forgery and participation in a counterfeiting operation after police were led to a Phoenix house where nearly $6,000 in forged bills was seized. Johnson was arrested on suspicion of forgery .
Posted in: Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
August 18th, 2008, 6:57 pm by Katie McDevitt
A Mesa man was arrested on suspicion of child abuse Sunday after police found broken glass all over the floor of his home and he admitted drinking 1/5 gallon of vodka while watching his children, court records say.
Scott Cohea, 45, was arrested just after 8:15 p.m.
According to court records, police were called to Cohea’s house to check on a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old child whose mother was in the hospital and whose father was watching them.
When police arrived, Cohea came to the door wearing no pants. A police officer told Cohea to put his pants on.
Then the 6-year-old told the officer to come inside, but to watch for broken glass on the floor, the report says.
“I went into the residence and saw broken glass all over the tile floor in the entryway,” the officer wrote in the report. “The rest of the home was dirty and had clothes and trash lying around.”
Cohea told police the glass had been on the ground for two or three days and that he had been drinking for four days.
Cohea’s brother came and picked up the children to take care of until the mother was released from the hospital. Cohea told police he had been convicted of four DUIs in the last four years and his license was revoked.
According to court records, police had been to Cohea’s house before when he was passed out drunk in his bed.
Posted in: Mesa • Uncategorized | 14 Comments »
August 18th, 2008, 7:59 am by John Leptich
Three men held up another man at gunpoint at 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 200 block of West Southern Avenue in Mesa. The men fled in a black Lincoln and the victim followed them to the area of Mesa Drive and Marylin Avenue, where he lost sight of them.
A Mesa police officer saw a black Lincoln Navigator traveling east on Marilyn to Olive, where its driver went north. The officer saw the vehicle turn in to an apartment complex it 533 S. Olive. When officers approached the Navigator, no one was in it.
An officer saw a handgun, two wallets and cash on the front passenger seat. A witness said the person who drives the Navigator lives at the complex. Officers detained three men who matched the robbers’ descriptions. They were taken to Mesa police headquarters for follow-up with detectives.
Posted in: Mesa | 8 Comments »
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