Cop Shop

A man held up a downtown Chandler restaurant Monday at gunpoint.
According to detective Frank Mendoza, Chandler spokesman, the crew of Brunchies, 17 E. Boston St., was preparing to open just before 6 a.m. when a man in a ski mask, blue jeans and black shirt came in with a handgun.
Mendoza said the man made off with an undisclosed amount of money.

A Florence correctional officer turned himself in Sunday for a Minnesota warrant that charges him with his wife’s murder, according to the sheriff’s office.

Andrew Gordon Lemcke, 34, turned himself in at a Johnson Ranch substation in Pinal County at 2:30 p.m., according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Vanessa White. Lemcke works for the Corrections Corporation of America, White said.

Lemcke told PCSO that he had “accidentally” killed his wife while they lived in Minnesota and his attorney informed him Sunday that a warrant had now been issued for his arrest, according to a PCSO arrest record. The warrant was issued on Nov. 14, the report shows.

Lemcke was transported to the PCSO jail to await extradition.

An Associated Press report shows that his wife, Nichole Riley-Lemcke, was shot on Sept. 14, 2004 at her home in Appleton, Minn. Her parents filed a wrongful death suit against Lemcke in 2007, according to the AP report.

A Florence man that reportedly dragged his horse behind his vehicle and used a piece of pipe to beat the animal will face one charge of animal cruelty, according to the Pinal County Attorney’s office.

An officer witnessed Gordon Allen Bates drag the horse behind his truck with a strap used for towing vehicles at his Florence home on Aug. 4, a Pinal County Sheriff’s office report shows. His 13-year-old daughter also reportedly kicked the animal in the head while yelling at it to get up from the ground, according to the report.

Once rescued, the horse was treated for injuries including the removal of the tow strap that had been embedded in it’s neck as well as several scrapes and bruises from being dragged by the vehicle, the report shows.

Bates will face a judge on Dec. 10 with one charge of animal cruelty, a Class 6 Felony, according to county attorney spokesman Kostas Kalaitzdis. Gordon told officers he was beating the animal because it wouldn’t listen to orders, according to the report.

The animal was turned over to the Department of Agriculture following the incident.

A detention officer believed to have been providing cocaine to inmates in return for sexual favors was arrested Monday, said Maricopa County Sheriff’s officials.

Ryan White, 26, a four-year veteran at the Fourth Avenue Jail is suspected of befriending a female inmate and her roommate and providing them with cocaine that he smuggled into the jail in the pocket of his uniform, sheriff officials said.

Reports said that the two women “coerced” White into providing drugs in exchange for sexual favors.

Rebecca Real, 28, and Priscilla Marquez, 23, were also placed under arrest, according to reports.

White was booked and held on suspicion of promoting jail contraband and assisting in a criminal syndicate.

 The man who killed a Tempe teen when he plowed into the 17-year-old boy’s car in a drunken driving accident was sentenced to nine years in prison, said the Maricopa County Attorney’s officials.

Raymond Kohan, 35, was found guilty of manslaughter and endangerment on July 1, 2008 for the May 2006 crash that killed 17-year-old Sean Andujar, a Marcos de Niza High School student.

Kohan was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison and three years of supervised probation. Police reports said an hour after the collision Kohan’s blood alcohol level was found to be .155, almost twice the legal limit.

“This conviction and sentence won’t undo the tragedy that claimed such a young life, but at least it will ensure that Raymond Kohan will be off the streets for a long time,” said County Attorney Andrew Thomas. 

Records show that before the fatal crash, Kohan had been convicted of DUI twice before - in 2001 and 2002. Court records also revealed that Kohan had previous arrests on suspicion of drug-related offenses, theft, probation violation and driving with a suspended license.

The tragic case was fueled by controversy in August 2008 when Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman penned a letter to the Maricopa County Superior Court judge pleading for leniency on behalf of Kohan.

“In case you feel a prison sentence is warranted, I plead that you grant Raymond leniency on his sentencing,” said a letter written by Berman to Judge Michael W. Kemp on Aug. 19, 2008.

Berman stated in the letter that he has known “Raymond and his family socially and professionally” for several years, however Berman refused to comment further on his relationship to Kohan.

Berman wrote an apology to the community weeks after pleading for leniency, saying he had made a mistake.

Four people are behind bars after the driver of a mini van tried to run over a motorcycle cop and led police on a short chase Thursday, police said.
According to Mesa police, officer Brad Withrow saw the mini van almost cause a traffic accident as it left a bar near Broadway and Alma School roads.
Withrow pulled the van over, but it took off again and ran a red light at Extension and Main Street.
The van made a wide left turn at Extension and University Drive and ended up stopped on the sidewalk, according to a police report.
Withrow pulled up at an angle behind the van, which then backed towards him and left again.
Withrow was able to drive out of the way.
Officers chased the van, which had two flat tires, to Longmore and McDowell Road where the pursuit ended.
According to police, there was no traffic and the top speed was 40 mph.
The driver, Author Shaw, 24, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, felony flight and drunken driving.
Adam Jackson, 20, was arrested on a felony warrant. He pleaded guilty to theft in April and was placed on probation, according to court records.
Police from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community arrested the other passengers, Jennifer Correo, 26, and Girard Lopez, 25.

Mesa police arrested a woman suspected of fleeing the scene of a four vehicle collision that killed a pedestrian and left two others injured Wednesday night.

Caroline J. Begay , 39, was arrested Wednesday night for fleeing after she struck a car causing a chain reaction that struck several other cars stopped near Third Street and Country Club Drive. Drivers were attempting to help a man who was struck while crossing the road when the second collision happened, said Mesa police spokesman Ed Wessing.

Ted L. Fletcher,63, was pronounced dead at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborne Hospital from head and chest trauma.  According to authorities, Fletcher was crossing the street at an unmarked crosswalk Wednesday night near Third Street and Country Club Drive , when he was fatally struck by a truck.

Three concerned drivers stopped to help Fletcher when their cars were struck by a fourth driver who fled the scene of the pile-up. Two passengers inside the parked vehicles sustained non life-threating injuries.

According to police reports Begay spun her rear wheels, turning a complete 360, and continued southbound on S. Country Club where she stopped her vehicle after turning right onto W. 6th Ave.

Officers who responded to the scene said Begay used several profanities and was being belligerent and uncooperative with officers. Reports show that Begay had watery eyes and was very unsteady on her feet. Begay refused to respond to officers questions saying “I want my lawyer” and finally told police that “this is my second DUI how much time will I have to do?”.

Authorities said Begay, who has five warrants out for her arrest, was arrested on suspicion of fleeing the scene of an injury involved collision and extreme DUI charges.

The identity of two Pinal County bank robbery suspects remains a mystery late Thursday as authorities continue to search for their whereabouts.

The duo, a man and woman in their 20’s, robbed a Wells Fargo Bank inside of a Fry’s Grocery store located at the intersection of Gantzel and Combs roads just after 1 p.m., according to Pinal County Sheriff’s spokesman Mike Minter.

The suspects have been linked to several bank robberies in the East Valley, Minter said. Wells Fargo has offered a $5,000 reward to anyone that helps identify the pair (pictured at left).

Both suspects appear to be Caucasian and wore dark sunglasses and baseball caps during the robbery, according to surveillance video.