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Crews fight Fountain Hills church blaze

January 2nd, 2008, 11:06 pm by andrebowser

Andre Bowser, Tribune

Rural/Metro Fire Department responded to a fire late Wednesday night at a church in Fountain Hills, according to authorities.

Fire crews responded to the church on

Palisades Boulevard

and extinguished the fire by 10 p.m., according to local media reports.

Crews reported the fire was “fully involved” and aid was requested from Scottsdale Fire Department, according to authorities. The name of the church and further details about the fire were not available.

No one was reported injured in the fire, and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the incident late into the night, according to media reports.

Posted in: Chandler • Gilbert • Maricopa County • Mesa • Phoenix • Scottsdale • Tempe | 1 Comment »

Mesa business owner kidnapped

December 21st, 2007, 12:16 am by andrebowser

A Mesa business owner was handcuffed and forced into a car outside of her business in broad daylight Thursday by three male suspects, police said.

The beauty salon owner was kidnapped from her shop on South Alma School Road near 8th Avenue about 11 a.m., a Mesa police dispatch supervisor said. She was working at the time of her abduction in a shopping center off a busy stretch of Alma School Road. She was shoved into a vehicle and driven away, police said.

Traffic was stopped in the area near the kidnapping causing the late morning drivers to back up off Alma School Road, police said.

As of 11 p.m., police had not located the woman or the three suspects in the kidnapping. No description of the suspects was available. Neither the name of the victim nor her business was available.

Posted in: Chandler • Gilbert • Mesa • Phoenix • Tempe | Post a Comment »

Arrest made in molestation case

November 5th, 2007, 12:34 am by andrebowser

Police arrested a Mesa man in connection with the molestation of a 4-year-old girl his mother was baby-sitting, according to authorities.

Pedro Otero Hernandez, 21, was taken into custody on Friday, although the incident he is accused of took place Aug. 29, according to authorities.

“(It took that long) to gather the evidence, to do the full investigation,” Mesa police spokeswoman Detective Diana Tapia said Sunday. “Once we know the victim is not in harm’s way, we’re going to do what we can to gather all evidence necessary to do the necessary charges.”

Sexual conduct with a minor is a felony, Tapia said.

No further details were available late Sunday.

Reporter Mike Branom contributed to this blog.

Posted in: Apache Junction • Chandler • Gilbert • Maricopa County • Mesa • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »

Mesa police shoot, kill man

November 5th, 2007, 12:30 am by andrebowser

Mesa police shot and killed a man who brandished a handgun at two officers outside of a home early Sunday morning, according to authorities.

Police have not released the man’s name, pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.

According to authorities, police received a call at 12:38 a.m. from a 51-year-old woman living near Power and McKellips roads.

The woman said someone was knocking on her front door, and she believed it to be her ex-boyfriend against whom she has an order of protection.

Two officers arrived at the residence at 12:51 a.m., and officers contacted a man who displayed a handgun, according to authorities.

When he failed to comply with the officers’ commands, one of the policemen fired his gun. That police officer was placed on paid administrative leave, department policy in a shooting.

The Mesa Fire Department pronounced the man dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Reporter Mike Branom contributed to this blog

Posted in: Apache Junction • Chandler • Gilbert • Maricopa County • Mesa • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »

DUI crackdown nets 28

October 28th, 2007, 9:19 pm by andrebowser

Twenty-eight people suspected of driving under the influence were arrested during a weekend crackdown on East Valley highways.

Officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the DUI Enforcement Unit conducted patrols in an effort to detect impaired driving after Halloween parties on Friday and Saturday nights.

DPS Sgt. William Duff said authorities pulled over 98 vehicles. He said a command center was set up south of McKellips Road on Scottsdale Road.

There were six arrests for extreme DUI, nine arrests for aggravated DUI, 13 misdemeanor DUI arrests, five arrests of minors in possession of alcohol and 23 other citations.

The average blood alcohol content of those arrested was 0.158, said Duff.

Writer Yelena Galibov contributed to this blog.

Posted in: Chandler • Gilbert • Maricopa County • Mesa • Phoenix • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »

Ahwatukee Foothill’s man carjacked

October 28th, 2007, 9:15 pm by andrebowser

An Ahwatukee Foothills driver was carjacked by three armed men between the ages of 25 and 30 Saturday around 11:54 a.m. near the victim’s apartment, Phoenix police said.

A gold 2000 Chrysler 300 was taken from the victim at gunpoint.

The victim stopped at a Chevron store and then headed north on 50th Street, where he was boxed in by a dark blue Chevy Impala and a tan Toyota Corolla near Chandler Boulevard.

“The victim believes he was followed from the gas station to his apartment block,” Lt. Robert Jones said.

No one was injured during the incident, Jones said. The victim reported the incident. His car has not been recovered, police said.

Writer Heidi Curiel contributed to this blog.

Posted in: Ahwatukee Foothills • Mesa • Phoenix • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »

Deputies search for ATV driver

October 28th, 2007, 9:13 pm by andrebowser

A 51-year-old man was reported missing Sunday morning in the Seven Springs area, said Capt. Paul Chagolla, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

The man’s all-terrain vehicle was found near where Sycamore Creek and the Verde River converge, in a remote area east of Scottsdale. Police did not release the name of the missing man.

Authorities said the ATV likely had a mechanical failure.

“We are conducting a search operation, including the use of our helicopter,” Chagolla said.

Deputies began the search Sunday. The man has been missing since 9 p.m. Saturday.

Writer Shannon Doyle contributed to this blog.

Posted in: Cave Creek • Mesa • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »

3 hurt in Mesa car crash

October 28th, 2007, 9:01 pm by andrebowser

Two women were taken to a Scottsdale hospital Sunday afternoon after a collision involving three cars in Mesa.

“The accident was not life-threatening,” said Mesa Fire Department Capt. John Jayne, referring to the crash near Broadway Road and 63rd Street. He described the women as senior citizens. No details were released about their injuries.

A four-door sedan driven by one of the women was T-boned by a white minivan driven by the other woman, police said.

Police did not release the names of the drivers.

A male driver was also involved in the crash after slamming his four-door sedan into the two other cars.

The male driver was taken to Banner Gateway Medical Center with minor injuries, Jayne said.

Writer Heidi Curiel contributed to this blog.

Posted in: Mesa • Scottsdale • Uncategorized | Post a Comment »