Monsoon storm brings damage to Maricopa
A Saturday afternoon monsoon thunderstorm wreaked havoc around the Maricopa area.
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Body found in gravel pit near Maricopa
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body found at a County gravel pit near Farrell and Hidden Valley Roads.
Pinal County workers were using heavy equipment in pit, early Tuesday afternoon, when they discovered the body. The responding deputies found obvious signs of foul play and summoned homicide investigators to the scene.
According to PCSO spokesman Tim Gaffney, the victim was 45 year-old Carlos Pablo, a member of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. ”The case is being investigated as a homicide and the cause of death is blunt force trauma,” said Gaffney. Detectives have no suspect information at this time.
Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to call Pinal County Sheriff’s Detective Landon Rankin at (520) 866-5163.
Elderly homeowner and six dogs rescued from burning home
Wednesday afternoon, around 3:00 pm, the Maricopa Fire Department was summoned to a home in the 35000 block of West Marin Avenue in Tortosa.
Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke coming from attic vents at the front and back of the house.
Entering the home, firefighters found smoke from the ceiling to the floor in the back rooms. During the search, they located the home’s owner, an elderly woman, walking around disoriented and confused. Fire crews removed her from the home as the conditions inside were worsening.
The elderly homeowner was treated on scene for smoke inhalation, and was not transported to the hospital. Six small dogs were also rescued from the burning house. One firefighter was transported to a local hospital in stable condition with heat exhaustion.
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SB1070 opponents protest outside Phoenix jail
What started out as a lunch appointment in downtown Phoenix turned into a protest outside the Fourth Avenue Jail.
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SWAT situation in Glennwilde ends peacefully
Maricopa Police were dispatched to the 41000 block of West Cheyenne Drive in Glennwilde, early this morning, on a report of subject threatening suicide with a gun. The reporting family member stated the man was threatening himself and that she had locked herself in a bedroom inside the residence.
Police arrived on scene shortly after 1:00 am and attempted to make contact with the subject. At one point, the man opened the garage door carrying a handgun. Recognizing police were on scene, he abruptly closed the garage door and refused to comply with officers.
The Pinal County Regional SWAT Team was notified and responded to assist. At around 6:45 am, after several attempts to negotiate with the subject had failed, the SWAT team made entry into the residence and the subject was taken into custody without incident. The subject, Gabe Rodriguez (21), of Maricopa, was transported to a valley hospital for evaluation. A 13 year-old female family member was removed from the residence unharmed.
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Maricopa Police make aggravated assault arrest
Early Sunday morning, Maricopa Police responded to the 43000 block of West Elizabeth Avenue, in Senita, on a report of a fight.
Once on scene, responding officers found an injured male outside the residence who appeared unresponsive and who had several injuries to his head. The Maricopa Fire Department responded to provide emergency medical aid.
During the course of the investigation it was determined, through several eyewitnesses at the party, that the owner of the home, 22-year-old Chad George and the victim had become involved in a verbal altercation.
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Police apprehend Lakes vehicle burglars
Tuesday morning, shortly before 5:00 am, Maricopa Police responded to the 41000 block of West Bravo Drive, in The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado, due to reports of a vehicle burglary in progress.
The victim advised that she surprised two male suspects entering into three vehicles that were parked at the residence and that the suspects had fled on foot. Police arrived and immediately located the two suspects in the backyard of a vacant residence a short distance away. The suspects fled from police into an open field, where officers quickly took them into custody.
The suspects, two male juveniles age 17 from Maricopa and 16 from Ak-Chin, were booked into the Pinal County Juvenile Detention Center in Florence on several counts of vehicle burglary. MPD detectives are continuing to work this case and anticipate that additional vehicle burglary cases will be cleared as a result of these arrests.
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Two bodies recovered from desert in separate incidents
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two bodies that were discovered in different remote desert locations within the county during the past week.
Last Thursday, at around 1:00 in the afternoon, PCSO was contacted by the U.S. Border Patrol regarding a possible dead body. The Border Patrol had detained seven suspected illegal immigrants and they reported that a member travelling in their party had fallen behind and was deceased.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office searched the area where the individuals described and were able to locate the deceased body of an adult male subject. The body was found four miles south of Interstate 8 and milepost 149. The body was transported to the Medical Examiners Office to determine the cause of death.
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The Duke hit by overnight burglary
Shortly after closing Friday night, burglars broke into the golf shop at The Duke at Rancho El Dorado in Maricopa.
According to employees, the perpetrators used part of an outdoor umbrella to chisel their way through a wall behind an alarm control panel and apparently disabled the shop’s security system.
The robbers then broke through an outside door and headed for the shop’s safe. The safe was severely damaged and employees were not able to gain entry to it the following morning.
As of press time, it is not known if the burglars were able to successfully gain entry to the safe, or if anything else was taken from the shop. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
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11 year-old struck by vehicle while riding bike
This past Wednesday, around 7:30 pm, Maricopa Police responded to the intersection of Goles Drive and Venture Road, in Rancho El Dorado, on a report of a vehicle versus pedestrian injury accident.
When officers arrived on scene the Maricopa Fire Department was giving aid to an injured 11-year-old boy. The victim was responsive at the time and was identified and the child’s guardian was summoned to the scene.
The victim was transported to the Maricopa County Medical Center in stable condition by Southwest Ambulance, with non-life threatening injuries.
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