Monthly Archives: September 2018

Paving continues on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona; lane and ramp closures scheduled

Posted on by

The Arizona Department of Transportation advises northern Arizona drivers on Interstate 40 to plan for travel delays because of traffic realignment and ramp closures at Parks, Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads. Crews are repairing 17 miles of pavement on I-40 between Parks and Williams. The project also includes making bridge deck repairs at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads.

The westbound I-40 off-ramp at Parks (milepost 178) will be closed from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. The eastbound on-ramp at Pittman Valley Road(milepost 171) will be temporarily re-opened as a traffic detour for this closure.

Crews are completing work to rebuild 5 eastbound miles between mileposts 167 and 172 with all traffic moved to the westbound lanes using a temporary crossover in that section. In August, crews began work on the eastbound section of the freeway and closed the eastbound on- and off-ramps at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads for the next few months. Traffic is detoured onto the Parks and East Williams traffic interchanges. Please see the attached detour map.

For more information, please visit www.azdot.gov/I40CataractLakeRd2Parks

Elk viewing workshop at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area October 6

Posted on by

PINETOP — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is again partnering with the Arizona Elk Society White Mountain Chapter (AES) to offer an elk natural history and viewing workshop on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area near Eagar.

Late September to early October is prime elk breeding season and is the best time of year to view the majestic animals. Bulls will bugle as they battle to gather cow elk into harems. It is truly an awesome time of year to experience this unique wildlife event.

Workshop presentations will be begin at 11 a.m., followed by an early dinner served by the AES. After dinner, participants can attend an optional field trip to view nearby elk. Several field trip opportunities will be available, including some that will require driving and hikes or walks with various degrees of difficulty.

The workshop is limited to 100 participants. Children must be 12 years old to participate.

Dinner tickets cost $20 per person and must be payable by check only to Arizona Elk Society. The dinner is a fundraiser for the AES, which aims to enhance the quality of wildlife habitat as well as teaching future generations the importance of being responsible stewards of our national heritage our great outdoors. Dinner will include a hamburger, side and dessert.

Workshop topics include:

Elk Natural History
Elk Management in Arizona
History of Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area
Reintroduction and Management of Mexican Wolves in Arizona
Elk calling
Wildlife Photography by AZGFD photographer George Andrejko

OR

How to Get Started Hunting by AES

Directions to Sipe
Take Highway 191 south to Eagar towards Alpine; you’ll see the turnoff signs just two miles outside of Eagar. Follow the graded dirt road, which is suitable for passenger cars, about five miles to the property.

What to wear
Wear long pants and hiking/comfortable shoes. Participants might be walking distances of a ¼-mile or more in low light conditions. Dress in layers, be prepared for a cool night and possible rain. Dark or camouflage clothing is best as white or bright clothes will alert wildlife to your location. Also consider bringing a headlamp or flashlight, binoculars or spotting scope, a camera and water. A limited numbers of spotting scopes and binoculars will be provided.

Additional details
For more information or to register, call Diane Tilton at the Arizona Game and Fish Pinetop Office at (928) 532-3691 or email dtilton@azgfd.gov. After registration, please mail checks to Arizona Game and Fish Pinetop Office at 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd, Pinetop, AZ 85935.

Sheriff’s Office Labor Day Holiday Activity Summary

Posted on by

COCONINO COUNTY – The extended weekend encompassing August 31 – September 3 resulted in a large number of calls stemming from outdoor activity in Northern Arizona. The following is a summary of activity as best can be determined from dispatch and officer information available at the time of this media release.

During the extended Labor Day 2018 weekend, deputies responded to over 513 calls for service compared to 383 the previous Friday through Monday. These totals are comparable to the numbers of calls responded to over the 4-day weekend encompassing Memorial Day 2018 (455 calls) and the non-holiday weekend before Memorial Day 2018 (350).

In addition, deputies conducted 316 forest and community patrols and 83 traffic stops over the Labor Day weekend compared to 360 forest and community patrols and 47 traffic stops the previous, non-holiday weekend.

Deputies made multiple contacts with off-road vehicle operators and passengers throughout the county to promote off-road vehicle safety. A common safety violation they encountered was helmet violations. Deputies also made multiple contacts with boat operators and passengers on Lake Powell to promote water safety.

Common calls that deputies responded to over the Labor Day weekend included:

  • 46 disturbing the peace complaints (including off-road vehicle, weapons discharge/target shooting, fireworks, loud parties, complaints about neighboring campers, barking dog issues, etc.)
  • 38 emergency medical situations
  • 46 motorist and public assists (several calls related to public assists at the Coconino County Fair including 5 calls for lost children)
  • 45 assists to other agencies and attempt to locates
  • 35 suspicious activity incidents
  • 17 domestic disputes, assaults, threatening/intimidating related incidents
  • 22 (911) hang-up and alarm related calls
  • 12 fire related calls
  • several Search and Rescue calls (see below for synopsis)

Vehicle Collisions: The Sheriff’s Office received reports of 11 off-road vehicle collisions resulting in injuries.

Seven other vehicle collisions occurred on regular roadways. In all but one medical transport was either refused or not needed. Three of the collisions involved animals crossing the road.

Summary of off-road, recreation travel collisions:

  • August 31 around 10 pm – report of four males injured in off-road collision in the area of forest road 82 (near Blue Ridge). Vehicle reportedly struck a tree ejecting three people. Two patients in critical condition were transported by air, and two other patients were transported by ground medics.
  • August 31 around 11:30 pm – report of adult male injured in ATV rollover accident in the forest area outside of Munds Park. Upon arrival, no one was located at the scene, but the vehicle was still present.
  • September 1 around 8 am – report of adult male and teenage male injured in off-road vehicle accident in the Bear Canyon Lake area. Air medical also responded for patient transport.
  • September 1 around 12:45 pm – report of a teenage male involved in quad rollover accident in forest south of Flagstaff. The camping group self-transported him to medical care.
  • September 1 around 2 pm – report of male injured in dirt bike accident in the forested area around Pumpkin Center. The patient was transported by family to medical care.
  • September 1 around 4 pm – report of female injured in a boat accident near Anchovy Point, Lake Powell
  • September 1 around 4 pm – report of male injured in ATV accident in forested area around Willard Spring. One person was transported by ground medics.
  • September 2 around 9:30 am – report of “side-by-side” that flipped. Parties self-transported to medical care.
  • September 2 around 10:45 am – report of female injured in ATV accident in forested area near Kelly Canyon. Patient was transported by ground medics.
  • September 2 around 5 pm – report of 9-year-old boy and two adults injured in off-road vehicle collision in the Cinder Lakes recreation area. The passenger and boy were transported by ground medics.
  • September 2 around 6:30 pm – report single vehicle collision involving two young adults and their baby on forest road in the area of Walnut Canyon. One person was transported by ground medics.

Seven other vehicle collisions occurred on regular roadways. In all but one medical transport was either refused or not needed. Three of the collisions involved animals crossing the road.

Traffic / Moving Vehicle Stops: Deputies throughout the county conducted 83 traffic stops during the extended weekend, resulting in 18 citations and 15 written warnings.

Search and Rescue:

  • August 31 around 3:45 pm – report of a male hiker in West Fork who was in possible need of medical attention. Hiker later reported to no longer need assistance.
  • September 1 around 11 am – female was injured during fall in the area of West Fork. Patient required transport by rescue person via a litter carry to the trailhead / parking area.
  • September 1 around 3 pm – two young adult males were reported overdue to their campsite. They had been driving ATVs when they left their camp earlier in the morning. The were located and escorted back to their camp.
  • September 1 around 6 pm – deputy in Forest Lakes area located three lost hikers in the Bear Canyon area and provided them rides back to their camp
  • September 1 around 9:30 pm – received report of separated parties hiking Humphreys Trail. Parties were able to self-reunite and no longer needed assistance.
  • September 2 around 12:30 pm – a 21-year-old female on a 21-day group hike was reported to be in anaphylaxis. Several agencies were involved in the search to attempt to locate the patient in the area of Chevelon Lake and Horse Trap. The patient was transported by Arizona Department of Public Safety Northern Air Rescue.
  • September 2 around 5:45 pm – report of 7 teenagers overdue to their campsite at Bear Canyon Lake. Game and Fish officers assisted and learned all had returned safely to the camp.
  • September 3 around 9:45 am – report of a female hiker who had been stuck in quick sand in the Paria Canyon near Big Springs since the previous afternoon. Arizona Department of Public Safety Northern Air Rescue and Search and Rescue responded to rescue the person.
  • September 3 around 8:30 pm – assisted Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in response to multiple vehicles caught in swift moving water and mud in the area of Perkinsville Road and Drake Road (south of Williams, AZ)

Deaths:

  • On September 1, 2018, deputies responded to a male subject who committed suicide at a residence in Greers Trailer Park.
  • On September 1, 2018 deputies responded to a male subject who was found unresponsive in a bathroom at Knoll Lake.

Detention Facility: The Coconino County Detention Facility Flagstaff Facility which receives arrested persons from multiple agencies throughout Northern Arizona (including: Coconino Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, Northern Arizona University Police, Williams Police, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, as well as federal and state agencies) processed 105 bookings from August 31, 2018 through September 3, 2018. The majority of these booking occurred at the Flagstaff facility; 18 bookings occurred in the Page facility.

Of those bookings, 34 had felony related charges. Bookings by type of offense included (but were not limited to), 6 aggravated assault, 8 other assault, 8 DUI’s, 29 wants or warrants (e.g., failure to appear, failure to comply, probation violation, other warrants), 10 disorderly conduct, 9 drug offenses, 8 court remands, 4 trespass offenses, 4 driving offenses, 1 sex offense, 1 endangerment offense, 1 burglary offense.

Thank you to the other agencies who assisted: The Sheriff’s Office thanks all those individuals and other public safety agencies that assisted with responses during this holiday weekend and in helping to keep our community safe.