Category Archives: Coconino County Sheriff

Sheriff’s Office Working with Several Agencies to Recover Body of Man Who Died While Wingsuit Flying

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800-Wingsuit DeathPAGE — On Tuesday, January 12, 2016 the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a death in Paria Canyon involving a man who was wingsuiting with friends.

The man has been identified as 29 year old Mathew Kenney out of Santa Cruz, CA. His body was located in the steep canyon walls approximately 15 miles north of Lee’s Ferry in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area within the BLM Arizona Strip District. A Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Short Haul Team and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter responded yesterday to recover the body.

Due to the steep terrain and icy conditions on top of the canyon walls, the Sheriff’s Office was not able to safely anchor to access the body yesterday. The Sheriff’s Office continues to work with other agencies including Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue, National Park Service Search and Rescue, and Bureau of Land Management to develop a plan that will allow rescuers to safely access and recover the body.

Tips on preventing auto burglary at home and while shopping

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coco-sheriff-300pxFlagstaff — The Coconino County Sheriff’s office would like to provided tips on preventing auto-burglary. Auto-burglary prevention, like all crime prevention, involves limiting the criminal’s ability and/or opportunity to commit the crime. With very little time and effort, you can make a huge difference in your vulnerability to auto-burglary.

Lock ALL your vehicle’s doors even if you plan to be gone for only a brief time. Every year, we have items stolen from unlocked vehicles where the owner was only going to be gone “just for a second.” It only takes seconds to steal your stuff! It’s not uncommon for thieves to walk down a row of parked vehicles and check vehicle doors to see if they are unlocked. Don’t leave any window open or even cracked open, including vent/wing windows and sunroofs.

Don’t leave valuables in your car. That sounds like “common sense,” but drivers/passengers do leave items of value in plain view every day. If you leave valuable items visible in your car, your car is automatically a target.

Try to park in busy, well-lighted areas. Try to park in well-traveled areas. Large anonymous lots are hit by thieves much more often than parking immediately adjacent to residential housing or other occupied buildings.

Set any alarm or anti-theft device. If you have one, use it! Many people believe that car-alarms no longer make a difference, but they can be an effective deterrent to an auto-burglar, who most often chooses the easiest target.

Mark your valuables! As a last line of defense (not really to prevent theft as much as to aid in recovery), mark your valuables. Recording serial numbers is dandy, but nowadays many serial numbers are on removable “labels” rather than “engraved” into valuable items. Sheriff Pribil suggests inscribing/engraving a “personal identifier” on all valuables.

Take Removable Equipment with You. If you have an after-market stereo/CD-player with a removable face plate, remove it. Without the face plate, the unit is less attractive/useful to many thieves, and harder to “fence.” If the unit can be pulled, pull it! Take it with you. Just covering a valuable radio (or ANY valuables in your car) with something (like a blanket or towel) to hide it will probably only draw thieves’ attention.

What Items are Most Commonly Stolen from Vehicles?
• Backpacks, gym bags, briefcases, day-planners
• Cash/coins, checkbooks and credit/debit cards
• Wallets/purses (even when hidden under a seat or in an unlocked glove compartment)
• Laptop computers, iPods and MP3 players (and docking stations)
• Cell phones (and chargers)
• Portable GPS navigation systems
• Stereo/CD players (and faceplates), amps, speakers (even when bolted down!)
• Jewelry, keys, mail (identity theft), tools
• Anything of obvious value

Report Suspicious Activity. If you see suspicious activity, report it to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523 or call 911

What should you do if something is stolen out of your car? As soon as you notice something’s stolen (or that your car has been broken into) do not touch/adjust anything in, on, or around the car. As soon as possible, call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.

Two Flagstaff Men Arrested for Vehicle Burglaries in Doney Park

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hankins-peavy-1Flagstaff, AZ — During the early morning hours of Sunday, January 3, 2016 Dispatchers of the Flagstaff Regional 911 Center received multiple calls from concerned citizens regarding suspicious activity and reckless driving by a vehicle and its occupants. One caller reported seeing the vehicle enter the driveway of his home located in Doney Park and then slowly back out. The reporting citizen attempted to follow the vehicle; however he lost sight of it. The investigating Deputy put out an attempt to locate message with the vehicle description.

Later that day Flagstaff Police Officers located the vehicle which was occupied by two adult males. The officers arrested the men on unrelated charges.

During the investigation, a wallet was located in the vehicle with identification that did not belong to either occupant. The Deputy contacted the person listed on the identification who lived in the Doney Park area. According to this person his wallet was last known to be inside his vehicle. The Deputy and the victim checked his vehicles that were in front of his home and discovered that two of them had been burglarized.

Twenty-one year-old Samuel David Hankins and twenty year-old Scott Julian Peavy both of Flagstaff were charged with two counts each of burglary from a vehicle. Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives are continuing this investigation in an effort to determine if the two suspects are involved in other burglaries that have occurred in the area.

Emergency Response Training for teens this Saturday

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Sheriff-Patch005WILLIAMS/PARKS/TUSAYAN/VALLE — Sergeant James Steng of the Coconino County Sheriff’s office will be holding a training course starting this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CERT, Community Emergency Response Team grew out of the natural desire to help others during and after a natural disaster. The first people on most scenes after a disaster are survivors who want to help.

The primary objective of Teen CERT is to teach young citizens how to keep themselves, their family members and their fellow students safe before and during a disaster and how to assist them during the aftermath of a disaster. Teens will learn how to best prepare for a disaster and how to assess the scene after a disaster. They will also learn how to conduct a search and rescue operation and how to suppress small fires.

The advantage of this type of training is that it is something a teen can carry throughout their lifetime. FEMA even sponsors online training courses one can take to further their education.

The training sessions will start this Saturday, January 9, 2016 8 am to 5 pm. The next session will follow the next Saturday, January 16, 2016 8 am to 5 pm and finish with a last session on Saturday January 23, 2016 8 am to 12 noon.

Interested teens who would like more information or who wish to register for this training are asked to call Sergeant James Steng at (928) 679-8735 or (928) 607-6470.

Be Prepared Before Going into the Backcountry and Understand Avalanche Hazards

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Sunday Benham Trail 2015-12-13 007FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino National Forest are warning backcountry mountain travelers to be alert for potential avalanche hazards on the San Francisco Peaks. The early season snowpack, coupled with recent clear and cold nights, wind events, and a large amount of new snow could produce hazardous conditions in the backcountry. This includes the side country bordering the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Area.

Avalanche mitigation and patrolling is conducted within the boundaries of the Arizona Snowbowl, but there is no avalanche control or routine patrolling in the forest outside of the Snowbowl. Those traveling into the backcountry need to be prepared for and understand the conditions prior to venturing out.

Avalanches most commonly occur during a storm or within 24 hours of the storm ending. However, unstable conditions may persist long beyond that timeframe. Backcountry travelers need to understand the conditions and the warning signs of avalanche activity.

People venturing into mountainous terrain should carry avalanche rescue equipment such as a shovel, avalanche rescue beacon, avalanche probe, and winter survival gear. Good wilderness navigation and route finding skills are essential. Be prepared for travel and emergencies in the remote winter mountain environment where rescue is not immediate. Do not travel alone, and always leave a detailed trip plan with a responsible person. It is important to review recent weather reports and forecasts as well as driving conditions prior to and during your trip. Carrying a cell phone is recommended; however, it may not always work in backcountry locations and should not substitute for good judgment and preparation.

While there is no avalanche forecasting center for the San Francisco Peaks, the backcountry community can obtain a snowpack summary from the Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center at www.kachinapeaks.org and see observations by other backcountry travelers. Natural avalanche activity had been reported on the San Francisco Peaks prior to this current storm. In addition to snow observations, the Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center provides educational materials on the website as well as sponsoring Introduction to Avalanche seminars and more in depth avalanche field training. The next Introduction to Avalanche seminar will be on January 15th at 6:00 pm at Aspen Sports in downtown Flagstaff.

Winter backcountry travel into the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area from Arizona Snowbowl and Snowbowl Road requires an annual backcountry permit. This includes the parking areas at FR 522 and Lamar Haines Wildlife Area.

Backcountry permits are available for free in Flagstaff at the Peaks Ranger Station, 5075 N. Highway 89, and the Coconino National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 1824 S Thompson St. Permits also will be available at Arizona Snowbowl’s Agassiz Lodge on weekends during business hours.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office to Provide Emergency Preparedness and Response Training to Teens in the Williams, Tusayan and Parks Areas

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coco-sheriff-300pxFLAGSTAFF — The Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Emergency Management will conduct 20 hours of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training for teen-aged citizens who live in or near the above listed areas. The training is offered free of charge and will be held on three Saturdays in January at the Williams Justice Court/Coconino County Sheriff’s Office located at 700 West Railroad Avenue, Williams, Arizona.

The training dates and times are

  1. Saturday, January 9, 2016 8 am to 5 pm
  2. Saturday, January 16, 2016 8 am to 5 pm
  3. Saturday January 23, 2016 8 am to 12 noon

CERT, Community Emergency Response Team grew out of the natural desire to help others during and after a natural disaster. The first people on most scenes after a disaster are survivors who want to help.

The primary objective of Teen CERT is to teach young citizens how to keep themselves, their family members and their fellow students safe before and during a disaster and how to assist them during the aftermath of a disaster. Teens will learn how to best prepare for a disaster and how to assess the scene after a disaster. They will also learn how to conduct a search and rescue operation and how to suppress small fires.

Participants will receive 6 hours of training in disaster medical operations and learn how to conduct injured victim triage. They will learn the Incident Command System and how to communicate with professional emergency responders in the most efficient way possible. Following the training successful participants will be prepared to help when disaster strikes until professional responders arrive.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Jim Driscoll believes teens in Coconino County are an untapped resource and by offering this training the Sheriff’s Office is joining a fast growing national trend to train teens as the next generation of citizens who are prepared for emergencies and natural disasters.

After the training, teens that successfully completed the course will be encouraged to join one of the many CERT Teams that exist in Coconino County. In doing so they will receive additional training and be given the opportunity to assist first responders during emergencies and non-emergencies. Successful participants will be given a CERT backpack with some basic emergency response equipment.

Interested teens who would like more information or who wish to register for this training are asked to call Sergeant James Steng at (928) 679-8735 or (928) 607-6470.

Doney Park Neighborhood Watch Meeting

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and District 4 Supervisor Mandy Metzger would like to invite residents of the Doney Park community to attend the monthly Neighborhood Watch meeting on Thursday, December 3, 2015. Due to a scheduling conflict this meeting will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at a different location which is Summit Fire District Station 31 located at 6425 N. Cosnino Road at the intersection of Townsend Winona and Cosnino.

Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and Supervisor Mandy Metzger will be available to answer questions and provide support to this partnership between law abiding citizens, law enforcement and county government.

This meeting will serve as our holiday celebration and all residents of the Doney Park Community are invited to participate. Please bring a side dish, a salad or a desert.

This meeting will give us an opportunity to socialize with one another and enjoy each other’s company and celebrate a year’s worth of Neighborhood Watch successes. Our distinguished guest of honor will be retiring Summit Fire Chief Don Howard who has served the community as Fire Chief for 38 years. Please join us in thanking Chief Howard for a job well done.

Neighborhood Watch is similar to the Block Watch program commonly conducted in urban areas and goes back to the concept of “neighbors looking out for neighbors” that many people remember from 30 years ago. It is one of the most effective ways to prevent and deter criminal activity, attend to home and personal security, address the safety of our children and the elderly, and to alleviate fear and isolation. Residents learn how to observe and report suspicious activity and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime.

For more information about the Neighborhood Watch program and the meeting schedule, please call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5089.

Timberline/Fernwood Neighborhood Watch Holiday Potluck

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll and Coconino County Supervisor Liz Archuleta would like to invite residents of the Timberline and Fernwood communities to the monthly Neighborhood Watch meeting on Tuesday, December 1, 2015. The meeting will be held from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Summit Fire Station 33, located at 6050 Firehouse Lane, off of Highway 89N. Chief Deputy, Jim Driscoll staff will be at the meeting to share information and encourage continued neighborhood participation.

This meeting will serve as our holiday celebration and all residents of the Timberline and Fernwood Communities are invited to participate. Please bring a side dish, a salad or a desert.

This meeting will give us an opportunity to socialize with one another and enjoy each other’s company and celebrate a year’s worth of Neighborhood Watch successes.

Neighborhood Watch is similar to the Block Watch program commonly conducted in urban areas and goes back to the concept of “neighbors looking out for neighbors” that many people remember from 30 years ago. It is one of the most effective ways to prevent and deter criminal activity, attend to home and personal security, address the safety of our children and the elderly, and to alleviate fear and isolation. Residents learn how to observe and report suspicious activity and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime.

For more information about the Neighborhood Watch program and the meeting schedule, please call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5089.

Deceased Adult Male Found near Fat Man’s Loop Trail Identified

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FLAGSTAFF — The deceased man who was found near the Fat Man’s Loop Hiking Trail on Thursday, November 5 has been identified as sixty year-old Carl Lee Shetler. Investigators were not able to determine a home city or state for Mr. Shetler and he is listed as homeless/transient. Investigators have not been able to identify or locate any next of kin for the deceased victim.

At this point in the investigation Detectives believe that foul play was involved in the death of Carl Lee Shetler and the case is being pursued as a homicide. No additional details are being released at this time so as to protect the integrity of the investigation.

On Thursday, November 5, 2015 at approximately 9:10 am a woman contacted several Arizona Department of Public Safety officers on North Highway 89 and told them she found the body of a deceased person at a temporary campsite off of Fat Man’s Loop Trail. The officers accompanied the woman back to the campsite and found the body of a deceased adult white male. The AZ DPS officers contacted the Sheriff’s Office and Deputies and Detectives responded to the camp site.

Anyone who has information regarding the murder of Carl Lee Shetler or the identity of possible suspects is urged to call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523 or Coconino County Silent Witness at (928) 774-6111 or go to info@coconinosilentwitness.org.

Remember you can remain completely anonymous and earn a cash reward for information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the suspect or suspects. You must contact Silent Witness prior to arrest or indictment to be eligible for a reward.

Sheriff Deputies and Detectives Investigate the Death of a Man

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FLAGSTAFF — On Thursday, November 5, 2015 at approximately 9:10 am a woman contacted several Arizona Department of Public Safety officers on North Highway 89 and told them she found the body of a deceased person at a temporary campsite off of Fat Man’s Loop trail. The officers accompanied the woman back to the campsite and found the body of a deceased adult white male. The AZ DPS officers contacted the Sheriff’s Office, and Deputies and Detectives responded to the camp site.

Once the investigation at the scene was complete the body was released to a representative of the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Although Detectives believe they know the name of the deceased individual, his name will not be released until positive identification and notification of his next of kin are completed.

Detectives and Medical Examiner’s Death Investigators will continue this investigation in an attempt to determine the deceased person’s name as well as the manner and mode of his death.