Category Archives: Law Enforcement

Seventy Three Year-Old Parks AZ Man Shot in Chest

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Parks—Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a shooting in Parks on Sunday. The incident appears to be a case of domestic violence between a seventy-three year old man and his twenty-nine year old wife.

The man was shot in the chest in the community between Williams and Bellemont. The man was treated at the scene by Guardian medical personnel and transported to Flagstaff where he is currently listed in critical condition. Detectives have yet to interview the man because of his condition.

According to the female, she and her husband spent a significant time on Sunday at a bar located close to their neighborhood. According to the female, both of them consumed a significant amount of alcohol during the course of the day. She reported that upon their return home they began to argue with each other and her husband elected to leave the residence and spend the night in his jeep that was parked outside.

She said that at some point during the evening, her husband reentered the residence and the two began to argue once again. According to the female, her husband placed his hands around her neck and began to choke her. At some point during this altercation the male was shot once in the chest with a 22 caliber hand gun.

Detectives are continuing this investigation in an attempt to determine who produced the weapon and who was holding the weapon at the time of the shooting. No arrests have been made at this point. The Sheriff’s Office is withholding the names of the two involved individuals pending further investigation.

Car Pedestrian Collision Claims Life of Two Year-Old Child

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Doney Park—Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives are investigating a fatality car pedestrian collision that occurred yesterday on Pioneer Valley Road located in the Doney Park subdivision east of Flagstaff.

On Monday, July 8, 2013 at about 4:41 pm deputies responded to the report of a car pedestrian collision in which the two year-old female victim was described as being in very serious condition. The first deputy arrived before any on-duty firefighters or medical personnel were on scene. The deputy found the child lying in the roadway unconscious, with obvious physical signs of severe head trauma. A retired Summit Fire Department firefighter with prior medical training was knelling over the child and stabilizing her head and neck. The deputy immediately began chest compressions and quickly determined the child had a pulse and very labored breathing. Medical personnel from the Summit Fire Department and Guardian Medical Transport arrived and took over the medical care of the victim. The child was transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center by Guardian ground ambulance.

During an interview with the fifty nine year-old female driver of the vehicle, deputies determined she was driving north on Pioneer Valley road at a speed of about 25 miles per hour when she looked to the west side of Pioneer Valley Road and saw a group of children playing in a residential yard adjacent to the road. According to the driver she slowed her vehicle to about 20 miles per hour. Deputies believe the child was in a yard on the east side of the road when she ran into the street and was struck by the front, passenger side of the car.

The child was pronounced deceased on Monday evening by a physician at the Flagstaff Medical Center. No enforcement action has been taken at this point as the investigation is ongoing.

Woman Dies in Supai Canyon After Being Struck by Falling Tree Branch

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Supai, AZ—Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives are investigating the death of twenty seven year-old Danielle Marie Harris of Mesa, Arizona who was struck by a falling tree branch in Supai Canyon.

On Saturday July 6, 2013 at about 4:15 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Officers who are assigned to law enforcement duties in Supai Canyon. According to the BIA investigator, Ms. Harris was staying at the designated camp ground in the canyon with nine other people in her group, all from the greater Phoenix area. The victim was seated at a picnic table positioned under a large cottonwood tree located in the campground. BIA investigators believe that as a result of high winds, a large branch that was approximately twelve inches in diameter broke off and struck the victim who sustained multiple injuries to include severe head trauma. A portion of the branch also struck a forty seven year-old male of Peoria, Arizona who was standing in close proximity to the picnic table.

Medical personnel employed by the Havasupai Nation responded and determined that Ms. Harris was deceased. The male who also was struck by the branch was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and flown to the Flagstaff Medical Center by an Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Helicopter. Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives are continuing this investigation.

Items Stolen from Train Recovered in Williams

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Williams, AZ––On Saturday, June 22, 2013, Deputies of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Williams Patrol District encountered suspicious vehicles in the Parks, AZ area. One of the vehicles, a U-Haul Truck left the scene when a Deputy tried to make contact with the occupants. The U-Haul was observed heading eastbound on I-40 and eventually was located abandoned at the parking lot of the Quality Inn. A search of the U-Haul revealed several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of electronics items which were later determined to have been stolen from a BNSF train.

The incident began at approximately 6:15 am on Saturday morning when a deputy was conducting regular neighborhood patrols in the Parks, AZ area. He observed at least two vehicles that were suspiciously parked; one of the vehicles was a U-Haul Truck. When the deputy tried to make contact with the occupants, the driver of the U-Haul Truck drove off at a high rate of speed.

Another deputy responding to assist the deputy in Parks observed the U-Haul on I-40 in the opposite direction of travel the deputy was driving. The deputy turned around to attempt to stop the U-Haul, but the truck exited I-40, Exit 163 and was abandoned in the parking lot of the Quality Inn hotel in Williams, AZ. The driver is suspected of having fled into the woods north of the hotel. The driver was not located during a search of the woods.

A member of the member of the Northern Arizona Street Crimes Task Force (also known as Metro), assisted the Sheriff’s Office in obtaining and executing a search warrant on the U-Haul truck. Items found in the truck included packaged electronics such as flat screen TV’s, speakers, car stereos, DVD players, etc. The exact value is not known but expected to be worth several hundred thousand dollars. The investigation revealed that these items had been stolen from a BNSF train at a location somewhere between Sanders, AZ and the Arizona-New Mexico state line. BNSF law enforcement responded to the location and took custody of the property.

The other vehicle and three individuals contacted in the Parks area were interviewed and released prior to the discovery of the stolen items. BNSF has taken jurisdiction of the investigation.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department Offer Woods Watch Training and Orientation

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FLAGSTAFF—As Coconino County has moved into heightened fire danger season and into greater fire related restrictions, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and the US Forest Service are offering “Woods Watch” training and orientation. This volunteer program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are asked to watch for people accessing closed areas of the forest and for people who are using fire carelessly or against current fire restrictions. These volunteers are trained to be especially vigilant for activity that may be occurring on forested lands in the Flagstaff City limits, unincorporated areas of Coconino County, and on US Forest Service land.

Woods Watch has been very successful in years past. In 2002, approximately 300 volunteers attended the training and assisted Northern Arizona law enforcement officers in watching access points to the forest. Teams of volunteers were trained in the greater Flagstaff area, Mormon Lake, Munds Park and other unincorporated areas of Coconino County. The additional sets of eyes on our community helped keep unlawful fire activity under check. With the extremely dry and windy conditions our community experiences, a fire start may spread very quickly endangering lives and property.

This year, we are offering Woods Watch re-certification and new volunteer training on Friday, June 28, 2013 at 6:00 pm at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility located at 911 E. Sawmill Rd. Citizens who have attended this training in previous years are asked to attend again as a review and to receive updated information. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office also will be providing Woods Watch training to its established volunteer groups of Search and Rescue, existing Neighborhood Watch Programs, and CERT during their regular meetings. The training takes approximately one hour.

The Woods Watch Program area a commitment to join local law enforcement officers with community members to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires.

Vehicle Collides with FUSD Bus

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FLAGSTAFF—Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the report of a two vehicle collision involving a school bus and a suburban utility vehicle today at about 12:32 pm. The collision occurred on Leupp Road in the area of Copley Drive. To date Deputies have determined that the SUV was traveling southbound on Leupp Road and for an unknown reason crossed the centerline of the roadway and struck the driver side of a FUSD school bus that was traveling northbound.

The impact caused the rear axle of the bus to break free from its mounts. The rear axle of the bus struck the front drivers side wheel and axle of the SUV causing it to separate from the frame. Summit Fire Department and Guardian ambulance personnel transported the driver of the SUV for minor injuries. There were three children on the school bus at the time of the collision. All three elementary school students denied injury however two were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center as a precautionary measure where they were treated and released. The third child was released to a family member who arrived on scene. The driver of the bus was not injured in the collision.

The three students were being transported from an elementary school located in Flagstaff to their homes in Leupp at the time of this collision. Deputies are continuing this investigation. No citations have been issued at this point in the investigation.

Deceased Male Located in Oak Creek Canyon

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FLAGSTAFF—The body of the man who was found deceased in Oak Creek Canyon on May 27,2013 has been identified as forty-seven year old Stephen Buck of Washington state.

On May 27, 2013 at about 4:13 pm an individual who was hiking in Oak Creek Canyon called a Coconino County Sheriff Emergency Dispatcher on his cell phone to report that he and a companion hiker were exploring the canyon when they found a deceased male subject. The caller’s location was determined to be off of State Route 89A in the area of mile post 379.5. Upon their arrival Deputies made contact with the reporting party and found the body to be that of an adult male, that was lying face down behind some trees by a creek. The subject was fully clothed and investigators did not observe any signs of injures or blunt trauma that would be consistent with an assault or some other manner of foul play.

Detectives found several types of controlled substances or narcotics in close proximity to the body. Investigators found a key for a U-Haul vehicle in a pocket of clothing worn by the deceased individual and matched it to a U-Haul van that was parked along SR 89A. The van was reported as stolen by the renting agency and investigators learned that there was an active US Marshal Federal Warrant for the deceased subject that was initiated by the Department of Drug Enforcement in California.

Detectives are considering the possibility that the individual died as the result of a self-induced drug overdose. This investigation is being continued.

Lost 14 Year Old Hiker Located in Paria Canyon

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PAGE—Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Helicopter from Flagstaff and the Kane County, Utah Sheriff’s Office located and rescued a lost 14 year old boy, who had become separated from his party while hiking Paria Canyon.

Around 11:00 pm, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a lost hiker in the Paria Canyon in Northern Arizona, just off the Utah border. A church Boy Scout group from Mesa, AZ consisting of a scout leader and six scouts were on day two of a multi-day hike in the canyon. The group had entered the canyon at the Wire Pass Trailhead.

At some time Wednesday afternoon, the 14 year old boy became separated from his party. Due to a lack of communication from inside the canyon, the scout leader hiked the group out to Lee’s Ferry where they reported the lost subject.

The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit requested assistance from DPS Ranger Helicopter, while searchers from Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area to conduct ground searches.

The DPS Air Rescue Helicopter and crew flew into the canyon and located the missing boy around 3:30 am. The flight crew was able to land the helicopter in the canyon and transported the boy out to Lee’s Ferry.

The boy had become separated when he stopped due to a muscle cramp. He attempted to catch up to his party, but could not do so before nightfall. The boy walked back up the canyon to a wide area in the canyon, where he placed his sleeping bag out in the open to be visible for searchers. He was medically assessed on scene and suffered no injuries. Search and Rescue crews transported the boy to Flagstaff, where he was reunited with his parents.

The availability and response of the DPS Air Rescue Helicopter was invaluable in the quick location and recovery of the hiker.

Two Stranded Hikers Rescued from West Fork in Oak Creek Canyon

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SEDONA—Two male hikers, one seventeen and one twenty years of age both of Scottsdale, Arizona, were rescued by Coconino County Sheriff’s Office personnel late Saturday evening after they found themselves in darkness with no flashlights or other light sources.

On Saturday, June 1, 2013 at about 8:43 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Sedona Fire Department (SFD). According to a SFD dispatcher, she received a 911 emergency call from one of two hikers who were stranded in West Fork Canyon in extremely dark conditions in the absence of a visible moon. The Sedona Fire Emergency Dispatch was able to determine latitude and longitude for the cell phone call, within approximately 100 feet, because they are equipped with a 911 Enhanced emergency call system that provides cell phone location information.

Furnished with a precise location of the stranded youth, a team comprised of a Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputy, a Search and Rescue Coordinator and a Search and Rescue Volunteer responded to the West Fork Trailhead and hiked approximately two miles to the victims’ location. Rescuers reached the victims at about 11:10 pm and provided each with a flashlight. The rescuers then accompanied the two hikers back to the trailhead.

The men and women of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit would like to remind hikers and hunters to leave a detailed trip plan with a trusted person and be prepared for the unexpected night out in the event of an accident or other emergency. Carry the 10 Essentials: extra water, food, warm clothing, navigation equipment, a headlamp or flashlight, a first aid kit, shelter material, a fire starting kit, a pocket knife, and signaling equipment like a signal mirror and whistle. These can be important tools to help you stay safe in the outdoors and to aid searchers in locating you. During the summer months extreme caution with fire is urged in order to prevent a wildfire.

Coconino Sheriff Deputies make arrest in Freeway Fire

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Flagstaff, AZ—Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested twenty five year-old James Duncan an individual who is currently in transit and who is originally from Mississippi, for one count of Reckless Burning a Class One Misdemeanor. Investigators believe Mr. Duncan was responsible for a one acre fire named the Freeway Fire.

On Thursday, May 24, 2013 at about 1122 am the Sheriff’s Office received a call from dispatchers assigned to the Northern District of the Arizona Department of Public Safety regarding a hitch hiker who was believed to have stated the Freeway Fire.

The Freeway Fire was a one-acre fire on the north side of I-40 just west of the Bellemont rest stop.

According to the DPS Dispatcher one of their Officers had visual contact with a hitchhiker who matched the description of an individual who was seen smoking in the area where a wild land fire ignited. DPS dispatchers received a cellular phone call from a passing motorist who observed the suspect sitting on a log on the shoulder of the West bound lanes of Interstate Highway I-40 in the area of Mile-Post 181 and smoking a lit cigarette.

When the Deputy arrived he and the DPS Officer made contact with the individual. The caller returned to the area and identified the subject as the same person he observed sitting on the log and smoking the cigarette. During an interview with the subject he admitted to sitting on the log and smoking a cigarette but denied causing the fire. United States Forest Service Firefighters identified the point of origin of the Freeway Fire to be the log where Duncan was seated or in very close proximity to the log.

James Duncan was arrested for one count of Reckless Burning and transported to the Coconino County Detention Facility located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

High winds and dry conditions have caused red flag conditions in Coconino causing fire restrictions to be put in place in the Kaibab and Coconino forests starting today.