Laser Pointed at Aircraft - Arrest Made

On 10/26/19 the Mesa Police Air Unit was flying around the area of 1140 S 111th Circle in Mesa, AZ when a green laser was pointed at them. They notified ground units of the approximate location and then returned and were again pointed at by the green laser. Ground units observed the suspect pointing the laser and he was identified as 30-year-old Phillip Merrell. Officers learned Phillip had pointed the laser the day before at a commercial airliner from the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Officers also learned there were numerous other recent complaints from pilots saying someone in the area was shining a laser at them. Phillip said he didn’t know it was illegal to point a laser at an occupied aircraft.

Phillip was arrested and charged with one count of pointing a laser at an occupied aircraft and one count of endangerment involving risk of imminent death.

Major Drug Arrest

On October 17, 2019, the Mesa Police Department Organized Crime Unit received information of suspicious activity occurring at a Travel Lodge Hotel located at 1424 North 50th Ave in Phoenix, AZ. The investigation led detectives to identify a male and female likely involved in drug possession and sales. The female was later identified as Marisol Beltran Marquez (DOB 7-3-77) and was observed driving an involved vehicle. She was pulled over for a civil traffic violation and a certified Mesa Police K9 was called to the scene which alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. After searching the vehicle and concluding search warrants on all the involved properties, detectives located over 20 pounds of cocaine, 16 pounds of heroin, 20 pounds of Methamphetamine and approximately 15,000 pills of fentanyl. There was also over $3,000 cash in the vehicle.

The male was later identified as Jeusef Roberto Beltran Arenas (DOB 1-26-95) and was determined to be the person in control of the room where the investigation initiated and where the illicit drugs were observed being picked up by Marisol. Jeusef was stopped earlier in the day and already detained by DPS for possession of illegal drugs. Jeusef declined to talk to detectives about the investigation. Marisol stated Jeusef was her nephew and she had received a call stating he was arrested and she needed to pick up the items in the hotel. Marisol said she didn’t know exactly what was in the bags she picked up but believed it was some sort of illegal drugs.

Marisol has been charged with:

Transport/Sale Narcotic Drug (3 Counts), Possession of Narcotic Drug for Sale (3 Counts), Possession of Narcotic Drug ( 3 Counts), Transport/Sale Dangerous Drug, Possession of Dangerous Drug for Sale, Possession of Dangerous Drug, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Jeusef has been charged with:

Transport/Sale Narcotic Drug (3 Counts), Possession of Narcotic Drug for Sale (3 Counts), Possession of Narcotic Drug ( 3 Counts), Transport/Sale Dangerous Drug, Possession of Dangerous Drug for Sale, Possession of Dangerous Drug, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The estimated street value of the drugs seized is nearly $600,000. Great job by all involved. The Mesa Police Department is grateful to have good working relationships with our local and federal law enforcement partners and we wish to thank the members of the East Valley Drug Task Force and Mesa Police SWAT who assisted in this investigation.

Roadways Prove Dangerous for Construction Workers, Police and Fire

Sgt. Loewenhagen

Almost 1,500 construction workers nationally have been killed on the job.

“Construction workers have kind of a unique aspect because when they’re in a roadway, the roadway is not flowing normally,” said Traffic Sgt. Greg Loewenhagen.

“There are barricades out in the road, the speed limits have changed. So, the people who are used to traveling those roads are not traveling a normal traffic pattern. Any bit of those changes can have an impact on drivers such as the lowered speed limits, the change of signage where you used to be able to turn right or left and now you can’t. That all present hazards when people are driving. Many times, they’re driving distracted – they’re not paying attention to those signs, they’re not looking at the barricades. The construction personnel who are out in the roadway at that time trying to work have drivers whizzing by who aren’t paying attention as they should be and it’s extremely hazardous to them.”

In addition to barricades, at every roadway work zone there are signs that say something like ‘workers on duty.’

“Their job is dangerous and unfortunately, they’re committed to moving electrical lines or digging through the asphalt,” explained Loewenhagen. “Their attention is not on traffic so they’re hoping those barricades do their job. They’re hoping the cars stay where they’re supposed to stay. But it’s dangerous for sure.”

The dangers are equal for both police officers and firefighters.

“People see the red and blue lights, it catches their attention and, unfortunately, they’re not looking for people who are on foot,” said Loewenhagen. “They’re not looking for an officer standing in the road. They’re not looking for a firefighter or a civilian who may have gotten into a vehicle collision who’s out in the roadway. They’re looking at the cars. They see big objects. They don’t see the small ones. They don’t see the people. And that’s a big hazard. That’s why we wear bright yellow vests. It’s why we try to be as visible as possible. It is a very hazardous job anytime you’re in a roadway where there are vehicles.”

If you get a ticket for not slowing down in work zones, the fines are typically double what the normal penalty would be due to the increased danger to workers in those areas. The points, added to your driving record, are the same since the point accrual is set by the Motor Vehicle Division. A ticket can also increase your insurance rates.

As Sgt. Loewenhagen points out, most of these violations are civil violations so it’s just a ticket, not a crime.   

As a motorcycle officer, Sgt. Loewenhagen has near misses on a regular basis. “I have to brake very heavily to avoid somebody turning left in front of me or I have to evade left or right from somebody who’s pulling into a lane I’m already occupying. Motorcycles, unfortunately, aren’t as visible as vehicles. The same as pedestrians. They’re smaller objects. They take up less space in someone’s field of view. So, it happens to me about every week or two where I have to avoid a collision on a motorcycle.”

He does pull those drivers over when he’s able to but doesn’t if he’s headed to an emergency call.

“One of the things we try to do as motorcycle officers are if we make traffic stops on roadways with a 45 mph or higher speed limit, we try to get the motorist off the road,” Sgt. Loewenhagen said. “I want them to pull into a parking lot, pull onto a side street, get off the road completely. That’s safer for us, safer for the other motorists on the roadway. If I have to stop on a roadway that has a high-speed limit, I’m approaching the passenger side of the car. I don’t even want to be next to traveling vehicles that are at full road speed. Sometimes we’re forced to do it. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling even for someone like me who’s been doing it for 20 years and probably has made 5,000-10,000 traffic stops.”

His advice to any driver getting pulled over is to get off the road, turn your emergency flashers on immediately, if possible, and begin to slow down. “That way the officer behind you knows that you’re acknowledging you’

The sergeant reassures drivers they won’t get in trouble for driving a little way to find a safe place to pull over.

“I appreciate people who are pulling over, at my direction, when they go to a safe spot,” added Loewenhagen.