Suspect Arrested in Park and Ride

The victim in the homicide from December 28, 2013 has been identified as William A. Bishop, 57, from Tempe, Arizona.

Bishop was a cab driver working overnight waiting for fares at the Park and Ride station located at Sycamore and Main in Mesa. At approximately 12:41 am, Bishop was using the restroom when he was assaulted by the suspect, Ricardo A. Ramirez, 20. Bishop suffered multiple stab wounds and later died at the hospital.

Based on information from witnesses, Ramirez was located a short distance from the crime scene and taken into custody. Witnesses later told detectives that prior to the assault, Rodriguez had made comments about working for Satan and being there to collect souls. Ramirez was interviewed and stated he had been drinking and blacked out prior to the assault.

Ramirez was booked on one count of First Degree Homicide.

Husband's ashes stolen from Mesa Widow

On Sunday, December 15, a Mesa widow received a tear-jerking phone call from her realtor, that her home had been burglarized. The realtor advised the homes contents were taken within the last 24 hours as the realtor had shown the home the day before.

The home was nearly completely cleaned out. The notable items missing were two televisions and a washer and dryer. Among the significant items taken, our victim’s belated husband’s cremated ashes were also stolen. The victim’s late husband was a Korean War Veteran and retired Maryland Police Officer. The husband passed away in 2001, after 39 years of married.    

While this investigation is still ongoing, PLEASE submit any information regarding to this incident by calling (480) 644-2211 and select option 2.   

8 Year-Old Girl Escapes After Being Abducted By Stranger

On Sunday, December 22nd, at approximately 1:00 PM, an 8 year-old Hispanic girl was taken by a stranger, while she was out riding her bicycle.  The suspect forced the victim into the front seat of his vehicle and sped away.  For the ensuing approximate 10 minutes, our department held its breath and our patrol officers flooded the area of 450 S. Valencia.  Thankfully, this abduction was witnessed by two young women driving in the area.  These observant and brave women immediately began chasing after the suspect, screaming for people to call 9-1-1.  They eventually lost sight of the fleeing suspect vehicle, but were able to flag down an officer in the area.

Then a call was received advising that a car, matching our suspect vehicle's description, had crashed in an alley not far from the abduction site.  A nearby officer immediately responded to find the little girl running toward him from an alleyway.  The little girl was frightened and received minor injuries from the accident, but was otherwise unharmed.  The suspect had apparently fled on foot.

Mesa Patrol Officers saturated the area, immediately setting up a perimeter around the entire neighborhood. Information from the witnesses and victim was transmitted to all units in the area.  At approximately 1:45 PM, officers located the suspect, later identified as 22 year-old Robert C. Milliron, exiting a nearby business. He was taken into custody after a brief struggle with officers.

I can tell you, there are few investigations that affect a community and police department like those involving innocent children victims.  Today, a little girl is safely reunited with her family and a suspect is behind bars.  Were it not for the keen awareness and brave actions of these two witnesses, this situation may have turned out tragically different. Their bravery will be recognized.  Well done ladies. Well done.
   

Citizens Help Police Nab Suspect

On December 17 at 9:15 am, one of our patrol officers stopped a vehicle in the area of Mesa Drive and Brown Road for a traffic violation. The vehicle pulled into an apartment complex and, as our officer was exiting his patrol car to approach the vehicle, it sped away onto Mesa Drive.

 By the time our officer got back to his vehicle and onto the roadway, the vehicle was out of sight. However, there were other vehicles on the road and those helpful citizens indicated the vehicle fled westbound on Brown Road. As our officer reached Center/Brown additional citizens directed the officer to northbound Center Street. The vehicle was eventually located, abandoned in the 1500 block of North Center Street. Additional officers were in the area and the driver was located hiding in a shed in a residential back yard in the 1500 block of North Pima. 

Ultimately, the driver, identified as Trevor Allen Terry (25), was taken into custody on a burglary warrant out of MCSO and an FTA warrant out of Mesa, which is why he said he ran. He was also charged with trespassing. Were it not for our citizens assisting our officers, we likely would have not located this subject. Thank you Mesa! What a great team we make!

Mesa, AZ - Lowest Crime Rate in Over 50 Years

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) 2012 Uniformed Crime Report (UCR), the City of Mesa, Arizona ranks 3rd in the NATION in overall lowest crime rates among cities with a population of 400,000 or greater. The UCR "Part 1" crimes consist of Violent and Property Crime Categories:

Violent
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault

Property
Burglary
Theft
Stolen Vehicles

Among cities our size or larger, Mesa had the 3rd lowest Violent crime rate and 4th lowest Property crime rate, for an overall 3rd lowest Part 1 crime rate. Mesa is experiencing historic lows in crime and by all accounts, 2013 will be lower than 2012.

"The Mesa Police Department's extensive use of intelligence led policing and predictive policing policies are just a few of the many reasons why Mesa is one of the safest cities in the United States," said District 3 Councilmember Dennis Kavanaugh, who is Chair of the Council Public Safety Committee. "I could not be more proud of the outstanding work being done by the men and women of the Mesa Police Department and we will continue to support them by giving them the assets and resources necessary to keep our city safe."

Mesa Police Chief Frank Milstead credits, "community partnerships and world class policing by the men and women of the Mesa Police Department," for this success. He adds, "With the trust and support of a community all things are possible. Without these, little can be accomplished. We value greatly the strong relationship we enjoy with the citizens of Mesa and recognize that this success is as much theirs as it is ours."

Mesa’s Crime Rate at 50 Year Low!

According to the 2012 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Statistics, the City of Mesa, when ranked against cities with a population over 400,000, placed:

•  3^rd lowest in the Nation for overall Part 1 Crimes.
• 3^rd lowest in the Nation for Violent Crimes.
•  4^th lowest in the Nation for Property Crimes.

2012 saw the lowest crime rate Mesa has had in more than 50 years. This ranking for our city is a great accomplishment for the community and our first responders. We expect this downward trend will be evident in 2013 statistics as well.

Mesa PD is thrilled to earn this ranking and will continue to dedicate our efforts to ensure that Mesa continues to be a safe place to work and live. 

Mesa Police Chief Frank Milstead speaks to Mesa PD Academy Graduates

HOMICIDE ARREST

Alex Anthony Madrid

In the early morning hours of Friday, December 6th, 2013, The Mesa Police Department began an investigation into the tragic death of a young girl, later identified as 14 year-old Claudia Ann Lucero. As the investigation progressed, there was indication this involved a sexual assault and strangulation of our victim. Early on in the investigation our detectives identified 31 year-old Alex Anthony Madrid as a person of interest. Madrid was the recently estranged boyfriend of our victim's mother, whom had recently moved out of the residence.
Mesa detectives learned of open charges for probation violation on Madrid. Within hours of identifying our victim, they were able to locate and arrest him after a short vehicle chase on this charge. Additional evidence was developed linking Madrid to the crime scene, to include DNA evidence. This morning Madrid was brought to Mesa PD to be questioned about his involvement in this homicide. After invoking his rights, he was booked on the charges listed below.
While this investigation is still ongoing, we are happy to announce this arrest and provide some information to our community and hopefully some sense of justice to the victim's family. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Lucero family during this unimaginable time of grief.



Homicide Victim Identified

On December 6, 2013 at about 12:30 am, Mesa police officers responded to the Sun Garden apartments, located at 860 E. Brown in Mesa, reference a body found in a dumpster. Homicide detectives responded to the scene and began their investigation into this obviously suspicious death. We have since identified the victim as 14-year-old, Claudia Ann Lucero, whom had last been seen the previous morning at approximately 6:30 am at her residence in Mesa. We have no additional details to release at this time.
 
This is a tragedy with profound effect on family, friends and our community as a whole. Though no arrests have been made as of this release, our investigators our vigorously pursuing all leads in the investigation. We are asking for anyone with information that may assist us in our investigation to immediately contact the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211, option 2, or Silent Witness at 480- WITNESS.

Arrest Warrants Issued for Three Suspects in Halloween Homicide

Three suspects have now been indicted on murder charges related to the death of Brian Lee Weathers, 36. Weathers was found in the 300 East block of Harmony with an apparent gunshot wound at approximately 11:44 pm on Halloween night. He was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries. Initially, detectives had very little information on the crime. Eventually a witness came forward and provided information leading to the identity of the suspects.

All three men were arrested on unrelated charges in Cheatham County, Tennessee. When two of the suspects were contacted in Tennessee, they were driving a vehicle in which evidence linking them to the homicide in Arizona was found. The suspects are Zackary Burgess, age 22; Brandon Simon, age 18; and Joseph Holt, age 22. All three are listed as Tennessee residents.

On December 4, 2013, Mesa detectives were able to secure indictments on all three men. They are each charged with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Kidnapping and one count of Armed Robbery. All three are held on a 1 million dollar bond each and are awaiting extradition to Arizona.

Fraud - "Quick Change"

During the month of November, the below pictured suspects entered multiple businesses in Mesa, Chandler and Phoenix in an attempt to defraud the businesses. The suspect hands the employee a $100 bill and asks for change. After receiving the change, the suspect attempts to confuse the employee by requesting different denominations, eventually demanding the original $100 bill back. Some employees have given the $100 bill back with the additional change, resulting in a monetary loss to the business. It is unknown at this time if there are additional suspects involved.

We are also seeking information on unreported "quick change" crimes that match these suspects.

Please submit any information regarding the crime or identity of the suspect(s) through the “Submit a Tip” option at www.CrimeReports.com or text information to 274-637 (CRIMES). Begin your message with MESAPD. You can also call 480-644-2211 and select option 2. Refer to report number 20133240728.

Crime Stats - November 2013

The following are the top 5 calls for service and arrests for each patrol district -- 11/01/2013 through 11/30/2013.

FIESTA		CENTRAL
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	413	Subjects Disturbing	415
Check Welfare	363	Check Welfare	302
Loud Music/Noise	232	Loud Music/Noise	231
Other Agency Assist	190	Other Agency Assist	193
Suspicious Activity	160	Suspicious Activity	165
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Robbery	5	Robbery	3
Aggravated Assault	7	Aggravated Assault	9
Breaking & Entering	7	Breaking & Entering	9
Theft	64	Theft	58
Alcohol/DUI	57	GTA	2
Other Assaults	34	Alcohol/DUI	58
Disorderly Conduct	19	Other Assaults	55
Drugs	68	Disorderly Conduct	34
Fiscal/Forgery	7	Drugs	54
Loitering/Runaway	4	Fiscal/Forgery	11
Sex Offenses	2	Loitering/Runaway	7
Vandalism	19	Sex Offenses	3
All Other	147	Vandalism	27
		All Other	232
TOTAL	440	TOTAL	562

RED MOUNTAIN		SUPERSTITION
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Check Welfare	373	Check Welfare	307
Subjects Disturbing	360	Subjects Disturbing	246
Loud Music/Noise	280	Other Agency Assist	195
Suspicious Activity	235	Suspicious Activity	185
Burglary Alarm	195	Burglary Alarm	183
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Rape	2	Rape	1
Robbery	2	Robbery	2
Aggravated Assault	9	Aggravated Assault	5
Breaking & Entering	5	Breaking & Entering	2
Theft	92	Theft	118
GTA	1	Alcohol/DUI	43
Alcohol/DUI	49	Other Assaults	23
Other Assaults	43	Disorderly Conduct	13
Disorderly Conduct	26	Drugs	32
Drugs	91	Fiscal/Forgery	5
Fiscal/Forgery	20	Loitering/Runaway	8
Loitering/Runaway	2	Vandalism	12
Sex Offenses	3	All Other	55
Vandalism	18
All Other	1
TOTAL	508	TOTAL	319

Tire Slashing Arrest

Shortly before 4:30 am this morning, Mesa officers responded to a call for subjects letting air out of car tires at 1360 W. Isabella in Mesa, the Garden Place Apartments. Officers arrived in less than a minute and located two subjects matching the description. Seeing the police, the subjects separated and ran from officers. Minutes later the subjects were located and detained.

One of the subjects had a cut on his hand and eventually a bloody knife, believed to be used to slash the tires, was located along the path our suspects ran. The subjects were questioned and eventually transported to the main station for interviews with our investigators. Suspect Nicholas James Rourke (22 years old), confessed to slashing the tires to numerous vehicles within the apartment complex parking lot. He was intoxicated and stated he did it because he was upset over losing some money. Rourke stated that he cut his hand on the knife, which he later discarded, while puncturing car tires. As of this release, we have located a total of seventeen vehicles, including one motorcycle, with punctured tires. Rourke was booked on seventeen counts of Criminal Damage.

The other subject, a 30-year-old white male, was released pending further investigation. The Fiesta Patrol District has experienced two previous tire slashing incidents and, while we continue to evaluate all three cases, we have not tied this suspect to the other incidents.

Five Minutes with the Chief 2013-4