Mesa Man Arrested After Killing Son

Mesa, AZ (December 20, 2021 6:31 a.m.): Mesa Police Officers responded to a 911 call of a shooting in the 3300 block of East Jerome to find a 19-year-old male with multiple gunshot wounds. The male was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased. 61-year-old, Jeffrey Williams, was arrested and booked into jail for Murder. 

On December 19, 2021, at 12:30 p.m., Jeffrey Williams called 911 and said that he had shot his son, 19-year-old Adam Williams. When officers arrived, Jeffrey surrendered to police without incident. A witness was located from inside the house and confirmed what Jeffrey had told the officers, adding that Adam could be found lying in his own bed.  Adam was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. 

Jeffrey was booked into jail for one count 1^st Degree Murder-DV, ARS 13-1105A1, a class one felony and held on a $1,000,000 bond. 

Jeffrey Williams Mug Shot

Mesa Police Seek Publics Help

 

News Release

Mesa Police seeks public’s help

Mesa, AZ – (December 17^th, 2021 11:08 a.m) The Mesa Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying witnesses to an incident involving a Tempe Police Department Motor Officer last night that resulted in him sustaining injuries. The incident occurred on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway and the McKellips Road overpass in Mesa.

 

On 12/16/2021 at around 7:20pm, A Tempe Police Department Motor Officer was driving his marked police motorcycle home after getting off work. While traveling southbound on the Red Mountain Freeway approaching the McKellips underpass, the officer was struck by an object that turned out to be a rock. The officer was struck in the helmet and shoulder almost causing him to crash his motorcycle. The officer was able to safely pull to the side of the freeway and radio in for help.

 

The officer was transported to a local hospital with injuries that are non-life threatening. The six-year veteran was later released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

 

The Mesa Police Department is investigating this incident and is seeking the assistance of the community to identify and prosecute who is responsible. If anyone was in this area at the time this incident occurred and saw something that may help this investigation, please reach out at 480-644-2211 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.

 

Situations such as these are extremely dangerous. Throwing objects at any moving vehicle can result in serious injury or death. Help us keep our community safe by reaching out with any information you may have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man Arrested for Filming Boy Under Bathroom Stall

On December 2, 2021, just before 5:00 p.m., a young boy used the public restroom at a local convenience store, located in the 1900 block of E. Southern Ave Mesa, AZ. While using the restroom, the boy noticed a cell phone propped up against the toilet in the stall next to him.  The cell phone was positioned towards the boy’s bathroom stall and appeared to be recording him using the bathroom.

With clever thinking, the boy made a video recording on his cell phone of what he was seeing. When he left the bathroom stall, he made another video recording of the person in the adjoining stall picking up the cell phone.

The boy waited for the person to leave the bathroom and recorded their description and license plate, supplying this information to Mesa Police Officers. 

Officers used the license plate information provided by the boy to put together a photo line up to include the registered owner’s photograph.  The boy picked out the person who recorded him as the registered owner.

On December 8, 2021, Mesa Police Officers located the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Marvin Barnes, and booked him into jail for the following charge:

ARS 13-1424A; Voyeurism, a class 5 felony.

Without the boy’s smart thinking, it is unknown if the suspect would have ever been located or arrested. Good job to this young victim for thinking outside the box and providing accurate information to assist officers in this case. 

Marvin Barnes Mug Shot

 

Operation Deja Boo

A joint operation involving several law enforcement agencies leads to the arrests of 30 suspects for child sex related crimes.

During the month of October, multiple valley police agencies participated in Operation “Deja Boo.” This operation targeted sex buyers involved in child sex trafficking and those intent on luring minors for sexual exploitation.  The collaborative efforts of those involved led to the filing of child sex related crimes on 30 individuals through the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

This operation was conducted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Chandler Police Departments, as well as Homeland Security Investigations. The ability of all these agencies to come together and work as a unit led to the success of this operation. The arrests breakdown as follows:

 

o   Phoenix Police:    11 arrests

o   Scottsdale Police: 8 arrests

o   Mesa Police:         7 arrests

o   Chandler Police:   2 arrests

o   Tempe Police:      2 arrests

Arrest totals:           30

 

Below are the suspects who were arrested in the Mesa Police cases. For information on the others, please contact the respective departments listed above.

If you have information about someone being trafficked, contact your local police department or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

Samuel Davis

Charges:

2 counts- ARS 13-3212.B2 Child Sex Trafficking, 13-2317.A1, Money Laundering

 

Alex Zean

 Charges:

ARS 13-3554.A, Luring of a Minor for Sexual Exploitation, ARS 13-1405.A Attempted Sexual conduct with a minor (3F).

Tom Lindgaard Hansen

Charges:

ARS 13-3212.B2, Child Sex Trafficking, 13-2317.A1, Money Laundering

Jordan Higgins

Charges:

ARS 13-3554.A, luring of a Minor for Sexual Exploitation, ARS 13-1405.A, Attempted Sexual conduct with a minor (3F).

Delbert Lee

Charges:

ARS 13-3554.A, luring of a Minor for Sexual Exploitation, ARS 13-1405.A, Attempted Sexual conduct with a minor (3F). 

David Castaneda Gomez

Charges:

ARS 13-3212.B2, Child Sex Trafficking, 13-2317.A1, Money Laundering,

 

Nathan Ortiz

Charges:

ARS 13-3212.B2, Child Sex Trafficking, 13-2317.A1, Money Laundering

 

Man Fires Handgun at Mesa Police Officer

On November 8, 2021, just after 2:00 a.m., a Mesa Police Officer noticed a vehicle with a broken taillight and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle pulled into the apartment complex of 1903 N. Country Club Mesa, AZ and the officer followed with his overhead red and blue lights flashing. Suddenly, an occupant leaned out of the passenger side window pointing a handgun and shot several rounds at the officer. The driver then sped out of the complex.

The officer pursued the vehicle, driving northbound onto the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and coming to a stop on a dirt road that dead ended at the Verde River. At this time, 34-year-old Chanceler Sandoval, ran from the vehicle, leaving the driver, 33-year-old Tobias Thomas, and a female passenger behind.

Officers from DPS, MCSO, and Fort McDowell all responded to assist and helped take Thomas and the female into custody.

Around 3:19 a.m., a deputy with MCSO heard a noise by the river and yelled out to challenge the disturbance. Sandoval emerged soaking wet and cold; he surrendered to police officers without further incident.

Officers saw a handgun inside the vehicle and seized the vehicle as evidence, pending a search warrant to recover the weapon.

Sandoval told officers that he was recently released from prison and did not want to go back. He knew the officer was trying to pull the vehicle over and admitted to shooting the handgun toward the officer. Sandoval also stated that while the vehicle fled, he reloaded the handgun in preparation for another shoot-out with police.

Officers located six shell casings at 1903 N. Country Club along with video surveillance of the incident.

The officer who initiated the traffic stop was not injured. Upon inspection of his patrol vehicle, the officer located what appeared to be a bullet strike to the hood of his car.

The female passenger was interviewed and released without charges.

Chanceler Sandoval was booked into jail for the following charges and held on a $100,000 bond:

6 counts ARS 13-1204A8A- Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement, a class 2 felony

1 count ARS 13-1209A- Drive by Shooting, a class 2 felony

1 count ARS 13-1211B- Discharging a Firearm at a Structure, a class 3 felony

1 count ARS 13-3102A4- Misconduct Involving Weapons, a class 5 felony

1 count ARS 13-3107A- Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, a class 6 felony

Chanceler Sandoval Mug Shot

Tobias Thomas was booked into jail for the following charges:

1 count ARS 28-622.01- Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement, a class 5 felony

1 count ARS 28-1383A1- Aggravated DUI, a class 4 felony

1 count ARS 13-1201A- Endangerment, a class 6 felony

Tobias Thomas Mug Shot

Mesa Police Wrap Up Operation Summer Project

The Mesa Police Department concluded their Operation Summer Project on October 8, 2021.  The main goal of the Operation Summer Project was to reduce violent crime within the City of Mesa.  To help reach this goal a high visibility enforcement model using an intelligence driven/ targeted effort focused on violent crime was utilized.

The operation was in effect from June 30- October 8, 2021. Officers, detectives, and professional staff from throughout the Police Department were involved and worked together to identify and locate individuals within the community that were committing violent crimes. Those participating in the operation conducted enforcement activities throughout the entire city.  During the timeframe of the project hundreds of arrests were made resulting in illegal drug seizures, weapon seizures, and warrant arrests.  The Mesa community was also instrumental in the success of this operation by submitting crime tips that assisted and furthered investigations. 

Below are statistical results of the 15-week operation and a few examples of subjects arrested:

645 overall arrests, 317 Adult Felony and 321 Adult Misdemeanor / 3 Juvenile Felony and 4 Juvenile Misdemeanor

148 Felony warrants cleared

213 Misdemeanor warrants cleared

32,800 grams of methamphetamine seized, street value of $180,700

84,603 Fentanyl pills seized, street value of $846,000

1,784 grams of cocaine seized, street value of $142,700

136 DUI arrests (alcohol) and 33 DUI arrest (drugs)

73 Firearms seized

Rickey Cheney Mug Shot

54-year-old Rickey Cheney was arrested for armed robbery, aggravated assault, and 3^rd degree burglary.  This arrest was a result of Cheney violently assaulting and robbing a customer at a convenience store in the area of 1200 S. Higley.  After severely injuring that victim Cheney went to the area of 1400 S. Higley, entered the domicile of another victim, and seriously assaulted that victim.  Cheney was held on $10,000 bond at the time of this arrest.

Frankie Miranda Mug Shot

30-year-old Frankie Miranda was arrested for aggravated assault, warrants and other weapons charges.  This arrest was a result of a shooting that occurred during an altercation in a parking lot in the area of 800 N. Dobson Rd.  Miranda was held on No Bond at the time of his arrest.

Marc Garcia

38-year-old Marc Garcia was arrested for aggravated assault and weapons charges when officers involved in the operation caught him chasing two males with a large, fixed blade knife in the area of 200 S. Country Club Dr.  Garcia was held on $10,000 bond at the time of his arrest.

The work performed by the officers, detectives and professional staff in this operation is a good example of the commitment of the Mesa Police Department to making the streets of Mesa safer for our community through strategic planning, intelligence led policing, technology, and hard work.

Man Arrested After Shooting Parent’s House

On October 25, 2021, just after 2:00 a.m., Mesa Police Officers took 22-year-old Ruben Flores III into custody for discharging a firearm into his parent’s home on three separate occasions after being kicked out days prior.

It all started on October 20, 2021, when Flores III was kicked out of his parent’s home after a domestic violence incident in which he damaged property and made threats to kill his father. The next day, just before 9:00 p.m., at least thirteen bullets penetrated the front of the family home.

No one could positively identify the shooter, but numerous people saw a male running away from the scene. Officers later discovered the shooting was captured on a neighbor’s video surveillance camera. 

On October 22, 2021, at nearly 2:00 a.m., officers contacted Flores III as he was getting into an Uber that was parked just west of his parent’s home. Officers photographed Flores III to document his condition and clothing. They also located a shotgun hidden in some nearby bushes that belonged to Flores III’s father.

On October 23, 2021, ten bullets entered the rear of the Flores’ family home around 5:00 p.m. Again, the suspect was caught on neighboring video surveillance. The suspect was seen going into and out of the victim’s backyard. When police reviewed the footage, they noticed the suspect was wearing the same clothing as Flores III was wearing the day prior, when police contacted him by the Uber.    

The next day, three bullets were shot into the rear of the family home. In addition, words were scrawled into the paint of Flores III’s father’s truck, and the tires were flattened. Officers also discovered that the suspect left a shoe imprint on the side of the truck.

Officers contacted Uber and learned that Flores III had used their services before and after the shootings occurred.

When officers took Flores III into custody, he was wearing the same clothing that was captured on surveillance video of the suspect in the second shooting. He also wore shoes that matched the sole imprints on the side of his father’s truck and had a handgun in his possession.

Ruben Flores III was booked into jail for the following charges and held with no bond.

3 counts Discharging a Firearm at a Structure, ARS 13-1211A, a class 2 felony.

1 count Theft of a Firearm, ARS 13-1802A1, a class 6 felony.

1 active MCSO warrant 

Fingerprint Analysis Leads to Burglary Suspects in Custody

On October 1, 2021, around 6:30 a.m., Mesa Police Officers responded to a burglary at an apartment located at 960 W. Southern Mesa, AZ. A witness told officers that he watched two people take items from the apartment through a broken bedroom window and then load them into a white Chevy S10 pickup truck with a camper shell over the bed.

When officers arrived, the suspects had already fled, but officers were able to collect several pieces of evidence left behind, to include latent prints.

The victim described the stolen items with such detail, some of which were old family heirlooms, allowing officers to search for these items at local pawn shops.

On October 3, 2021, one item was located at a shop that obtained the subject’s photo ID and fingerprint as part of the transaction. This subject was identified as 36-year-old William Cloutier.

In addition, another item from the burglary was pawned at the same shop by a different subject, identified as 30-year-old Frederick Fernandez, who also submitted a photo ID and print.

On October 5, 2021, Fernandez pawned six additional stolen items from the burglary at a different pawn shop that also obtained his photo ID and print as part of the transaction process.

On October 6, 2021, officers learned that the latent print taken from the broken window matched the print of Fernandez.

On October 12, 2021, Cloutier pawned three more stolen items from the burglary at a third pawn shop. Like the other two, this pawn shop also required a photo ID and fingerprint to complete the transaction.

Cloutier and Fernandez were taken into custody on October 13, 2021. Both men admitted to committing the burglary and pawning the items for money.

While Cloutier was left alone in an interview room, he voiced to officers that he wanted to “go outside” and said, “I’m not staying in here.” Cloutier used a chair to stand up on and began pulling ceiling tiles down from the roof, causing about $1000 worth of damage.

William Cloutier was booked into jail for the following charges and held on a $2500 bond:

1 count ARS 13-1507A- 2^nd Degree Burglary, a class 3 felony

2 counts ARS 13-2307B- Trafficking Stolen Property, a class 2 felony

1 count ARS 13-2503A2- Escape in the 2^nd Degree, a class 5 felony

1 count ARS 13-1602A1- Criminal Damage, a class 6 felony

William Cloutier Mug Shot

Fernandez told officers that he still had a computer from the victim’s apartment at his residence. Officers wrote and served a search warrant, thus recovering the computer for the victim.

Frederick Fernandez was booked into jail for the following charges and held on a $10,550 bond:

1 count ARS 13-1507A- 2^nd Degree Burglary, a class 3 felony

2 counts ARS 13-2307A- Trafficking Stolen Property, a class 2 felony

1 active MCSO Warrant

Frederick Fernandez Mug Shot

The victim in this case sent a gift basket of snacks and a personalized message to Detective Slade, who had been the point of contact in this case. Appreciation also goes out to Officer McCullough, Detective Vail, and Detective Zuczek who worked this case diligently until the suspects were apprehended.  

Detective Zuczek and Detective Slade

Officer McCullough

Mesa PD Will Not Tolerate TikTok Challenge

The Mesa Police Department was recently made aware of upcoming monthly TikTok School Challenges.  One of the challenges stood out to us more than the others.  The challenge to “Smack a staff member on the backside” was very concerning.  No matter how innocent you may think a smack on the backside of a school staff member is…it is not!  It is the crime of Aggravated Assault, a felony.  Not only can you be seriously disciplined by your school, but you can be charged and arrested for a serious criminal offense.  If you want to check it out for yourself the law is called Aggravated Assault, ARS 13-1204.A8(d).  It can be found at https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/01204.htm.  

Simply put, if someone knowingly assaults a teacher or other person employed by any school while they are performing their official duties, they just committed an aggravated assault.  And yes, a smack on the back side would be considered an aggravated assault that would be investigated by the Mesa Police Department.  So, if you want some common-sense advice from the Mesa Police Department that advice is “Don’t do it.” 

If you are a student, please responsibly use the social media platforms you have access to and understand that there are consequences, sometimes criminal consequences, to posting inappropriate and threatening posts.  Remember it is more likely for you to be criminally charged for following through with a social media prank than the person who posted it. 

If you are a parent, please take the time to talk to your children and discuss with them the importance of responsible social media use and that there are consequences to following through with inappropriate and/or illegal social media posts or suggestions.

Operation Heavy Metal

During the summer of 2021, the Mesa Police Department and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office conducted an undercover operation to combat the surge in catalytic converter thefts in the City of Mesa. The operation involved undercover officers purchasing used and stolen catalytic converters from several suspects. Officers also sold catalytic converters to a suspect who bought them believing they were stolen.

In total, six suspects were identified with three arrested for a variety of criminal charges. The other three suspects have charges pending. The suspect who purchased the catalytic converters from undercover officers was also charged with commercial burglary at an auto recycler in Mesa. In this burglary, 141 catalytic converters were stolen with a value of over $40,000. This burglary also caused over $50,000 of damage to the property of the victim.

The Mesa Police Department is working diligently to combat the rising number of catalytic converter thefts in the city. This is a growing trend in the state and the City of Mesa is no exception. The following is statistical information on catalytic converter thefts in the City of Mesa from 2018 to present.

·         There were 2 stolen catalytic converter cases in 2018

 

·         There was 1 stolen catalytic converter case in 2019

 

·         There were 69 stolen catalytic converters cases in 2020

 

·         There have been 431 catalytic converter cases through 09/19/2021

In addition to this undercover operation, the Mesa Police Department also assisted in a catalytic converter marking event on September 13^th and 14^th where tips were given to the community on how to prevent the theft of their catalytic converter. Citizens had their catalytic converters etched to track and prevent theft of the catalytic converter in the future. Over 250 vehicles were able to have this process completed over a two-day period.

The Mesa Police Department is committed to working with our community partners to combat this issue.

 

Mesa Public Schools Employee Arrested

On May 10, 2021, the Mesa Police Department initiated an investigation into an inappropriate relationship between a Mesa Public Schools employee and a previous student from Skyline High School.  The victim, now 24 years old, came forward and reported to investigators that between the summer of 2012 through approximately October 2012 he was victimized by the suspect in this case, 39-year-old Jacob Zamora.  

When the victim was 15 years old and attending Skyline High School, Zamora was 30 years old. The victim told officers that he had multiple sexual encounters with Zamora and these encounters all occurred at the victim’s house. 

On September 2, 2021, investigators met with Zamora and conducted an interview.  During the interview Zamora admitted to having a sexual relationship with the victim in 2012 and to performing multiple sex acts involving the victim when he was a minor. 

Based on the testimony of the victim and Zamora, Mesa Police Investigators arrested and booked Zamora on 3 counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor, a class 6 felony. 

Zamora is an auditorium manager at Skyline High School in Mesa.  He assists with lighting and stage events that occur at the auditorium at the school.  When Mesa Public Schools was advised of Zamora’s criminal allegations, he was assigned to home duties pending the outcome of Mesa Public Schools investigation into the matter. 

Based on Zamora’s history with this victim and him working in a school environment, investigators believe there is a possibility other students may have been victimized.  

The Mesa Police Department is asking anyone with information of similar type incidents involving Zamora to please contact the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211.

Mesa Police arrest serial sexual assault suspect

Mesa, AZ – In the evening on August 29, 2021, the Mesa Police Department arrested and booked Carl L. Creamer (DOB: 7-27-1977) on multiple counts of sexual assault, aggravated assault, kidnapping, one count of attempted sexual assault and one count of sex abuse.

Mesa Police investigators began working this case on August 16, 2021, when the first victim came forward.  This victim reported being sexually assaulted at gunpoint.  Ten days after the initial victim came forward a second, independent victim, came forward and reported she was the victim of a violent attempted sexual assault where the suspect struck her on the head with a handgun before she was able to escape.

Investigators quickly linked the cases due to the similarities in the suspect description, violent tendencies of the suspect and the suspect vehicle described by both victims.  During a canvass of the area where the first sexual assault occurred surveillance video was obtained depicting a gold colored 2000’s model Ford F-150 pickup truck with several distinctive decals attached to its rear window.  The license plate number was not readable in the surveillance video.

Investigators tirelessly conducted follow-up on the information obtained from video surveillance and victim testimony but were unable to positively identify a suspect.  After exhausting all viable leads a crime bulletin was released to the public that received local media coverage.  From the release of the bulletin tips were called into the Mesa Police Department.  Through a tip, a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck, with decals in the rear window, matching the description given by victims was identified.  This vehicle was registered to Carl Creamer.

Through a photo line-up Creamer was positively identified as the suspect by one of the victims.  Creamer’s truck was later located by investigators in the 4800 block of S. 23^rd Ave. in Phoenix.  When located the decals had been removed from the rear window of the truck and the truck’s tailgate was in the down position obscuring the license plate.  While conducting surveillance on the residence where the truck was located Creamer was seen leaving in a different vehicle.  A traffic stop was conducted by detectives and Creamer was taken into custody without incident.

Creamer declined to speak with investigators and was booked into jail on the above-mentioned charges.  During the service of search warrants on Creamer’s apartment in Mesa, the residence in Phoenix, his truck and the vehicle he was stopped in several items of evidence were collected to include a tan colored handgun matching the description of the weapon used in the crimes, a specific t-shirt described by victims worn by Creamer during the commission of the crimes, and the decals that were removed from the truck.  Other evidence was video of the truck being at both locations where the crimes were committed and the fact both victims, who did not know each other, told matching stories during interviews with detectives. 

This investigation and arrest of this violent serial sexual assault suspect is a prime example of the Mesa Police Department’s relentless crime fighting model.  The Mesa Police Department members that were involved in this investigation include the Mesa Family Advocacy Center/Special Victims Unit, Major Crimes Unit, Violent Offender Unit, Gang Unit, Central Patrol District Bike Team, Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Specialists and the Mesa Police Crime Lab staff.  They all tirelessly worked this investigation until this suspect was identified, located and arrested.  But, let us also recognize the crime fighting partners that assisted in the identification of this violent suspect.  The community members that provided the tips and the Mesa Police Department’s partners in the media that assisted in getting vital information out to their viewers and listeners.  This teamwork/partnership with the Mesa Police Department all assisted in identifying and locating Creamer, ultimately leading to his arrest.

Carl Creamer

East Valley Human Trafficking Task Force August 2021

In conjunction with the Mesa Police Department’s Operation Summer Project 2021, the East Valley Human Trafficking Task Force (EVHTTF) hosted a “Buyer Reduction” operation on August 5^th and 6^th on South Country Club Drive and the US 60 in Mesa.

This operation brought numerous resources together to combat human sex trafficking and crime in the area.  

Eighteen arrests were made over the two days for adult prostitution unless otherwise noted below. The East Valley Human Trafficking Task Force will continue working diligently to reduce human sex trafficking and crime in the east valley.

The following agencies that participated in this human sex trafficking reduction operation were: The Arizona Attorney general’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Mesa Police Department, Scottsdale Police Department, and the Tempe Police Department.

Operation Summer Project 2021- Mid-Point Recap

We are 5 weeks into Operation Summer Project 2021 (OSP 2021), which was our initiative to combat violent crime as it was predicated to increase nationally. Using criminal intelligence provided by crime analysts, new target areas were selected every week with officers saturating the area to conduct proactive criminal investigations. OSP 2021 began the week of June 30, 2021.

As of July 31, 2021, officers have made 1102 traffic stops and 360 arrests (185 felony and 175 misdemeanor). Thirty-three firearms have been seized and 21 search warrants have been served. An impressive number of illegal drugs were removed from Mesa streets to include 1417.3g Methamphetamine, 340g Marijuana, 77.2g Cocaine, 34g Heroin, and 2,569 Fentanyl pills. 

Some significant arrests were made during the last five weeks and some highlights are as follows: 

Officers arrested 27-year-old Darvina Lee for Aggravated Assault-DV after she stabbed her boyfriend in the face. She is being held on $100,000 bond. 

20-year-old Carlos Perez Camacho (left) and 21-year-old Emmanuel Flores (right) were arrested for numerous drug charges, including sales. Officers seized 500 Fentanyl pills and 42g of Methamphetamine. They are being held on $100,000 cash bonds.

Officers arrested 34-year-old Timothy Robertson on a warrant for 2cts Sexual Conduct with a Minor. Bond is $100,050.

40-year-old Mike Dennee was taken into custody for possession of 2lbs of Methamphetamine for sale and possession of an AR-15 rifle by a prohibited possessor, amongst other drug and weapons charges.

Officers arrested 37-year-old Arnulfo Sarabia on a Grand Jury warrant where he held a gun to the victim’s head and robbed him of his belongings and vehicle. Bond is set at $30,000. 

21-year-old Joshua Mena was taken into custody for multiple residential burglaries where he would steal firearms. He is being held without bond.

Officers arrested probation absconder, 47-year-old Adam Nicolia. He had a warrant for child fondling with a bond of $1,000,000.  

27-year-old Brent Lourus stole items from Home Depot and then pulled a knife on loss prevention, threatening to stab them. He was located during OSP 2021 and arrested. Bond is $7500. 

Officers arrested 39-year-old David Armando for a child molestation warrant. Bond is $1,000,000. 

26-year-old Dane Smith was taken into custody after firing multiple rounds from a handgun at officers initiating a traffic stop. Bond is $200,500. 

As you can see, in just five weeks, our officers made substantial headway to combat violent crime in Mesa. Operation Summer Project 2021 has shown that this initiative is working. We will continue to strategically target high crime area to successfully reduce violence amongst our community. We look forward to providing further statistics as the project moves forward. 

Porter Park Murder Suspect Arrested

On June 9, 2021, just before 5:00 a.m. Mesa Police Officers responded to Porter Park, located at 420 E. 8^th St., for reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they found 42-year-old Tyrone Francisco with gunshot wounds to his body. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. 

One witness told officers that two men, one of which was known to him, approached he and the victim in the park. This witness said that the man he did not know began cursing and yelling at them. As Tyrone walked away from the confrontation, the man shot him.   

On July 27, 2021, officers located both men and interviewed them.  21-year-old, Sean Newton, admitted to officers that he shot and killed Tyrone. He told officers that Tyrone presented a knife and lunged at him.

Sean was booked into jail for one count Second Degree Homicide, ARS 13-1104A2, a class 1 felony. He is being held on a $500,000 bond. 

2-Day Recap

Welcome to Friday!  What a week it has been for the Mesa Police Department… more specifically July 20-21, 2021. Let’s look at three cases involving our officers in those two days.   

On July 20, 2021, we had an officer involved shooting at the 4100 block of S. Neptune. No one was injured in the shooting, but 32-year-old Dominic Alvarez was taken into custody for Reckless Discharge of a Firearm-DV and Threats-DV. Officers responded to this residence after receiving multiple 911 calls for a domestic violence situation inside the home. They heard a gunshot from inside the residence and one officer observed Dominic point an AR-15 in his direction.  This is when the officer fired one round through the window of the home. Dominic was not shot, but self-surrendered without further incident after the officer involved shooting occurred. 

Dominic Alvarez Mug Shot

On July 21, 2021, we had officers around 80^th St/ Baseline for Operation Summer Project 2021. The officers were looking for 26-year-old Dane Smith. Dane was wanted for Theft of Means of Transportation as well as two outstanding warrants. After officers found Dane, they initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle Dane was in did not stop and officers watched as Dane fired rounds from a handgun at officers through the back window of the vehicle. Multiple bullets hit the officer’s vehicle in addition to three occupied houses. Eventually, the vehicle stopped.  Dane and the driver, 53-year-old Thomas Elliot, took off running. Both men were located and taken into custody. Neither suspect was injured, and officers never fired their weapons.   

Dane Smith Mug Shot- held on $200,500 bond

Thomas Elliot Mug Shot- held on $5,500 bond

Another call that took place on this day involved a vehicle purposely set on fire. Officers responded to Dobson Ranch Library, located at 2425 S. Dobson, and contacted 25-year-old Christopher Alvarado. Christopher told officers he was upset the vehicle would not start, so he set it on fire. The vehicle was next to multiple trees and a public library. Christopher was arrested for Arson of Property and Reckless burning.

Christopher Alvarado Mug Shot

These are just a few cases Mesa Police Officers have handled in just 48 hours. Between July 20-21, 2021, officers responded to 1,372 calls for service and booked 29 people into jail.