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.