by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 9, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Elected officials from around Arizona solemnly marked the first anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
One year ago, Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists, who took advantage of completely unsuspecting communities to inflict horrific harms and devastation on innocent men, women, and children.
Ben Toma, the Arizona Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced that he had “issued a legislative proclamation declaring October 7, 2024, as a Day of Observance to honor the victims of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.” Speaker Toma said, “The people of Arizona share in the grief of those affected by the attack and stand in solidarity with Israel as they continue to defend their nation and strive for peace.”
Toma’s proclamation encouraged all Arizonans, including his fellow lawmakers, “to observe a moment a silence on this day to honor those whose lives were lost and to stand in unity with those who remain in captivity.”
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs posted, “One year ago today, Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel took away the hopes and dreams of innocent people forever. My heart is with the families who mourn, the hostages who should be home, and the entire country of Israel as they pray and grieve.”
Attorney General Kris Mayes added, “On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas committed horrifying acts of violence, killing and kidnapping Israelis, sowing fear and agony in Jewish communities around the world. Together we must stand firm against all forms of hatred and commit to building a world that values dialogue over division, working toward a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace.”
State Senator Frank Carroll wrote, “On this solemn day, my heart breaks for the Israelis who’ve suffered such horrifying acts of evil by Hamas and Iran, as well as for the hostages who are still enduring torturous conditions… We must stand united against this evil and support a permanent end to the war happening in the Middle East. I urge all Arizonans to speak out against the injustices our Jewish friends are experiencing and to condemn all antisemitic acts in the strongest sense. May the good Lord protect our world from the Iranian-directed terrorists who are attempting to spread death and destruction upon the innocent.”
State Representative Alma Hernandez stated, “Oct 7, 2023 The longest and most painful year for many of us. It was the day we realized who our real friends were, and it was the day I lost a lot of hope in humanity. May we never forget the innocent lives taken from us and the 101 hostages 13 of them women still being held by Hamas terrorist.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said, “Today we remember the one-year anniversary of the attack on Israel. I pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages taken that day as well as for the families whose loved ones were killed.”
Peoria Mayor Jason Beck gave the following comment to AZ Free News: “Shortly after the October 7 attacks, I saw the places and heard the witness accounts of what took place. I will never forget the barbarity of the enemies of Israel. The Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. I pray for the peace of Israel and know they must win the war against terrorists so they can have security. America needs to know that Israel’s fight is our fight. It is a fight for dignity and human rights. That is why I proudly fly the flag of Israel and support American leaders who understand that Israel’s cause is our cause.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Sep 29, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
As the race for Maricopa County Attorney nears its end, the records of both incumbent, Republican Rachel Mitchell, and Democrat challenger Tamika Wooten have rightly been subject to scrutiny.
An in-depth investigation into past litigation handled by Wooten has revealed that, in addition to voicing direct opposition to the “Secure the Border Act” ballot initiative, the Democratic candidate defended at least a dozen criminals charged with human smuggling related offenses as a private attorney under her previous married name “Tamika Cheatham.”
Of the twelve examples of Wooten defending human traffickers, eleven were issued suspended sentences and ten were given unsupervised probation. The offenses these men were charged with ranged from smuggling (class 2 and 4 felonies) to conspiracy to commit smuggling (a class 4 felony,) all of which Wooten fought, often successfully to reduce.
At least one client, Sergio Gonzalez-Sanchez, was charged with smuggling a minor and received a more severe charge: a class 2 felony, for intentionally transporting or procuring the transportation of a human being below the age of 18 who was not accompanied by a family member.
In the 2009 case of Fernando Gomez-Hernandez, the suspect was charged with smuggling, a class-4 felony, and according to court documents, “Intentionally Transported Or Procured The Transportation Of Human Beings, For Profit Or Commercial Purposes.” Gomez-Hernandez was reportedly “the driver” and the arresting law-enforcement officers “immediately recognized,” the situation as “a human smuggling incident.”
The officer wrote:
“I immediately recognized this as a human smuggling incident. The driver who was identified as Fernando Gomez with a date of birth of REDACTED, by California identification card he gave me. Fernando only spoke Spanish, and the remainder of the conversation was conducted in such. Fernando said he was driving to Flagstaff, Arizona to drop off his friends. Fernando did not know the names of any of the persons in the vehicle nor was he related to any of them.”
The people Gomez-Hernandez was smuggling were “lying down in the rear of the van,” were visibly “scared,” and “were shaking,” according to police. “A traffic stop was initiated and upon contact with the occupants of the van, police noted numerous persons in the back seat and lying down in the rear of the van. Officers noted the subjects appeared scared, they failed to make eye contact and were shaking.”
The smuggler was plead down to a class-5 felony: “Attempt to Commit Smuggling” and served a six-month sentence with 100 days credit for time served.
In another case Wooten defended in 2009, Carlos Figueroa Ramirez was wearing “clean clothes, and newer shoes,” whiel smuggling people in the back of his truck “covered in dirt and debris.”
According to the court documents, the officer explained, “I approached the vehicle, saw one male driver who was later verbally identified as Carlos Ramirez Figueroa with a date of birth of REDACTED. In the back seat of the truck was six humans that were attempting to conceal themselves. Based on my training and experience I believed this to be a human smuggling load. The driver was in clean clothes, and newer shoes. The rest of the passengers appeared to have been in the desert for quite a few days and were covered in dirt and debris from trees and shrubs.”
In a plea deal arranged by Wooten, Ramirez Figueroa was sentenced to serve a six-month sentence in the county jail with a credit for 89 days served after which the remaining sentences for additional counts suspended.
In one case, Guillermo Vazquez-Espinoza pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Smuggling working with a person he believed to be a coyote, a person smuggling people for profit. In another, Alvaro Ruiz-Alcala was also charged with Conspiracy to Commit Smuggling with five other people believed to by coyotes within a residence. Jose Valentin Nunez-Yanez was traveling in a vehicle that was “part of the agreement made with the coyote to have him transported to the State of California.” Guillermo Vazquez-Espinoza was in the act of attempting to contract a coyote for transport to North Carolina. And Jose Guadalupe Cervantes-Diaz was reportedly conspiring to commit human smuggling to New York as part of an agreement with a coyote.
These cases merely represent the most egregious of the dozen researched. But all point to a consistent pattern of legal maneuvering to arrange the most lenient possible sentences for human smugglers and those willfully conspiring to be smuggled.
Wooten’s litigation history in this area provides vital context for her political positions which followed.
In audio uncovered by AZ Free News, researchers revealed that Wooten, attending a closed-door meeting, expressed her explicit opposition to HCR 2060, the “Secure The Border Act,” which would permit Arizona Law Enforcement to crack down on illegal immigration and human smuggling. Wooten warned the Maricopa County Young Democrats on August 26th, “We have [HCR] 2060 that’s going to come down the pipe,” and told the members “As County Attorney, I’m not going to allow racial profiling for stops” claiming, “We don’t need to patrol our citizens.”
As Maricopa County Attorney, Wooten would be positioned to effectively stop the meaningful prosecution of human smuggling in the most populous county of Arizona, the fourth largest in the nation, by the third largest public prosecutorial agency in the United States. Based on her statement to the Young Democrats and her history of consistently pushing for slap on the wrist sentences for human smugglers, there’s every indication that she will.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 16, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Maricopa County political races are essentially in a dead heat with less than two months until Election Day.
Earlier this month, Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) released its survey on Maricopa County races, showing Republicans and Democrats locked in a tight battle for all races.
According to NPI, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s race was tied with Republican Jerry Sheridan and Democrat Tyler Kamp tied at thirty-five percent each, with twenty-four percent undecided. Kamp has a twelve percent lead with independents, with thirty-six percent of that voting share undecided.
Incumbent Republican Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell leads Democrat Tamika Wooten by two percent (37-35%), with twenty-one percent undecided. Wooten has a ten percent lead with independents, with twenty-nine percent of that voting share undecided.
Democrat Gregory Freeman might be the frontrunner in the Maricopa County Assessor’s race, with a three-point advantage over incumbent Republican Eddie Cook (36-33%). There is twenty-six percent undecided in this race. Freeman holds a fifteen-point lead over Cook with independents, with forty percent undecided.
And in the Maricopa County Recorder’s contest, Democrat Tim Stringham leads Republican Justin Heap by four percent (38-34%), with twenty-two percent undecided. Stringham enjoys a fifteen percent lead over Heap with independents, with thirty-five percent of that voting share undecided.
“These races are incredibly close. In each one, the leading candidate is ahead by a low single-digit margin. With a high number of undecideds and more than two months between fielding this poll and Election Day – this poll just doesn’t point to a clear winner,” said Mike Noble, NPI President & CEO. “But historical data might tell us more.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Sep 7, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
UPDATE: The Arizona GOP and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell issued a joint announcement on Friday clarifying that the bipartisan observation program used in this year’s primary will be in place for the general election. State Representative Alexander Kolodin walked back the statements reported criticizing Mitchell’s office.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has found herself embroiled in the hot-button issue of election integrity.
The attorney’s office declined to back a reform deal led by Republican State Representative Alexander Kolodin between Runbeck — the private election services company for Maricopa and other counties — and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
The deal, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) secured earlier this year between the state legislature and Runbeck, would have implemented a bipartisan observation program and enhanced security, legislative audits of Runbeck software, published an election workflow document publicly, and provided access to historical 2022 election data.
Sources told the Arizona Daily Independent that Kolodin had asked Mitchell to “talk sense” to the supervisors. When the deal fell through, Kolodin criticized Mitchell’s office publicly.
Kolodin told “The Afternoon Addiction” radio host Garret Lewis on Thursday that, according to Runbeck, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Thomas (Tom) Liddy pulled the county out of the MOU, and implied that the board hadn’t voted on the decision.
“Technically, the board of supervisors has to vote,” said Kolodin. If there’s one thing I understand very well is that when it comes to elections Tom Liddy tells the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors what to do.”
Then, Kolodin advised voters to abstain from voting for Mitchell and implied she was a Democrat rather than a Republican.
“If we’re going to have Democrats running that office we might as well have the ones with the ‘D’ next to their name,” said Kolodin.
Kolodin also claimed that the board declined to approve the MOU because voters had declined to reelect them, the ones who worked well with Liddy.
“This is a big way for Tom Liddy to tell everybody eff you for taking all of his allies and control over the county away,” said Kolodin.
Mitchell disputed Kolodin’s remarks. She said that the board had declined to change the terms of its contract with Runbeck to align with the MOU back in March, and that her office didn’t have the authority to decline contractual changes the way Kolodin effectively claimed it did.
Mitchell said MCAO’s authority only amounted to providing legal advice to the supervisors.
“Here are the facts: The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a contract with Runbeck to print ballots and provide other services. Rep. Kolodin attempted to negotiate a separate contract with Runbeck that would change the terms of the contracts for both the Board of Supervisors and Runbeck. On March 11, 2024, the Board of Supervisors chose not to accept those changes after considering them. Rep. Kolodin has misrepresented the situation by claiming that it was the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) that rejected this change in terms. Quite the contrary: The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has NO authority to accept or reject the terms. MCAO only can advise the Board of Supervisors as to what the law allows the Board to do. Rep. Kolodin’s misinformation campaign is false, irresponsible, and incendiary.”
Mitchell’s statement didn’t sway some local party leaders. Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) blamed Mitchell in a press release for the deal’s failure.
“The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS), acting under the advice of Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell’s Office, just pulled the plug on [the] Election Integrity measures which Runbeck had previously agreed [to] in a Memorandum of Understanding,” stated MCRC.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 4, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s top county prosecutor is setting her sights on teen violence within her jurisdiction.
Earlier this month, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the start of ‘Report, Don’t Repost,’ which “tackles the growing issue of teen violence fueled by the sharing of violent content on social media platforms rather than reporting those incidents to law enforcement.”
In a press conference to promote this new campaign by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies, Mitchell shared that “in 2023, the number of submittals for first-degree murder involving juveniles surged by 350%, rising from 6 cases in 2022 to 27 cases in 2023. Similarly, submittals for aggravated assault saw a 108% increase, with cases rising from 12 to 25 between 2022 and 2023. Overall, total referrals of juveniles charged as adults increased by 32% during the same period.”
The veteran prosecutor said, “When a video shows up online or on social, all we know is what we can see. We may not have the names of the people in the video or know where the fight occurred. We also may not know what happened just before or after the video begins and ends. It makes it infinitely harder for police to investigate and for my lawyers to prosecute.”
Mitchell added, “My job as a prosecutor is to build a strong case. Encouraging the community to report these incidents instead of sharing them online is an excellent way to do that.”
The law enforcement agencies on board with this campaign are Phoenix Police, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Apache Junction Police, Arizona State University Police, Buckeye Police, Chandler Police, Gilbert Police, Glendale Police, Goodyear Police, Mesa Police, Queen Creek Police, Surprise Police, and Tempe Police.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office posted a graphic of the campaign to highlight the importance of the issue.
Additionally, two Phoenix Police Department officers discussed the new campaign in the aftermath of the announcement.
According to the release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, “The campaign includes a range of educational resources for parents, educators, and teens that highlight the consequences of sharing violent content.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
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