by Staff Reporter | Sep 22, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Glendale resident Joshua James Lozano, 42, fainted in court after learning that he may spend life in prison for the charges against him.
Lozano faces 10 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the Maricopa County Superior Court (case number: CR2026-135393-001).
Lozano was charged with 10 counts of distributing, transporting, exhibiting, receiving, selling, purchasing, electronically transmitting, possessing, or exchanging any visual depiction in which a minor is engaged in exploitative exhibition or other sexual conduct.
The judge found that probable cause was present for all 10 counts.
Maricopa County deputy county attorney Ashley Stetson appeared on behalf of the state of Arizona. Stetson said the state recommended sentencing of 10 years on each count, and requested the sentences be served consecutively — or, 100 years.
“He is, in effect, looking at a life sentence,” said Stetson. “The state has concern for the community, specifically minors in the community. It does appear based on the state’s reading of the form that he may have been talking online with underaged minors.”
Moments after Stetson proposed that punishment, Lozano collapsed. His fall temporarily caused court proceedings to halt and required emergency medical assistance, though moments after his fall, Lozano returned to a seated position with minimal assistance.
Court documents reflect that authorities arrested Lozano after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The organization reported receiving multiple CyberTips from Lozano’s internet service provider between April and May that alleged that Lozano had accessed sexual exploitation materials involving minors.
Lozano has resided in Glendale for the past eight years with his wife of six years. Glendale police arrested Lozano last week after investigators traced the illicit online activity to Lozano.
NCMEC operates a CyberTipline which collects tips from the public and electronic service providers regarding suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, and unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child.
In 2025, NCMEC reported receiving more than 21 million reports to its CyberTipline.
Lozano worked as a cleaner for Banner Del Webb Hospital in Sun City. Court records also reflected that Lozano was arrested in the past for driving under the influence and on a suspended license.
Republican lawmakers in Arizona have prioritized securing stricter laws to protect children from online exploitation and harsher punishments for adults who exploit children.
Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), the Republican nominee for governor, has been advocating for bipartisan support of legislation addressing child exploitation occurring online. The new legislation addresses violent online terror networks, or child sextortion cells, which coerce and exploit children into committing torturous or sexually exploitative acts including self-harm, suicide, and animal abuse.
Similar to the proposed sentencing Loranzo faces, the proposed congressional measure would punish violators with up to 10 years in prison, or up to life in prison if the child dies as a result of the coercion or extortion.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 29, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) teacher committed suicide while fleeing arrest for the sexual abuse of a minor.
Steven Charles Mitten III, a history teacher at Shadow Mountain High School, fled from police on Wednesday shortly before taking his own life, according to a media advisory issued by the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) on Thursday.
Mitten, 65, previously worked at Cactus Shadows High School within the Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD). CCUSD awarded Mitten their Excellence Award in May 2018, given to one teacher in the school for outstanding contributions to students.
Per PPD, an unnamed adult female reported to law enforcement on Monday that Mitten initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was 16 years old. That relationship purportedly lasted for approximately three years.
The Crimes Against Children Unit (CACU) immediately investigated the woman’s claim and found probable cause to arrest Mitten.
The media advisory explained that Mitten fled from the Fugitive Apprehension and Investigations Detail (FAID) in his vehicle with a firearm. After law enforcement used a grappler to stop Mitten’s vehicle, Mitten turned his gun on himself and shot himself in his vehicle.
Detectives and the Special Assignments Unit (SAU) apprehended Mitten, and the Phoenix Fire Department transported him to a hospital. Mitten later succumbed to the self-inflicted gunshot wound.
PPD advised that other details were omitted from public communications given the ongoing nature of the investigation.
“This case reflects the unwavering dedication of our detectives, who work tirelessly on behalf of survivors, especially in cases involving crimes against children,” stated the advisory. “We recognize the lasting impact these incidents have on survivors and their families, and we remain committed to seeking justice while handling these sensitive investigations with care and professionalism.”
The Arizona State Board of Education (AZSBE) does not have any disciplinary records pertaining to Mitten.
Arizona Department of Education records reflect Mitten received a standard professional secondary certification covering history, political science and American government, and social studies for the sixth through twelfth grades in April 2021. Mitten also had a full endorsement for structured English immersion covering preK-12.
Another Arizona teacher was arrested this week for sexual exploitation of a minor. An elementary school teacher and high school coach, Timothy James Sonier, 48, was arrested on Thursday for uploading child sexual abuse materials. Sonier faces 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Sonier taught at Dodge Traditional Magnet School and coached girls’ junior varsity basketball at Salpointe Catholic High School. Sonier has lived in Tucson for nearly 30 years; he passed a background check by Tucson Unified School District.
Prior to Dodge and Salpointe, Sonier worked at Dietz K-8 School, Catalina High School, and Sabino High School.
The AZSBE latest enforcement action report reflected that enforcement actions increased nearly eightfold from 2014 to 2024. AZSBE attributed this increase to the increased staffing and efficiency of case processing, not an upward trend of immoral or unprofessional misconduct in schools.
Although males comprise only 24 percent of total educators, they represented 61 percent of all enforcement actions.
A majority of enforcement actions since 2012 have come from sexual offense cases (671 out of 1,876 cases, or 36 percent). These cases are not distinguished between offenses against minors versus adults. In 2024, 29 percent were associated with sexual misconduct behaviors.
AZSBE has not published its enforcement action report for 2025 as of this report.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 10, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
James Badger, 45, a Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) teacher was arrested for sexual exploitation of children.
Badger taught at Tucson High Magnet School (THMS). He was arrested on Tuesday by the Tucson Police Department and charged with ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The statement of probable cause for Badger’s arrest cited child sexual abuse material (CSAM) images downloaded to his computer.
“On a computer belonging to James the Sandra series from BitTorrent download was located on this computer, along with other CSAM material. A manual preview of the device showed there was a large amount of CSAM on the computer,” read the statement. “10 images were selected that met the criteria of sexual exploitation of a minor. These images included prepubescent females below the age of 15 that were nude in sexual poses where their genital area was the focus. They lacked breast development or pubic hair.”
Badger formerly taught at Parker High School, where he oversaw the drama club. Badger left after an undisclosed controversy, apparently concerning his inclusion of “anything gay” within the drama department’s productions.
In March 2023, Badger posted the following on his Instagram with a partial picture of an email depicting a threat to him:
“For the record: I didn’t get fired, but someone wants to fire a gun at me, and they’ve said so very explicitly. I didn’t resign, but I did tell admin[instration] that I will not be coming back after this year. I won’t be on campus for a while, but I will finish out the year,” wrote Badger. “To those who have been kind and welcoming to us over the years: thank you. To those who let bigotry and pointless political divisions cloud your judgement: grow up. To those who have mocked, gossiped, and threatened: go f**k yourselves.”
Badger then moved on to teaching at THMS.
In a February 2024 post depicting the “second annual drag show” at THMS, Badger shared his satisfaction with THMS tolerance to LGBTQ+ ideologies for minors. That drag show was sponsored by the school’s Q Space club. Q Space clubs encourage students to adopt LGBTQ+ identities and ideologies.
“Interesting to see such an event proceeding with full support of the school’s administration,” wrote Badger. “For years I wondered what that would be like, and now I know: it’s super normal.”
The THMS Q Space club advisor is a transgender man, Sunday (formerly April) Hamilton. It was Hamilton and another former THMS counselor, Zobella Brazil Vinik, who began organizing THMS drag shows featuring the high schoolers. Vinik was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2022.
According to various posts on his Instagram page, Badger was a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, along with mainstream progressive ideologies: Black Lives Matter, critical race theory, LGBTQ+ ideologies, and abortion.
In another post in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Badger expressed his fear of Donald Trump winning the presidency and his belief that the government would murder him and his family under a Trump administration.
“Trump will win this election, and fascism will take hold in America. Nothing matters, and nothing can be done,” wrote Badger. “When you come to kill me, please don’t let my wife and children see. When you come to kill my wife and children, please don’t let them see it coming. #notkidding #thesearethestakes.”
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