Man sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison for shooting PCSO deputy

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A man who shot a Pinal County Sheriff's Office Deputy while responding to a trespassing call has been sentenced to more than four decades in prison.

On April 28th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Jason Forrester, 40, to 48 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Forrester pled guilty to Misconduct Involving Weapons by a prohibited possessor, a Class 4 Felony, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a law enforcement officer, a Class 2 Felony.

In March, 2022, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office responded to a Dudleyville home after a call alleging Forrester was trespassing on the vacant property. At the time of the incident, Forrester had a warrant out for his arrest. A responding deputy contacted Forrester and shortly after was heard on police radio stating he was involved in a shooting and had been shot and was losing consciousness. The deputy was ultimately air lifted from the scene and taken to a level 1 trauma center.

Responding law enforcement personnel located Forrester, who was also suffering from a gunshot wound. Forrester was also transported to a trauma center. After his release from the hospital, Forrester was taken to the Pinal County Adult Detention Facility. He met with a PCSO detective and provided a statement that he was at the vacant home and when the deputy arrived on scene, the deputy brought up the outstanding warrant and Forrester began to run because he knew he was in possession of a firearm. The evidence and the victim account show this was an intentional shooting. While backing away from the Deputy, Forrester said he was not going back to jail and ran deeper into the property. As he approached a gate he reached into his pocket, removed a firearm, turned to face the Deputy and fired the gun, striking him.

A witness was contacted, and while they did not see the shooting, stated they heard a single gunshot followed by several more gunshots moments later.

The PCSO deputy who was shot was ultimately released from the hospital.

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Coolidge man sentenced to more than 15 years for possessing sexually explicit images of children

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Coolidge man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of children.

On May 1st, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Steven Fuller sentenced Brian Patterson, 35, to 17 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime probation.

Patterson pled guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children, and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the Second Degree, a Class Three Felony and Preparatory Dangerous Crime Against Children.

In 2022, law enforcement was contacted by Patterson’s ex-girlfriend. According to court documents, the ex-girlfriend and Patterson had broken up, but Patterson let her know the dog they owned together passed away. Afterwards, the woman received a notification that Patterson uploaded photos to a photo-sharing account via Google that the woman had access to through an old email address. The woman indicated she thought Patterson had uploaded photos of the dog, and instead she found sexually explicit images of children. The woman told Coolidge Police Patterson must not have known she still had access to the photo-sharing account. Investigators were able to view the uploaded photos and confirmed the existence of sexually explicit images of children. A search warrant was obtained for the Google account, which confirmed Patterson as the account holder and also revealed additional illicit material.

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Man sentenced to seven years in prison for theft of paintings, furniture from Casa Grande home

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Phoenix man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for the theft of paintings from an unoccupied home.

On March 27th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Deorman Bonner, 48, to seven years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Bonner pled guilty to Theft, a Class Two Felony.

In February 2021, a woman contacted the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office reporting theft from her home in Casa Grande. She reported the home was undergoing a remodel and was unoccupied with the exception of her property.  The woman became aware of the theft from the owner of a store, who advised her someone had brought in multiple paintings and other items to be appraised. According to court documents, the person who dropped off the items claimed he wanted to sell the items for $900 and he obtained them after clearing out a house of a woman who had passed away. The store owner indicated he would need to appraise the items first, and while inspecting them found contact information on several of the paintings. The store owner contacted the victim, who then became aware of the theft. Investigators were able to identify Bonner, who was on probation, and who was also identified by the store owner in a photo line-up.

The total amount of the stolen items, which included 22 paintings , furniture, china and household items, was valued a$289,150.

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Kearny man sentenced to more than two decades in prison for sexual conduct with a minor

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Kearny man has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 15.

On April 17th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Juan Quiroz, 44, to 25 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime probation.

Quiroz pled guilty to one count of Sexual Conduct with a Minor, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children, and Molestation of a Child in the Second Degree, a Class Three Felony and Preparatory Dangerous Crime Against Children.

In July 2022, the Kearny Police Department responded to a home in reference to allegations that Quiroz was having sexual contact with a minor. A forensic interview took place and investigators determined Quiroz had sexual contact with the juvenile in the months prior. The victim is under the age of 15.

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San Tan Valley man sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of children

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A San Tan Valley man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of children. 

On April 3rd, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Bryan Tassainer, 26, to 15 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime probation.

Tassainer pled guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children; and two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the Second Degree, both Class Three Felonies and Preparatory Dangerous Crimes Against Children. 

This case was initially investigated by the Gilbert Police Department, which received a cybertip in early 2022 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which indicated a Snapchat user uploaded multiple media files consisting of sexually explicit images of children. A review of the material confirmed the illicit content. A search warrant was granted related to the user's IP address, which led investigators to Tassainer. This case was transferred to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office as the defendant resides in San Tan Valley. In August, 2022, a search warrant was executed on Tassainer's home and multiple items were collected, including the defendant's cell phone. 

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Mesa man sentenced to more than two decades in prison for murder of a coworker

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Mesa man has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for the murder of a coworker.

On March 6th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Steven Fuller sentenced Adam Haywood, 29, to 22 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. 
 
Earlier this year, a jury found Haywood guilty of Second Degree Murder, a Class One Felony. 
 
In July, 2020, Haywood was traveling in a vehicle with two coworkers after completing a moving job in Snowflake, Arizona. According to court documents, Haywood, who wasn't driving, got into a dispute with the other passenger in the vehicle about rolling up the window. During the altercation, which turned physical, Haywood fired multiple shots at the victim, Boukary Ouedraogo, 34, before pushing him out the passenger window. The driver, out of fear for his safety, brought Haywood back to the Phoenix office and then called police once separated from Haywood. The driver was able to provide details of the incident to investigators. 
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Pennsylvania woman sentenced to nearly 50 years in case involving child sex trafficking

(FLORENCE, AZ) -A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison in a case involving child sex trafficking.

On March 29th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Brooke Santiago, 41, to 49 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime probation.

Santiago pled guilty to Child Sex Trafficking, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children; Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children; and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the Second Degree, a Class Three Felony and Preparatory Dangerous Crime Against Children.

According to court documents, Santiago arranged for adult males to have sexual intercourse with a juvenile in exchange for money. The juvenile disclosed details during a forensic interview. Unable to have her own children, Santiago also hoped the juvenile would get pregnant in order to have kids. The encounters with other men occurred at a hotel in Casa Grande.  Investigators were able to search Santiago's phone and found corroborating messages that showed Santiago knew of the ongoing sexual encounters between the juvenile and other men.

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Apache Junction man sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife

(FLORENCE, AZ) - An Apache Junction man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife.

On March 22nd, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Daniel Washburn sentenced Carl Hansen, 33, to natural life in prison. 

Earlier this year, a jury found Hansen guilty of First Degree Murder, a Class One Felony. 

In May, 2020, the Apache Junction Police Department responded to a death investigation at a home, where Hansen's wife was found deceased. An autopsy was performed where it was revealed the victim died as a result of "blunt force trauma/homicide." The investigation uncovered Hansen had hit the victim multiple times in the head with a cane.

Phoenix man sentenced to more than decade in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of children

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Phoenix man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of children. 

On March 15, 2023, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Palmer sentenced Alexander Stevens, 23, to 11.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime probation. 

Stevens pled guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children; and two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the Second Degree, both Class Three Felonies and Preparatory Dangerous Crimes Against Children. 

In June 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided a cybertip to the Phoenix Police Department. The tip involved allegations that a Snapchat user uploaded/distributed videos identified as potential child pornography. Investigators served a search warrant on the home linked to the account, which is where Stevens resided. Investigators searched Stevens' phone and located images depicting child sexual exploitation. 

This was a Maricopa County conflict case prosecuted by the Pinal County Attorney's Office.
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Phoenix woman sentenced to nearly decade in prison for possessing, transporting narcotic drugs

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Phoenix woman has been sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for possessing and transporting narcotic drugs.

On February 6th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Steven Fuller sentenced Dora Quiroz-Leyva, 48, to 9.25 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

A jury found Quiroz-Leyva guilty of Possession of a Narcotic Drug for Sale, a Class Two Felony; Transportation of a Narcotic Drug for Sale, a Class Two Felony; and Possession of Dangerous Drugs, a Class Four Felony.

In 2019, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop along Interstate-10 in the Eloy area. Quiroz-Leyva was identified as the driver of the vehicle, which was pulled over for going 10 miles under the speed limit in the number 1 lane. According to court documents, Quiroz-Leyva appeared nervous and her travel plans were not making sense, so the deputy requested permission to search the vehicle. While doing so, investigators located methamphetamine as well as approximately 2500 fentanyl pills.

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