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Man sentenced to 20 years in gun pointing case
(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Pinal County man has been sentenced to 20 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections relating to an incident that involved pointing a gun at students on a school campus.
On October 17, 2022, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Niko Biarco, 30, to 20 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections followed by five years of supervised probation. The sentence stems from a guilty plea in multiple cases, including the incident detailed below.
Biarco previously pled guilty to two (2) counts of Aggravated Assault, a Class 3 felony; and Armed Robbery, a Class 2 felony.
The case stems from an incident on October 30, 2019, where officers from the Maricopa Police Department responded to a school along North Porter Road. During the investigation, a student revealed while she was sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot, a man broke into the truck next to her. According to court documents, two other students came out to the lot after they were alerted to what was taking place. That's when the man inside the truck pointed a gun at them and subsequently left in the vehicle. The next day, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office located the vehicle near Sacaton and took the driver into custody. Investigators conducted a driver's license check on that person and a relative he lived with, identified as Niko Biarco. Niko matched the description provided by the students, who also positively identified Niko in a photo line-up.
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Man Sentenced to 41 Years in Sexual Conduct with a Minor Case
(FLORENCE, AZ) - A San Tan Valley man has been sentenced to more than 40 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for offenses including sexual conduct with a minor.
On August 25, 2022, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Michael Erickson, 43, to 41 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Erickson previously pled guilty to Sexual Conduct with a Minor Under the Age of Fifteen, a class 3 felony; and two counts of Molestation, a class 2 felony.
According to court documents, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office responded to a San Tan Valley home in February 2022 regarding a reported sex offense. The victim disclosed and alleged Erickson had inappropriate sexual contact with her years prior. During the course of the investigation, Erickson admitted to some of the illicit behavior and the investigation revealed that he had molested three different victims.
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Man sentenced to 20 years for assault on a law enforcement officer
(FLORENCE, AZ) - A Casa Grande man has been sentenced to 20 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
On August 22, 2022, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Steven Fuller sentenced Leonard Skinner, 61, to 20 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Skinner previously pled guilty to two (2) counts of Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer, a class 2 dangerous felony.
According to court documents, in October 2020, Casa Grande police officers and Pinal County sheriff’s deputies responded to a home for a family disturbance, and during the response, Skinner used a firearm and fired multiple rounds toward the responding officers.
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Casa Grande Man Sentenced to 100 Years in Sexual Conduct with a Minor Case
(Florence, AZ) - A Casa Grande man has been sentenced to 100 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections relating to a case involving sexual conduct with a minor.
On Monday, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Christopher O'Neil sentenced Frank Reyes, 29, to a total of 100 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections
In July, a jury found Reyes guilty of five counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor, all class two felonies and dangerous crimes against children; and one count of Molestation of a Child, also a class two felony and dangerous crime against children.
According to court documents, in 2019 a juvenile female disclosed Reyes had inappropriate sexual contact with her. The Casa Grande Police Department investigated the case, and a sexual assault examination was completed on the victim. During the investigation, DNA samples were obtained from the victim's body based on her disclosures and a DNA sample was also obtained from Reyes, with the profile coming back as a match.
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