PHOENIX — Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell addressed cases of animal abuse in Maricopa County, recent East Valley teen violence and spoke about information sessions about fentanyl, which will be held in Spanish, at her bi-weekly press conference on Jan. 24.
Animal abuse cases in Maricopa County
Mitchell gave an update on a case involving a man who was arrested on Jan. 7 after he was identified as the suspect on a bicycle who allegedly shot a German Shepard with a handgun. Ruben Garza, 38, has served time in an Arizona prison for murder, as well.
Garza denied involvement in the shooting and claimed to have been home all night when the dog was injured, court records show. He was booked into the Maricopa County jail and the county attorney's office filed an indictment against Garza. He is facing the following charges, which are all felonies:
- 1 count of misconduct involving weapons
- 1 count of unlawful discharge of a firearm
- Disorderly conduct
- Intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment
Mitchell also said the county attorney's office is still looking for Lester Paul Richmond, 36, who is facing a charge of intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment. Richmond was identified as a suspect in the death of a husky puppy in Scottsdale last summer.
There is a grand jury warrant out for Richmond's arrest, Mitchell said. If anyone has information regarding Richmond's whereabouts, Mitchell said to call the Scottsdale Police Department at 480-312-TIPS (8477).
Fentanyl forums to be offered in Spanish
Mitchell said the county attorney's office has held several forums about fentanyl in Arizona for parents, kids and people who work with kids on the dangers of "this poison that is pouring across" the border. Of all of the fentanyl being seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration, half of it is being seized in Arizona, Mitchell said.
Now the county attorney's office is offering a second round of fentanyl forums in Spanish, Mitchell said. The forum will be on Tuesday, Jan. 30. For more information on the event, head to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office website.
"We're not only about prosecuting cases, but we're about preventing them and educating the community," Mitchell said.
East Valley teen violence
Mitchell addressed a few cases of teen violence in the East Valley, including the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord. Mitchell said her team is reviewing an over 2,000-page police report and over 2,000 pieces of digital evidence — including over 600 videos.
To give an example, Mitchell said if each video was a minute long — which she said none of the videos are — it would be 600 minutes or ten hours of review time, without rewinding or analyzing the video.
The videos analyzed are also subject to Arizona's rules of evidence, Mitchell said, which means that the county attorney's office and the police have to "produce evidence sufficient to support" that the video or photo shows what it is said to show. This is different than a media outlet using videos from social media in reporting, Mitchell explained.
"This is a monumental task," Mitchell said. "The community wants answers. Most importantly, Preston Lord's family wants answers."
Mitchell said it would be "irresponsible" to put a timeline on the investigation into Lord's death.
"We are still actively working on this, we care very much about getting this done quickly, but we care more about getting it done right," Mitchell said. "This is not something that once we do it if we do it wrong we can course correct. That's not the way the law works."
Mitchell said she has been working and talking with Lord's family more than in other cases because of how much misinformation there is regarding the case.
"This family is grieving at the loss of a son and they're hearing person after person say to them 'nobody cares, nobody's going to do anything, nobody's gonna file charges,'" Mitchell said. "I think it needs to come from the elected county attorney to say 'we are here, we're working on it, we care,' to the small extent that it can ease their mind."
Mitchell said her office is not prepared to answer definitively whether or not the Gilbert Goons is a "criminal street gang," which would impact the charges: there is a separate charge regarding promoting a criminal street gang and it's an enhancement, Mitchell said.
Mitchell also confirmed that the "Gilbert Goons" group has come up in the investigation of Lord's death, but did not confirm whether or not there is a connection between the Gilbert Goons and Lord's death.
Mitchell said she is not able to comment on whether or not she will be seeking the death penalty in the case of Lord's death.
For more coverage on the recent East Valley teen violence incidents, visit 12news.com/teenviolence.
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