Arizona
Arizona legislation aims to crack down on organized retail crime

PHOENIX – Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma hopes that HB 2435 will crack down on the increase in organized retail crime in Arizona.
At a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol, Toma, a Republican who is sponsoring the bill, emphasized “getting tough” and holding criminals accountable.
The legislation, which is headed to the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, sets up harsher sentencing for repeat offenders. In the three sentencing tiers, prison terms would range from three months to 12.5 years in the lowest tier to 2.5 to 35 years in the highest tier.
Organized retail crime refers to individuals and groups stealing merchandise or engaging in fraud as part of a larger criminal enterprise, according to the Arizona Organized Retail Crime Association. The organization aims to share information among law enforcement and businesses.
A spike in the number of retail crimes has businesses and consumers concerned. According to the National Retail Federation, a number of retailers have been affected by organized retail crime and worry about the increase in violence that comes with the planned thefts. NRF’s National Retail Security Survey found the average shrink rate – a retail loss measurement – increased from 1.4% in 2021 to 1.6% in 2022.
Michelle Ahlmer, executive director for the Arizona Retailers Association, speaks in support of HB 2435 at a news conference at the Arizona Capitol on Jan. 30, 2024. (Photo by Mariah Temprendola/Cronkite News)
“We send the message that’s very clear, that in Arizona we’re not going to tolerate this. I would think that most of my colleagues are going to be open to this because, again, we’re not talking about one-off shoplifting here; we’re talking about organized retail theft,” Toma said.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Michelle Ahlmer, executive director for the Arizona Retailers Association, joined Toma at the news conference to tout the benefits of the bill.
The trio said business owners are becoming discouraged with the amount of theft they are experiencing. Ahlmer said having something as inexpensive as toothpaste in a lockbox is what some retailers have resorted to in order to prevent organized retail crime and allow customers to find the items they need. When things are stolen, consumers are less likely to find the things on their shopping list and may have to go to other retailers.
“A community without retail, is not a full community,” Ahlmer said, noting businesses want to make things accessible for customers.
Mitchell said retail cooperation is key to making the bill successful as the crimes grow in frequency and severity.
“One case we just recently prosecuted was sentenced on Friday, where the defendant took $36,000 worth of merchandise from several stores over the course of a few days,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said a huge benefit of the bill is “more leeway in sentencing” for prosecutors.

Arizona
Arizona HS volleyball roundup: Perry wins 6A championship

See the top 10 high school stadiums in Arizona
The Republic’s high school sports reporter Richard Obert lists his 10 favorite stadiums around the state of Arizona.
The Republic
The Perry Pumas’ boys high school volleyball team won its third 6A state championship in the past five seasons on May 17, at Skyline High School in Mesa.
Perry, the No. 1 seed in the AIA 6A tournament, defeated No. 2 Highland, 3-2. It was the third time Highland has finished 6A runner-up since 2022, including a 2023 loss to Perry for the title.
The Pumas finished the season undefeated in AIA play, its only losses this season coming against out-of-state teams during mid-season tournaments.
Perry was led this season by several key players, including three who are all in the top 10 in hitting percentage in 6A: senior Caden Ledbetter, junior Logan Gray and sophomore Greyson Carter. Ledbetter was also No. 8 in blocks in the conference.
Three other conference championships were played on May 17 at Skyline.
No. 1 seed Campo Verde defeated No. 2 Arizona College Prep, 3-2, to win the 5A championship in a battle of East Sky region rivals. The win was Campo Verde’s second boys’ volleyball championship. The Coyotes also won in 2019.
In the 4A championship match, No. 3-seed ALA Queen Creek won its third state championship, defeating No. 8 Salpointe Catholic, 3-0. The Patriots also won the 4A title in 2021 and 2022. During the playoff tournament, ALA Queen Creek defeated No. 2 seed ALA Gilbert North, which had defeated the Patriots twice in the regular season.
In the 3A championship, No. 2 Northwest Christian defeated No. 1 ALA West Foothills, 3-2, to win its first boys volleyball championship, after finishing runner-up three times since 2021. ALA West Foothills was undefeated entering Saturday’s championship, having defeated Northwest Christian in the final regular-season match.
Last year, Arizona College Prep defeated Northwest Christian to win the 2024 4A title. Saturday’s match marked the first-ever 3A championship in boys’ high school volleyball. The AIA opted to reshuffle teams and create more competitive balance by adding a fourth conference during the offseason, as more schools and programs have been added across the state.
Arizona
Strong winds continue across parts of Arizona; triple digits to return mid-week

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Red Flag warning is in effect until 8 p.m. for eastern Arizona, including the Greer Fire, where continued gusts from the southwest at 40-45 mph are possible.
On Sunday, the Red Flag Warning will continue for the Little Colorado River Valley. Gusty conditions will likely continue at times for the rest of Eastern Arizona, including Greer. Monday will also be breezy in the high country as winds turn more from the northwest. A few showers and thunderstorms are possible from tonight into Monday in the high country, but much of the area will likely stay dry.
After a breezy day in the Valley, breezes will continue at times this evening into Sunday morning with gusts of 20-25 mph possible. A cool front will knock highs back to the 80s on Sunday, with a high of 88 expected. Sunday afternoon and evening may not be quite as breezy in the Valley as Saturday, but some gusts of 20 mph are still possible.
Monday will be warmer with highs in the low 90s. Breezes will pick up from the west Monday afternoon and evening with potential gusts around 25 mph. Highs will continue to warm in the upper 90s on Tuesday as a ridge of high pressure starts to build. The ridge will continue to take hold mid-week, bringing high temperatures into the low to mid-100s Wednesday through Friday. For the start of Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, highs are forecast just above 100. However, there is some uncertainty about the temperature forecast from Saturday into the rest of Memorial Day weekend, so check back for updates.
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Arizona
Prisoners use locks as weapons in video that appears to show fight in Arizona prison

Video appears to capture fight inside Arizona prison
In a cell phone video that appears to have been filmed inside an Arizona prison, one man tries to get away from two others. It’s not clear when or where the video was shot.
- A video appearing to depict a fight within an Arizona prison, involving makeshift weapons, has surfaced on social media.
- Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry officials have stated they will address inquiries about the video next week.
- The incident’s location and date remain unconfirmed.
A video capturing a fight in what appears to be an Arizona prison was posted on social media, showing a man bloodied and being followed by two others with makeshift flails — metal locks hanging from the ends of tethers.
Representatives of Arizona’s prison system declined to immediately comment on the 3-minute video.
The combatants were dressed in orange pants and shirts with “ADC” stamped on them.
It’s not clear when or where the video was shot. It follows a fight between one man and two others that moves from inside a building, through a doorway and outside into a prison yard. No correctional officers or prison personnel are visible at any point in the footage that appears to be shot on a cell phone.
Cell phones are considered contraband in Arizona prisons and are prohibited. How the person filming the video obtained the device was unclear.
Arizona’s prison system is run by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Reached by email on May 16, department officials said they would respond to The Arizona Republic’s inquiries about the video, including whether they could confirm it had been filmed in an Arizona prison, next week.
On April 4, three men were killed inside the Cimarron Unit at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson. The Department of Corrections identified Ricky Wassenaar, a violent repeat offender serving 16 life sentences for a 2004 attempted prison escape that turned into a hostage crisis, as the sole suspect in the triple homicide. Saul Alvarez, 51, Thorne Harnage, 42, and Donald Lashley, 75, were the men killed.
The incident prompted strong criticism from state lawmakers, including House Judiciary Chair Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, who demanded accountability from the department and questioned why Wassenaar was placed in a lower-security unit despite repeated warnings and past disciplinary violations.
3-minute video shows conflict move through multiple prison areas
The video begins with two men on the ground, legs interlocked, wrestling away from each other.
One man, with long black hair, stands up holding an orange tether. At the end of it swings a metal combination lock — he holds it like a weapon.
Another man, with short black hair, still on the ground, pushes himself backward. His face and clothes are bloodied.
In the background, voices can be heard.
“Joseph, give me the password.”
“Get the (expletive) out of here.”
“You want the password?”
“Let him go. Let him go, man.”
The bloodied man stumbles to his feet and backs out of the frame. The man with the makeshift flail follows, and another man, also in orange, holding a tethered lock, joins behind him.
The room comes into view: white cinderblock walls, waist-high dividers, rows of bunk beds and two long, rectangular windows letting in sunlight.
The second man with a flail steps forward and feigns a move. The man with short hair picks up a chair, trying to shield himself.
Heavy breathing fills the audio. Someone off-camera says, “Go on, get out of here.”
The camera dips behind a wall and then shows the scene again. One man holds his lock by his shoulder, ready to strike. The other crouches behind the chair, blood on his face and shoulder.
“You want me to leave or not? Move,” says the bloodied man.
“Leave right now,” one of the men replies, pointing.
Then to the other: “Bro, just get the (expletive) over here, on this side. Hurry up.”
“There — go,” the man with long hair says, motioning at the man with the chair.
“Alright. Password?” the man with the chair asks, holding his hand up.
“I don’t give a (expletive),” comes the response.
The bloodied man walks away through an open doorway, and the long-haired man with the flail follows.
“Leave. Leave, (expletive),” the man with long hair yells, walking out the door.
The camera follows them outside.
A cement walkway cuts between blue buildings on one side and a tall metal fence on the other.
The two men face off again. The bloodied man, still carrying the chair, suddenly throws it and runs.
The man with the flail catches him. Grabs him. The second man with a weapon rushes in, swinging his lock. It hits.
The bloodied man falls, a trail of dust lifting as he rolls away.
He gets back up near the metal fence, barbed wire above him, then takes off along the edge.
“(Expletive) the rat,” someone says off camera.
The bloodied man walks off into the distance. The two men stalk after him.
In the background, a loud banging sound — like wheels hitting seams in the concrete — echoes as the camera trails far behind and the video ends.
Video reflects known dangers in Arizona prisons, advocate says
Maria Morris, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, reviewed the video and said it reflected troubling patterns reported by incarcerated people in Arizona, including assaults involving improvised weapons such as locks in socks.
Morris, whose work focuses on solitary confinement, said many people are placed into general population units despite warning staff that they do not feel safe.
Prisoners often feel unsafe after they opt out of prison gang affiliation by signing what’s known as an “Integrated Housing Program agreement,” which indicates a willingness to be housed with people of any race, Morris said. In Arizona prisons, that decision can mark someone as a target.
Often, prison staff tell them they must go into the general housing unit anyway, she said.
“They are told that they need to stay on the unit until they are threatened or assaulted,” she said.
Afterward, they’re typically moved into solitary confinement — sometimes for months — before the cycle repeats, Morris said.
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