Arizona
Arizona prisons director defends practice of lowering inmate custody level
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Ricky Wassenaar was already serving 16 life sentences for his role in an escape attempt and hostage standoff at the Lewis Complex prison in Buckeye in 2004. For the past 20 years, he remained mostly out of the limelight, serving his time.
But in April of this year, Wassenaar attacked three inmates in the Cimarron Unit of the state prison in Tucson, killing them, and sparking a controversy over how he was able to carry out the murders and how he had access to other inmates in the first place.
“I would have killed at least seven. My goal was at least seven,” Wassenaar told True Crime Arizona’s Briana Whitney, in a phone interview. She said he seemed excited to talk about it, bragging that he had provided a service, because the inmates he killed were sex offenders.
According to Wassenaar’s inmate profile, at the end of 2024, he was moved out of maximum security, where he had been for decades, and into close custody, which is a slightly lower level of security.
“He was max custody and then he was put out in close custody, which means he gets to walk among them (other inmates),” said Rodney Carr, who is a former warden in the Arizona prison system.
He left the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry after Gov. Katie Hobbs hired Ryan Thornell as the new director. Thornell came to Arizona from Maine, where he was deputy commissioner of a prison system a fraction the size of Arizona’s.
“I worked for a lot of directors and not always that I agreed with. But that’s my job. Well, with him it got to the point where I couldn’t,” said Carr.
Carr and another former warden, as well as several correctional officers, reached out to Arizona’s Family Investigates with similar complaints: that the department under Thornell’s leadership was moving maximum security inmates into close custody, where it costs less and requires fewer correctional officers to oversee the inmates.
“Under the way they’re managing maximum security inmates in a closed custody environment, staff are going to get hurt,” said Carr.
In an interview with Arizona’s Family Investigates, Thornell said he is moving inmates out of maximum security. “That is absolutely something we are doing. Just like every other department of corrections across the country must do. It’s a practice and we are doing that here,” said Thornell.
He said 90 to 95% of inmates who are in custody will eventually be released into the community, including those in maximum security. And Thornell said keeping them in maximum security the entire time they are in prison is not good for the community once they are released. He said the effect the isolation of maximum custody has on inmates is real and often negative.
“How can I say that somebody in max custody is OK to release into local Arizona, but they’re not OK to release into a close custody yard that still has fences or razor wire?” he said.
When asked if it was a mistake to take Wassenaar out of maximum custody, Thornell said no, but he couched his answer.
“Hindsight is always 20/20, right? So, knowing what I know today, should we have moved him out of max custody? Yes, we should have. Would I do it knowing the facts that I have at my disposal today? Knowing what he did then? No, I wouldn’t. But the practice was sound. It’s still a sound practice,” he said.
Thornell acknowledged that the number of violent incidents in close custody has increased, but he denied that it was the result of max-custody inmates creating more problems.
“It’s easy for a warden, a former warden, to come forward and say, ‘20 years ago, that’s not how we did it.’ Well, 20 years ago, nobody cared who we were releasing back into the community,” said Thornell.
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As the Iowa State Cyclones continue to reflect on what was a strong season, one of their top players from last year is in the portal and is the best player available.
After deciding to come back to college a couple of days ago, Milan Momcilovic is now the best player in the portal and has a number of suitors looking to bring him in. Due to the large amount of money that he is expected to get, it would be a complete shock if he came back to Iowa State at this point. However, where he goes could have an impact on the program.
Last season, the junior had a breakout year and emerged as one of the best shooters in the country. While there is still work to be done to translate his game to the next level, he is an impact player in college basketball.
However, where he might go is the big decision everyone is waiting to see. Currently, it appears to be a three-horse race between the Arizona Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, and the Louisville Cardinals. Of the three, the Cyclones certainly don’t want to see him go to one of those schools.
Momcilovic Choosing Arizona Would Be a Tough Blow
If the star shooter for the Cyclones were to choose the Wildcats, it would be a tough blow for Iowa State. While the Cyclones had a great season this year, it was Arizona that was a thorn in their side.
The Wildcats were able to beat them both in their regular-season matchup and then again in the Big 12 tournament. The game in the Big 12 was an absolute thriller and went right down to the wire.
While Iowa State might have lost, it was Momcilovic who had a fantastic game in the showdown. Now, as the talented sharpshooter mulls his decision on where to play next year, seeing him go to Arizona would be a tough blow for the Cyclones.
This was a team that beat them twice last year, and taking one of their best players would likely result in the Wildcats being considered a better team heading into next season as well.
While Iowa State did a great job in the transfer portal and has some young talent coming back, losing the best three-point shooter in the country is a big blow. Furthermore, since Kentucky and Louisville aren’t in the Big 12, seeing Momcilovic join one of those squads wouldn’t sting or have an impact on the Cyclones nearly as much.
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Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Friday, May 29, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers
19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers
2-7-1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers
02-08-31-32-40
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Triple Twist numbers
09-20-23-31-36-40
Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?
In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.
How to play the Powerball
To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
- 5 white balls = $1 million.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:
Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The two Republicans running for Arizona attorney general faced each other Thursday in a debate that devolved into insults and name-calling.
State Senate President Warren Petersen is running against military attorney Rodney Glassman in the Republican primary. The debate turned chaotic as the candidates clashed.
“Are you asking the questions, Steve?” Petersen said.
The moderator attempted to regain control. “Gentlemen, we’re going to reset,” he said.
Candidates clash over experience
The debate was the last before early voting begins next month. In between the name-calling, the two candidates argued over their resumes.
Glassman said Petersen does not have the legal experience for the job.
“Warren is just full of information, you can call them lies. He received his law license in December 2023, 28 months ago. He has never filed a lawsuit as a lawyer. He has never prosecuted a criminal as a lawyer,” Glassman said.
Petersen has had a law license for less than three years. He said he worked on cases in Scottsdale while earning his degree. Petersen said his experience as the current state Senate president also counts.
“I have done more in three years than Rodney Glassman will even get done in his life because he’s a trust fund baby who’s just looking for a place. He’s been running for 15 years and he’s lost six elections in a row,” Petersen said.
History of campaigns
Glassman has not won an elected office since he served as a Democrat on the Tucson City Council in 2007. Glassman is an Air Force attorney with 17 years of experience.
Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky said the real winner was the incumbent, Kris Mayes.
“I thought it was entertaining television. I’m glad Arizona got to see up close why these two individuals should be nowhere near the AG’s office,” Grodsky said.
Voting in the primary begins June 24.
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