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Arizona women recount ordeal after driver allegedly exposed himself to them

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Arizona women recount ordeal after driver allegedly exposed himself to them


An Apache Junction man is accused of indecently exposing himself to other drivers along the US60 in Mesa.

The victims, who are shaken up by the whole ordeal, say the suspect then followed them, and the ordeal was caught on camera.

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We spoke with the victims of the incident. We have decided to keep them anonymous for their safety.

“Once he proceeded to get behind us, that’s when it got scarier because at first, I thought this was just a joke. He’s just messing with us. He’s going to go away,” said the first victim.

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The first victim was driving home from work with the second victim when a black car almost served into them.

“The whole time, he was looking at us. I could see in the review mirror. He would come up close to our car and then be staying back, and then coming closer.”

When they looked to see who was behind the wheel, they saw the suspect, since identified by police as 25-year-old Manuel Torres. The two women say Torres was driving while also exposing himself.

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“He had a smile on his face the whole time,” said the second victim.

“Like, it was a joke to him, and we weren’t going to do anything about it,” the first victim added.

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The two victims tried to drive away, but they claim Torres started following. They decided to film him for police evidence, but they say that didn’t scare him.

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Then, they called a friend to meet in a nearby apartment complex.

“As soon as I see my friend park and I see that he was going to proceed to pull up next to them, that’s when I stepped right in front of them, took action,” said the friend. “I threw the rock as hard as I could through the windshield at him, and he accelerated and took off.”

Documents we obtained show Mesa Police used traffic cameras to find the license plate number, and in a photo line-up, the victims were able to positively identify the suspect.

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“Instantly I could tell, as soon as I saw his face, that it was him,” said the second victim. “My stomach dropped. It was like I was just seeing him again.”

Torres was eventually released on his own recognizance.

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According to police, Torres has a prior history of sexual offenses, including in 2016, when he was arrested for filming a customer in the changing room of a party supply store. A year later, he was sentenced to probation for 15 years.

“People like this need to be brought to justice, and they need to know that this kind of stuff is not OK,” said the victims’ friend.

“He should definitely be monitored a lot better, so that it doesn’t happen again,” said the second victim. “What if there was children in the car? What if caused me to crash? What if I hit another person?”

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According to documents, detectives have requested the county revoke Torres’ probation, and that he be held in custody instead of out on the streets.

If you feel you are being followed, head to a police station or a populated area, and call 911 while on the way.  

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Arizona

Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC

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Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC


Gary Farmer is an actor, musician, and activist whose made a career in indigenous media. His performances in television and film have received rave reviews. The1989 film “Powwow Highway”, in which he stars, was just inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.



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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress

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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress


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Arizona’s two newest U.S. House members are set to get sworn into their posts as the 119th Congress gets underway.

Republican Abe Hamadeh, a lawyer, and Democrat Yassamin Ansari, a former Phoenix vice mayor, are expected to take their oaths of office on Friday, shortly after the House resumes session.

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Hamadeh will replace Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., who is retiring from Congress to serve on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 

He will represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly Republican area that covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River.

Propelled by an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, Hamadeh defeated a crowded field of other Republicans in Arizona’s July 30 primary election and sailed to an easy victory in the Nov. 5 general election.

Hamadeh, a self-described “America First warrior,” largely echoed Trump’s positions on the campaign trail. He will serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee.

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Ansari will represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, a stretch of Maricopa County that includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale. She is replacing Democrat Ruben Gallego, who has swapped his House seat for a U.S. Senate seat. Her House committee assignments have not been announced.

During the primary election, Ansari hewed closer to the political center than her opponent, former state Sen. Raquel Terán of Phoenix. Ansari ran on a progressive platform but staked out more centrist turf on issues like policing and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.

She beat out Terán by just 39 votes, and, like Hamadeh, won her November election in a landslide.

Ansari plans to join the House’s Progressive Caucus, the Democrats’ most left-leaning faction on Capitol Hill.

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona


Three people were arrested this week in connection with the death of a good Samaritan in Arizona last month, officials said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department identified two of the three people arrested Monday as Jack Upchurch, 40, and Elmer Smith, 19. The third person is 16 years old. NBC News does not typically identify minors accused of crimes.

The trio were arrested in connection with the death of Paul Clifford, 53, whose body was found near a smoldering car northeast of Tucson last month.

Sabrina Vining, a woman who identified herself as Clifford’s daughter in an online fundraiser, said her father disappeared after he left his house at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 23 to help a “stranger with a stranded vehicle.”

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NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported that Clifford’s family reported him missing after, they said, a strange man knocked on Clifford’s door and asked for help with his car.

He was later found dead, the sheriff’s department said. It did not provide a cause or manner of death.

Officials said they received information Monday about a possible location for the three suspects.

Detectives searched the area and obtained a search warrant for a property, which the Pima Regional SWAT team carried out.

The suspects barricaded themselves inside a home and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, the sheriff’s department said. They left the residence and were taken into custody.

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The sheriff’s department did not release any information about a motive or how it connected the suspects to Clifford’s killing.

The three suspects were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on felony arrest warrants, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether they have legal representation. Jail records do not list attorneys for any of the three.

Upchurch was being held on a $1 million bond, Smith on $1.025 million bail and the minor on a half-million-dollar bond, according to jail records.



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