YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The Yuma Police Department is combating car theft this holiday season and helping to inform drivers about how to stay protected.
They say simple measures can prevent your car from being trafficked into Mexico. They say this ongoing trend affects car owners across Arizona.
“Being so close to the border, sometimes by the time the vehicle owner recognizes their car is gone it’s too late,” said Yuma Police Det. Ernesto Prieto.
Prieto is assigned to the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s vehicle theft task force, helping track down stolen cars in southern Arizona.
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This year, he’s worked on 170 stolen car cases, and they’re not all from the Yuma area.
“The group of people will bring the car down from Phoenix. Another group of people here in the area will get a hold of the vehicle, swap out the plates and go down south,” said Prieto.
In a recent case, San Luis Police recovered two stolen vehicles from the Scottsdale area.
A RAM truck and Jeep Wrangler were reported stolen and were found hundreds of miles away in a Walmart parking lot in San Luis, just blocks from the border.
San Luis Police say they recently discovered two cars stolen out of Scottsdale at a Walmart parking lot near the U.S.-Mexico border.(Arizona’s Family)
Prieto said these cars are often taken to Mexico, where they’re sold, which makes it impossible to recover them once they’ve crossed into Mexico.
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“There are cases where we have the vehicle roaming around town and we do make an arrest on the case,” said Prieto.
Prieto said he often works on these cases with the San Luis Police Department, which recently installed a camera system to help locate these cars.
“We recently installed Fleet 3 Axon systems in most of our police fleet. It’s a camera system that serves as an automated license plate reader that will detect stolen vehicles,” said San Luis Lt. Emmanuel Botello.
Yuma police distributed about 200 steering wheel locks on Friday to combat the ongoing issue, which was donated by the local Hyundai car dealership.
Yuma resident Joaquin Camacho made sure to get his hands on one. He said he’s heard too many horror stories.
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“They steal cars, take them to Mexico and sell the parts and everything. It’s hard because you pay for your car , it’s new and somebody takes it from you,” said Camacho.
Police said a visual deterrent like a steering wheel lock can keep your car from getting stolen.
“Roll up your windows, lock your doors, and park in well-lit areas. For the holidays, everyone is shopping. Put your bags in the trunk. Don’t leave any valuables in your car,” said Yuma PD’s public information officer, Cristina Fernandez.
Fernandez said car thieves look for any opportunity to steal a car, and Prieto said cars are often stolen in parking lots and gas stations.
“In the mornings people leave their vehicles running at Circle K. They go in for coffee and when they come out their car is gone. It happens all the time,” said Prieto.
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Prieto said they are working to get more locks donated for residents in the San Luis area.
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Sedona, Arizona is home to some of the most striking red rock formations in the American Southwest, but Snoopy Rock might be our favorite. Sitting on a bluff above the city, the formation seems to depict Snoopy from the Peanuts comics lying on his doghouse with Woodstock sitting on his nose.
The formation is best viewed from Uptown Sedona, where the shops, restaurants, and galleries along the main strip all offer solid sightlines. The parking lot behind the Sedona Arts Center and the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center on State Route 89A are two of the best spots to take it all in.
For those who want to get closer, the hike via Margs Draw Trail can be worth the effort. The trailhead is located on Sombart Lane, accessed by heading south on Highway 179 from the junction of Routes 89A and 179, then turning left. The out-and-back route covers 2.1 miles and is considered challenging, with an unmarked social trail leading to the base of the formation.
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A Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required if you’re planning to start at the Schnebly Hill Trailhead, and the best hiking window runs from September through May. Dogs are permitted on leash, though the scramble section near the top is not suitable for most animals.
For non-hikers, Jeep and helicopter tours of Sedona regularly point out the formation along with others in the area.
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Nolan Deck is a writer for Unofficial Networks, covering skiing and outdoor adventure. After growing up and skiing in Maine, he moved to the Denver area for college where he continues to live and work…
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Former Michigan sophomore defenseman Hunter Hady has transferred to Arizona State, according to an announcement on the team Instagram. The 6’4’’ defenseman will join the Sun Devils for his junior year.
Hady played just two games on Michigan’s blue line this season against Harvard in November and against Bentley in the NCAA regional semifinal. He recorded a secondary assist on junior forward Garrett Schifsky’s goal in the Bentley game for his only point of the year.
Hady’s contributions were more substantive in his freshman season — though his point total remained the same. He played 32 games for Michigan as the team struggled to find defensive pairings that worked throughout the year. Hady was a reliable blue line presence who could be counted on to provide solid defense and not make significant errors.
Prior to playing for the Wolverines, Hady spent three seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he played with current Michigan teammates senior defenseman Luca Fantilli, sophomore forward Michael Hage and junior forward Jayden Perron, among others. He joins an Arizona State team that lost ground in the NCHC this season and is looking to reach a Frozen Four for the second time in its program history.
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Jessica Cox, the world’s first licensed armless airplane pilot and a leading advocate for disability-led innovation, will be inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame on Friday, May 15, 2026. The induction ceremony, hosted by Rightfooted Foundation International in collaboration with the Pima Air & Space Museum, will take place at the museum from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cox’s recognition honors both her historic achievement in flight and her ongoing work expanding access and opportunity for people without arms. Through her leadership at Rightfooted Foundation International (RFI), Cox has championed mentorship, education and practical innovations that help aspiring pilots and families reimagine what’s possible in aviation and beyond.
“Saying I’m proud of her can’t fully encompass what I feel,” said Patrick Chamberlain, Cox’s husband and RFI’s Inclusive Engineering Director. “Jessica’s induction into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes both what she has accomplished and what she continues to do. She has helped shed light on the many pilots with disabilities in aviation and shown the world that disability does not mean inability.”
The 2026 induction class also honors two military aviators: Frank Schiel Jr., a Phoenix-born Flying Tigers veteran credited with seven enemy aircraft destroyed in World War II, and James K. Johnson, a Phoenix-born U.S. Air Force colonel and Korean War double ace credited with ten aerial victories.
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The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, established in 1985 and housed in the Dorothy Finley Aerospace Gallery at Pima Air & Space Museum, pays tribute to Arizonans who have made significant contributions to aviation and aerospace history.
