Sedona AZ (May 31, 2018) – Northern Arizona’s dry weather, warm temperatures, and fire restrictions contributed to increased Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Memorial Weekend patrols during the four day weekend of May 25 through May 28, 2018.

During this 2018 holiday weekend, CCSO deputies responded to approximately 455 calls for service compared to 350 for the prior Friday through Monday, about a 30% increase. Deputies also conducted over 400 forest and community patrols in order to keep off-highway vehicle traffic safe and fire bans enforced, and conducted over 100 traffic stops to keep roadways safe.

Common types of calls requiring deputy responses:

• • 82 calls related to fire, including possible fire ban violations
  • 40 suspicious activity calls
  • 40 motorist and public assists
  • 38 emergency medical situations
  • 34 disturbing the peace complaints – many disturbing the peace calls were associated with camping situations and or the discharge of weapons.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, CCSO Search and Rescue Unit volunteers assisted an Air Patrol pilot by serving as spotters: They spent approximately 5.5 hours on aerial fire patrols and spotted three illegal campfires. Law enforcement on the ground responded to those locations and enforced fire ban regulations.

The CCSO aerial team reported many popular camping areas were heavily populated with recreational campers over the weekend, estimating some 80-90 vehicles over 10-12 acres of land in places such as Cinder Lakes. No campers were observed in the recently closed forest service areas, proof that the closures were effective.

Since the start of the aerial fire patrols on May 17, 2018, approximately fourteen hours of flight time has been dedicated to patrols. Prior to the Memorial Weekend, no illegal campfires had been observed, however, several illegal camps were set up within the city limits during the holiday. Deputies issued twelve citations for violations of the fire ban.

CCSO deputies in the Page and Lake Powell areas contacted several boaters over the weekend: Deputies not only checked for impaired driving, but also ensured the right safety equipment was onboard and accessible.

CCSO reported several off-road vehicle collisions:

• • May 26 – Injury accident involving an ATV/quad in Stoneman Lake area with two adult males injured
  • May 26 – Serious injury accident involving ATV rollover in Mormon Lake area with four people injured and transported to the medical center
  • May 26 – Non-injury accident involving vehicle versus elk on FS 73
  • May 28 – Minor injury accident involving vehicle rollover on FS 9007K
  • May 28 – Non-injury accident involving vehicle versus elk on Hwy 180.

Several private property accidents:

Deputies throughout the county conducted over 100 traffic stops during the height of the Memorial Day weekend, resulting in 29 moving vehicle violation citations (1 boat citation and 8 speeding violations); 11 written warnings and 56 verbal warnings. Of these citations, some were issued to the parents of youth riding off-highway vehicles without appropriate protective gear (helmets).

Search and Rescue / Overdue Individuals:

CCSO deputies responded to several calls for missing or overdue individuals ranging in age from youth to adults. During the initial response stage, information is gathered regarding the description of the missing person, circumstances, any medical conditions, and what type of food, water or other equipment he/she/they may have with them. Then, Deputies immediately begin an area search to locate the person(s). Search and Rescue is advised if further resources are needed. Fortunately, of the calls received this weekend all were safe returns and most resolved within a few hours.

On May 25, the CCSO received a call about a 54-year-old female camping in the Forest Lakes area who was several hours overdue. The reporting party cancelled the request when she returned.

On May 26, deputies responded to a report of two 15-year-olds on an ATV who were overdue in the area of Forest Road 535. The juveniles returned safely after a couple of hours.

On May 26, deputies responded to an overdue 32-year-old male in the Forest Lakes area. Several hours later, the subject was found at a Safeway in Payson.

On May 27, deputies responded to the report of a missing child in the Woods Canyon Lake area. The child was located without further incident.

On May 27, deputies responded to the report of an overdue 10-year-old riding a quad in the Cinder Lakes area. The youth was safely found.

On May 27, deputies responded to an overdue 48-year-old male camping in the Williams area who had gone for a supposed short walk. The person returned to the camp after a few hours.

On May 27, deputies responded to a report that a 60-year-old man had became separated from his hiking group in the Dogtown Lake area. Another person in the Lake area found the man and assisted in getting him back with his group.

On May 27-28, 2018, CCSO Search and Rescue responded to an abandoned vehicle call near Ashurst Lake. After further investigation, the vehicle appeared to be associated with 30-year old Alicia Artley (McClure), a missing Colorado Springs, Colorado woman. Search and Rescue units spent seven hours conducting ground search, as well as utilizing dog teams and an unmanned aerial vehicle to search the area. AZ DPS also assisted with an overflight. No clues were developed regarding Alicia Artley’s whereabouts, and the situation remains under investigation.

The Coconino County Detention Facility in Flagstaff which receives arrested persons from Coconino Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, Northern Arizona University Police, Williams Police, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, processed approximately 100 bookings from May 25 – May 28, 2018 (23 at the Page AZ facility).

The booking charge categories included, but were not limited to the following:

Three aggravated assaults, eight assaults, two DUIs, two aggravated DUIs, five liquor violations, seven drug offenses, six marijuana offenses, six disorderly conducts, two felony thefts, twenty-five failure to appear / comply / warrant / holds, three probation/parole violations, five court remands, and two for criminal damage. Bookings also included, but were not limited to, misdemeanor charges of trespass, weapons violations, driving violations and shoplifting.

The CCSO thanks all those individuals and other public safety agencies that assisted with responses during this Memorial Day holiday, and for helping to keep the county safe.

*All numbers are best estimates at time of data summary based on field reports from deputies, detention, and dispatch information.

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