DECEMBER 2015
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF
GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday December 8, 2015 6:00 PM
City Council Chambers Pine Street
Globe residents, businesses and city facilities will soon have
another choice for broadband service as a license to provide
it was granted to Triplet Mountain Communications (TMCI)
at last night's Regular Meeting of the City of Globe Mayor
and Council. Shirley Ortiz, president of SCATUI and Derek
White, manager of TMCI were in attendance, expressing
gratitude to the city for helping to make it happen.
The meeting was likely the last for outgoing City Manager
Brent Billingsley who received praise from several members
of the Council and the Mayor who shared a conversation he
had recently: a resident wanted to know if taxpayers were
going to have to fund severance or a bonus for Billingsley,
who resigned to take the town manager position in Florence.
While Brent is owed nothing financially, Mayor Wheeler
made it obvious that the city owes Billingsley a lot of thanks.
“You can't believe the amount of things Brent has done for
the town,” said Wheeler, “they're just countless, and we
thank him.”
Billingsley gave his thanks for the kind words and told
everyone that the city has their entry together for this year's
lights parade, proclaiming that it's going to look great.
Finance Director Joe Jarvis and City Engineer Jerry Barnes
provided a WIFA update for the water system. Pressure
reducing valves are being installed, almost all the water
meters are in place and the Crestline tank is built and testing
will begin soon, with hopes that it will be online shortly
afterwards.
VA Health Care Group a non-profit organization that
provides hospice and home health care gave a brief
presentation. They've been serving the area for over a year
and have recently opened a local office.
The Nob Hill Block Watch teddy bear campaign donated a
few dozen stuffed bears to the Globe Police Department.
Block Watch captain Ginny Sonne explained the bears were
for police officers to give to children encountering stressful
domestic problems.
The Council accepted Gila County's $20,000 Economic
Development Grant for the Meals on Wheels program for
Fiscal Year 2016.
And it was mentioned that Mayor Terry Wheeler was
honored with the Wrangler of the Year award at last Saturday
night's Salute to Ranching dinner, auction and dance.
Wheeler is a past president of the Cattlegrowers Association.
MAIN STREET LIGHT PARADE
“JUST IMAGINE” 2015 WINNERS
Saturday, December 12th amidst cold and wet weather,
hundreds of local residents supported a wide variety of
contenders for this year’s awards. They are:
Best Use of Lights: Dylan Earven Foundation
Best Commercial Entry: J&S Towing
Best Lighted Vehicle: Tri-City Fire Dept.
Best Use of Theme: APS
Best Mounted Rider/Group: Copper Country Drill Team
Best Club/Group/Organization: Globe/Miami ATV Club
Best Musical Presentation: Globe High School Band
Judge’s Fancy: Dr. Ruesch’s Model A
The event was sponsored by Historic Globe Main Street,
KQSS, APS, Canyon State Wireless Palace Pharmacy, Hollis
Cinemas & Ortega’s Shoes. Special thanks to Ed Gardea
and his great crew, Globe Public Works Dept, Police, Fire,
Bernie’s Trophies, David Rodgers, Paul Tunis, Rudy
Amador, Mare Greg and Derryl Meeks.
MEDICAL HELICOPTER CRASHES
NEAR SUPERIOR
Native Air 5 crashed in the mountains north of Superior
Tuesday night (12/15/15). Killed were pilot David
Schneider, 51, of Gilbert, and flight nurse Chad Frary, 38 of
Mesa. Frary previously was a nurse at Cobre Valley Medical
Center. Paramedic Derek Boehm, 38 of Gilbert, survived
with a broken back, two broken femurs and contact burns,
He remains in ICU.
Possible reasons for the crash of the AS350 helicopter
owned by Native Air parent Air Methods, have not yet been
determined. The Airbus Industrie built chopper did not carry
a black box. The helicopter went down seemingly without
warning Tuesday, as no distress calls were received by any
agency. The first hint of trouble came when it did not return
to Globe early Tuesday evening as expected, after taking off
from Mesa-Gateway airport with a flight crew of three on
board. No patients were on the flight.
Initially flight nurse Frary survived. Paramedic Boehm,
despite being gravely injured, worked to save him, but help
was not received in time. After night fall, Boehm was able
to signal to rescuers with a flashlight. Around 8:30 a Native
Air chopper found the site, and a half hour later a DPS bird
saw Boehm’s signals and realized there was a survivor, but
neither unit was able to land due to the roughness of the
terrain. The crash occurred on a snowy tree-lined
mountainside. Boehm was airlifted out to a Phoenix hospital
by an Air Force helicopter after 10 p.m., approximately four
hours after the crash. Initially his condition was critical but
by Wednesday afternoon it was upgraded to fair. A
GoFundMe account has been set up for donations dedicated
to his recovery.
The NTSB arrived Wednesday morning and the wreckage
has been removed and is being studied to determine cause.
JURY REJECTS SELF-DEFENSE ARGUMENT
CONVICTS LOCAL MAN FOR 2010 DEATH
Gila County Attorney Bradley D. Beauchamp announced
that on December 10, 2015, a jury convicted Robert Verdugo
of Manslaughter for the 2010 stabbing death of Scott
Michael Johnson. The jury, which consisted of four men and
four women, deliberated for approximately five hours before
returning the verdict. After the verdict, Verdugo waived his
right to a jury determination of aggravating factors and
admitted that the stabbing caused emotional harm to the
Johnson family.
Scott Johnson was stabbed to death on September 18, 2010.
Subsequently, the Globe Police Department, which
investigated the case, submitted it to the County Attorney’s
Office, then under the direction of Daisy Flores. Flores’
office declined to prosecute after concluding that Verdugo’s
actions were justified under Arizona’s self-defense laws.
Beauchamp succssfully ran against Flores in 2012.
After reviewing the Verdugo case and several others which
had previously been declined for prosecution, Beauchamp
determined that Verdugo’s actions were not justified and that
there was a reasonable likelihood of convicting him. The
case was charged and presented to a Gila County Grand Jury.
On December 3, 2014, Verdugo was indicted for
Manslaughter.
According to Chief Deputy Shawn C. Fuller, who prosecuted
the case, evidence adduced at trial established that on
September 18, 2010, at approximately 12:22 AM, Scott
Johnson, who had been drinking, walked from his parents’
house to the house of a former girlfriend and childhood
friend. Shortly after Scott arrived at the house, the sister of
Scott’s former girlfriend called 911 and indicated that Scott
was intoxicated, wanted to talk to her and her sister, and
would not leave. Verdugo, who was living at the house and
in a relationship with the sister of Scott’s childhood friend,
went outside with a knife.
A witness who lives in the neighborhood testified that
around the time of the stabbing he heard what sounded like
two men yelling at each other and then heard, “Ahh! Ahh!
Ahh!” A Medical Examiner testified that Scott had been
stabbed three times – once in the arm and twice in the
abdomen. The Medical Examiner classified the wound to
Scott’s arm as a “defensive wound.” Verdugo, who remained
at the scene and was providing Scott aid when law
enforcement arrived, was not injured.
Verdugo’s sentencing is set for January 12, 2016, at 9 AM,
before the Honorable Jason R. Holmberg. Verdugo is facing
a mandatory sentence of 7 – 21 years in the Arizona
Department of Corrections.