A Tucson man and his girlfriend were arrested after authorities say they plotted to have a DEA informant and an undercover police officer killed.
Rachelle Marie Harris, 23, and Nathaniel Keon Curtis, 27, were indicted Nov. 10 on a number of charges, including conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
The indictments stem from an incident on Nov. 15 in which the DEA conducted a narcotics investigation that resulted in the seizure of cocaine and the arrest of Curtis, Pacheco said.
Curtis was booked into the Pima County jail, where he met a man whom he would solicit to kill the DEA informant and the undercover Tucson police officer, Pacheco said.
The man was offered drugs, two vehicles and $10,000 in exchange for the murders, Pacheco said. Curtis' girlfriend, Harris, then posted bail for the man and gave him a gun that was to be used in the slayings.
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But the man had "second thoughts" and reported the plot to police on Nov. 30, Pacheco said.
After verifying that the targeted informant was working with the DEA, the Tucson Police Department notified the agency to ensure the safety of the informant, as well as its own officer, Pacheco said.
On Dec. 1, Harris was arrested as she left her home. The man hired by the couple is not being charged because "he is cooperating and did not carry out the plot," Pacheco said.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Harris is being held on suspicion of illegally conducting a criminal enterprise and possession of a narcotic drug for sale.
Curtis is also facing charges of illegally conducting a criminal enterprise, three counts of sale of a narcotic drug and one count of possession of a narcotic drug for sale.
The identities of the DEA informant, the undercover officer and the man hired by the couple were not released.
"Our department is conducting a comprehensive investigation into this complex case," Pacheco said. "The indictments of Curtis and Harris illustrate excellent police work involving DEA agents, as well as TPD detectives and officers."
Curtis remained in jail Thursday night on $1,050,000 bond. Harris is being held in lieu of $1,025,000 bond.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Curtis served nearly five years in prison for aggravated robbery and first-degree burglary.
Online court records show Curtis has been arrested on charges of armed robbery, weapons misconduct, criminal damage, assault and a drug offense.
Harris has faced charges in the past of assault, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.
