Sheriff's volunteers patrol in hybrid cars
The Tucson Sheriff's Auxiliary Volunteers will now patrol the county's roads in hybrid cars.
Four Toyota Prius cars have been reassigned from the county's fleet to the sheriff's volunteer program.
The white cars are equipped with blue-and-red emergency lights and decals that say "Assist Team."
Volunteers had been using older Chevrolet Caprices and Ford Crown Victorias, and the new hybrids will help the department cut down on expenses, said Deputy Tom Peine, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
The newer cars will also help the public tell the difference between a sheriff's volunteer and a sworn deputy, Peine said.
Some of the volunteers' duties include helping deputies set up perimeters around crime scenes, and patrolling in Pima County Neighborhood Watch areas and parks.
People are also reading…
Veronica M. Cruz
Hearing postponed in killing at UA dorm
Pima County Superior Court Judge Scott Rash imposed a stay in the Galareka Harrison case Thursday after prosecutors announced they will be asking the Arizona Court of Appeals to overturn his decision to grant Harrison a new sentencing hearing.
Harrison, 23, was sentenced to a no-parole life term after being convicted of first-degree murder in the September 2007 death of her University of Arizona dorm mate, Mia Henderson, 18.
Prosecutors said Harrison stabbed Henderson 23 times because Henderson told university police she had found her UA CatCard and Social Security card in Harrison's wallet, and that $500 was missing from her checking account. A CatCard is a combination identification and campus charge card.
Harrison's appellate attorney, Alex Heveri, asked Rash to grant Harrison a new trial or a new sentencing hearing, arguing her original attorneys were ineffective.
Last week, Rash said Harrison's original defense team should have given Harrison's medical records to the psychiatrist it hired.
Had he received them, Rash said, the defense could have "presented some evidence that the defendant's family life was something other than loving, supportive and without abuse."
Whether the evidence will result in Harrison receiving a life sentence with parole eligibility remains to be seen, but Harrison ought to be able to present it, Rash said.
Kim Smith
Website raises funds for shooting victim
A friend of a man shot in the head on Tucson's east side last week has set up a website to collect donations to help the man and his family with medical expenses.
Aaron Valeri, 24, was shot on Aug. 8 and was left at the corner of Calle Bolivar and Day Road near Camino Seco and Speedway.
Valeri was taken to the University of Arizona Medical Center and was put on life support. He has since been moved to Phoenix's Barrow Neurological Institute and has made some improvements, said Marissa Reiling, a friend of Valeri's who set up the donation website.
Reiling said she does not know what the motive for the shooting was but that Valeri had known the suspect in the shooting, 23-year-old Derek Zeller, for several years.
"Aaron is by far the sweetest man I've ever met," Reiling said. "He's very soft-spoken, very shy, very quiet but he will go above and beyond to be there if you needed anything. This is something that was really tragic and could not have happened to a nicer person, which to me that just makes it more tragic."
Information about Valeri's condition and donations can be found at www.wepay.com/donations/support-aaron
Veronica M. Cruz
Firetruck's ladder fails; 5 are injured
Five people were injured Wednesday afternoon when a firetruck ladder failed in Green Valley.
The accident happened just before 6 p.m. at Green Valley Fire District Station 151, 250 N. La Cañada Drive, when a fully extended ladder from a firetruck retracted, Capt. Tom Louis, a spokesman for the department, said in a news release.
Four civilians and one firefighter were trapped in the bucket at the end of the ladder when it failed, the release said.
Everyone in the bucket was wearing safety gear that prevented them from being thrown to the ground, the release said.
Nearby fire departments responded to the scene to help.
All five people were taken to University of Arizona Medical Center.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are investigating the accident.
Veronica M. Cruz
Pool-chemical fumes injure NW-side man
A man was treated by firefighters Thursday morning after he inhaled chlorine gas while mixing pool chemicals at his northwest-side home, authorities said.
The Northwest Fire District went to the home in the 3000 block of Avenida Cresta, near Ironwood Hills and Silverbell roads, after the man reported he mixed two packages of pool chemicals into some water and it began to give off a gas, spokesman Capt. Adam Goldberg said in news release.
He suffered inhalation injuries from the fumes and was treated at the scene.
Two cats were rescued from the home and taken to a veterinarian. They were in serious condition.
Jamar Younger
