March 7, 2024 

*****CAPTURED*****

 

The suspects in this case, Danny Ferguson and Aimee Christine Corn, have been arrested by the Camp Verde Marshal's Office and are in custody at the Yavapai County Jail.  A big thanks to the publics help as the two were quickly idenfified and taken in to custody. Another great example of the working relationship between  the citizens of Yavapai County and local Law Enforcment.    

 

 

 

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 21 - Captured ***

 

February 26, 2024 

 

Day 21 of Yavapai Silent Witness’ Catch 22 Program., fugitive Jennifer Christine Nack has been captured.

On Thursday, February 22nd Agents with the U.S. Marshalls were able to locate and arrest Jennifer Christine Nack in El Cajon CA.

In November of 2019 Nack was operating a vehicle that was observed by a Prescott Police Officer driving erratically. After failing field sobriety tests Nack for DUI. During the investigation the Officer located a clear plastic straw with white residue inside of it. Nack later admitted to using the straw to ingest cocaine.

Nack was placed on probation, however she has violated the terms and conditions of her probation, absconded, and a nationwide felony warrant has been issued for her arrest. 

Nack is currently in custody in El Cajon awaiting extradition back to Yavapai County.  Thank you to our partners with U.S. Marshalls Office for safely taking this suspect into custody. 

 

 

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 19 - Captured ***

 

February 26, 2024

 

Adakai Junior Anderson, Day 19 of Yavapai Silent Witness’ CATCH 22 Program is now in custody. 

Acting on several anonymous tips, local law enforcement officers with the Page Police Department attempted to locate Anderson at a local business, however he was able to sneak away. Due to the public’s tips and the pressure from law enforcement, Anderson self-surrendered at the Yavapai County Jail in Campe Verde on February 19^th.

Remember, On November 13, 2021, Anderson was arrested by the Page, Arizona Police Department for two counts Assault-Intent/Reckless/Injure, four counts Domestic Violence, and two counts Disorderly Conduct-Fighting. On January 26, 2022, he was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.  Anderson had violated the terms and conditions of his probation and a nationwide felony warrant had been issued for his arrest.

 

He is currently being held that the Yavapai County Jail await his next court appearance.

 

 

February 6, 2024

**CAPTURED** 

 

 

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 22 - Captured ***

 

Day 22 of Yavapai Silent Witness’ Catch 22 Program., fugitive Terry French has been captured.

On Tuesday February 6^th French was observed in the Yavapai Casino. The Yavapai Prescott Tribal Police were called and took French into custody without incident.

Remember French was involved in a physical altercation with his roommates in 1300 block of W. Adams Ave. in Prescott, AZ. During the fight French brandished a knife and threatened to harm the victims. French was arrested and booked foe one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of disorderly conduct, and one count of assault.  French was released from custody; however, he has failed to appear for further court proceeding on this matter. A statewide felony warrant has been issued for his arrest.  

French is now in the Yavapai County Jail.  Once again, the partnership between Silent Witness, the public, and our law enforcement professionals in this country have made it more difficult for fugitives to escape being held accountable for their crimes. Thanks to all for a great effort.   

.

 

 

January 30, 2024

 

***Silent Witness Alert – Day 2 Fugitive of CATCH 22 Captured***

 

On Friday January 26th Agents with the Prescott GITTEM Task Force, working in cooperation with the U.S. Marshalls were able to locate and arrest Donald Bradley Wing in Cottonwood. 

Wing had a active felony warrant for his arrest for probation violation stemming from a 2019 incident in which he attempted to flee from Troopers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.  After receiving several tips, law enforcement zeroed in on the Cottonwood area and were able to take Wing into custody without incident.

Wing is now in the Yavapai County Jail.  Thank you to our partners with the GITTEM Task Force and the U.S. Marshalls Office for safely taking this suspect into custody. 

 

 

January 24, 2024 

 

 

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 6 Captured***

 

On January 22, 2024  Deputies with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in the Prescott Valley area and located Armando Juan Gamez.   Remember, Gamez was wanted on a probation violation warrant out of Yavapai County. He had multiple warrants for drugs, weapons, aggravated assault and armed robbery per domestic violence.   

 

Acting on information from the public, the deputies located Gamez and took him into custody without incident.  Gamez is now in custody at the Yavapai County Jail.  Another great job by our law enforcement community and the public working together to make our streets safer in Yavapai County. 

 

 

Joel Hughes

January 23, 2024 

 

**CAPTURED**

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 8 - Joel Hughes ***

 

 

Day 8 of Yavapai Silent Witness’ Catch 22 Program., fugitive Joel Hughes has been captured. An alert Prescott Valley Police Officer noticed Hugues walking down the strret. Having knowledge that Hughes was wanted on outstanding felony warrants, he was arrested with out incident. 

 

 

 

**CAPTURED** 

 

***Silent Witness Alert – CATCH 22 Day 4 - Captured ***

 

January 18, 2024 

Samuel Lucero III , Day 4 of Yavapai Silent Witness’ CATCH 22 Program is now in custody.  On Juanary 18, acting on anonymous information, deputies with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Eastern Command learned that CATCH 22 Fugitive Samuel Lucero III was staying in a camper in the Verde Village just outside of Cottonwood.  Lucero was wanted for Aggravated  Assuslt with a Dangerous Insturment, teft of a vehicle and Disorderly Conduct resulting from an incident in October of 2022 During this incident. 

On January 18th , after receiving infoamtion through the Yavapai Silent Witness tip line,  YCSO Deputies took Lucero into custody without incident.  He is now in the Yavapai County Jail. 

 

 

August 11, 2022

***Day 3 of CATCH 22 Captured***

 

On August 8, 2022, Deputies from the United States Marshals Service received anonymous information that day 3 CATCH 22 fugitive Terry Michael Gibson was staying in Louisiana.  Remember Gibson was wanted on a nationwide extraditable warrant from an incident in January of 2020 in which he was the sole occupant in a vehicle carrying a considerable quantity of methamphetamine packaged to be sold.  Gibson failed to appear in court on the charges and a warrant was issued for his arrest. 

 

A few hours after receiving the information, USMS Deputies in conjunction with Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, located Gibson in the 200 block of Jim Rivers Road in Coushatta, Louisiana.  He was taken into custody without incident.  This is just another example of good law enforcement teamwork making it very difficult for fugitives to hide.  Nice Work!

 

 

Robert David Pearsall III, a fugitive with felony warrants in Yavapai County who was convicted in 2019 on charges of Attempted 1st Degree Murder and two counts of Aggravated Assault, was captured and taken into custody after three years on the run by Payson Police on July 22, 2021.   

Pearsall’s 2019 convictions stemmed from a 2018 incident when he viciously attacked a man at a campsite, striking him repeatedly with a board. The victim sustained multiple injuries including a severe head injury and partial loss of his ear.  Pearsall was out on bond at the time of his trial but fled before the conviction was reached.  

 

Pearsall was stopped by a Payson Police Officer in the early morning of July 22 for a traffic violation on a moped, but then fled as the Officer began asking for identification.   Following a vehicle and foot pursuit, the Officer was able to take him into custody.  After providing a false name, the Officer later determined the suspect to be Pearsall, the fugitive wanted in Yavapai County.  

  

Pearsall is now facing additional criminal charges from the arrest in Payson including aggravated assault on law enforcement and weapons charges.  

 

 

 

On April 22, 2021, after an investigation spanning several months, deputies from the United States Marshals Service’s Fugitive task force located Aubrie Lee Howell in San Diego, California, and arrested her without incident.  Howell, who was day 8 of the Yavapai Silent Witness’ CATCH 22 program was wanted on a probation violation warrant stemming from a conviction for Possession of Narcotics for Sale when she was found in possession of heroin.  Howell is currently in the San Diego County Jail awaiting extradition back to Yavapai County.   

 

Thanks to the continued collaboration of our law enforcement professionals, Yavapai Silent Witness, the media, and the community, it is becoming more and more difficult for these fugitives to stay hidden.  We at Yavapai Silent Witness want to thank all involved in bringing yet another felon to justice.

 

 

 

 

 

On April 22, 2021, following various leads, deputies from the United States Marshal’s Fugitive task force were able to locate Nicole Lynn Weil in Tampa Florida and take her into custody without incident.  Weil was “day 9” of the Yavapai Silent Witness’ recent CATCH 22 program.  She was wanted on a probation violation warrant stemming from a conviction for providing narcotics to students and staff members at the Mingus Mountain Academy located here in Yavapai County.  Weil is currently in the Hillsborough County Jail in Florida awaiting extradition back to Yavapai County.   

 

Once again, the partnership between Silent Witness, the public, and our law enforcement professionals in this country have made it more difficult for fugitives to escape being held accountable for their crimes.  They truly have no place to hide.   Thanks to all for a great effort.   

 

 

On February 24th, 2021, the United States Marshals Service’s Violent Offender Task Force arrested fugitive Jackie Joseph Duval in Brandon, Mississippi. Duval, who’s been on the run since 2008 for two felony warrants, had relocated to Brandon.  The first warrant was from a June 2008 incident in which he fled from a Cottonwood Police officer who was trying to stop him for a traffic infraction.  Duval sped away in his vehicle colliding with a parked car, then attempted to run away on foot.   

 

Duval’s second warrant is in connection to an incident that took place a month after the June 2008 incident. Duval struck an 11-year-old female child in the face in order to steal money from her.   

 

Duval was first featured on Yavapai Silent Witness’s CATCH 22 program in July of 2019, and investigators finally received a break in their search for Duval. During the late evening hours on February 24th, the deputies observed Duval walk into a home in Brandon Mississippi.  Deputies were able to see him inside the house and ordered him to come out.  Duval complied and, was taken into custody without incident.  

 

 

 

 

***CAPTURED***

 

 

In the early afternoon hours of February 3, 2021, detectives with the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and DPS’ SWAT operators successfully captured Fugitive Jonathon Robert Bracher. 

Remember, Bracher was wanted on charges of Felony Flight from Law Enforcement, Endangerment, Weapons Misconduct and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. These charges originated from a 2017 case in which Bracher led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit endangering victims in the process.   Bracher was arrested on those charges, was released, and had since violated the terms of his release.

Acting off various sources of information in the community, the detectives were able to locate Bracher at an apartment in the area of 14^th Street, and Thomas Road in Phoenix.  Detectives and SWAT operators were able to catch Bracher as he was leaving the apartment on foot.  He was taken into custody without incident. 

This, like so many other cases, is an excellent example of what law enforcement is all about.  Partnerships between law enforcement, and our community working together to bring dangerous criminals to justice. 

 

January 11, 2020

 

***UDATE:  FISER ARRESTED!!***

 

On January 11, 2020 at approximately 12:52 AM, Deputies with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office located Austin Allen Fiser and took him into custody on multiple Yavapai County Warrants.  He will be awaiting extradition to the Yavapai County Jail. Great job by our neighboring county’s law enforcement professionals getting a dangerous criminal off the streets! 

 

 

On April 23, 2019, after an approximately seven-year stretch on the run, Cottonwood Police officers and Detectives from Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking (PANT) were able to locate and arrest Silent Witness Catch 22 suspect Daniel Sanchez Martinez.  Martinez was arrested for his outstanding warrant stemming from charges of aggravated assault per Domestic Violence, Criminal Impersonation, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as an additional charge of taking the identity of another.  Another example of great police work!!

 

Thanks to the assistance of the Yavapai County Attorney's Office in expanding the extradition of the warrant, Angelina  Heydorn is now in custody in Santa Barbara County, California awaiting extradition to Yavapai County.    Heydorn was wanted on a felony warrant for Aggravated Robbery, Assault, and Theft.  Great job by all involved!!

 

On August 23, 2018 Catch 22, Day 14, Francisco Gardea was arrested in Prescott Valley due to a Silent Witness tip. The reward has been paid. 

 

On August 21, 2018 Kyle Sims, Catch 22, Day 8, was arrested in Florida.

 

Robert Wayne Dozier, Day 12 of "Catch 22" Phase 41, was arrested on 2/05/18 in Phoenix. The cash reward is no longer being offered.

 

Jerriad Allen Wallace, Day 9 of "Catch 22" Phase 40, was arrested on 8/22/17 in Lake Montezuma. The cash reward is no longer being offered.

 

Two Prescott area men have been arrested in connection with the antique sign theft on Old Hwy 66. The cash reward is no longer being offered!

 

The YCSO has arrested Anthony Richards in connection with the murder of Larry Powers of Congress. The cash reward is no longer being offered.

 

DAY 14 of "CATCH 22", Callie Lorraine Smith, has been arrested in Missouri by the Joplin Police Department. There is no longer a reward being offered.

 

DAY 4 of CATCH 22, Summer Sizelove, has been arrested in California by the U.S. Marshall’s Office. There is no longer a reward being offered.

 

On January 16, 2016 the Prescott Valley police arrested the suspect in the November 30, 2015 bomb threat of the Prescott Valley Home Depot and the $1,000.00 cash reward has been paid.

 

Day 8 of “Catch 22”, David Wayne Maloney was arrested at his home in Wimber, Pennsylvania on 10/26/15 by the Wimber Police Department thanks to a tip to Yavapai Silent Witness. He is being held in the Somerset County Jail in Wimber, PA. awaiting extradition back to Arizona.

 

James Darryl Hickey has been captured and is no longer wanted in Yavapai County.  Hickey was arrested in Flagstaff, AZ on Friday, July 24, 2015 by the U.S. Marshall's and officers from the Flagstaff Police Department. There is no longer a $500.00 reward being offered for the arrest of Hickey.

 

Jason Niedermeyer has been captured and is no longer wanted in Yavapai County.

 

John Lee McVeigh has been captured and is no longer wanted in Yavapai County.

 

On October 9, 2014 Duluth, Minnesota Police Department captured Nicholas Wayne Gunter. He was wanted on six different charges including theft, fraud, burglary, forgery and identity theft. The $500 reward is no longer being offered.

 

On September 16, 2014 Cottonwood Police and area law enforcement arrested 34-year-old Cecilio Cruz for 2nd degree murder and manslaughter for the 1997 murder of Marisol Gonzalez and her unborn full term baby, Andrew. Cruz was arrested at his place of work in Tucson, Arizona. The reward in this case is no longer being offered.

 

DAY 10 of "CATCH 22", has been apprehended by the U.S. Marshall's Service and Mexican Immigration in Rocky Point. Police say that Richard Duane Ritter was wanted on several charges. The first count has to do with Ritter not showing up for a hearing on charges of theft, trafficking in stolen property and a weapons violation. Count #2 has to do with Ritter failing to register as a sex offender. This apprehension was made possible by a Silent Witness call. Caller will receive a $500 reward.

 

On the morning of August 1, 2014 , just before 5AM, 30-year-old Dustin Bush of Cottonwood, fled from deputies during a traffic stop on I17 in the area of Rock Springs Road, Black Canyon City. Bush is wanted for robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and endangerment resulting from an incident occurring in the City of Cottonwood in mid-July of this year. Cottonwood detectives have been working with detectives from the Partner’s Against Narcotics Trafficking (PANT – a multi-agency narcotics task force) on this case and the search for Bush. A warrant for Bush has been issued with a bond set at $250,000.

Bush is a white male, 5’ 09” tall, 185 pounds, bald, wearing a red shirt and black shorts. He is very likely armed with a handgun. An extensive search throughout the morning was unsuccessful but detectives continue to work leads.

 

Yavapai Silent Witness is offering a $5,000.00 cash reward for information that leads to the arrest of Wade Cole Dickinson. Dickinson escaped from the Yavapai County jail in Camp Verde on July 12th and at this time is still on the loose. Dickinson is a 28-year-old white male who is 6/1 and weighs about 190 pounds. Dickinson has family in the Camp Verde and Prescott Valley areas.

 

On Monday June 23, 2014 at approximately 9:45 AM the Compass Bank on East Gurley Street was robbed. A lone male entered the bank and presented a teller with a note demanding cash. For safety purposes, the teller complied and gave the suspect the cash.

The suspect left the bank through the south side exit. The suspect is described as a white male in his early to mid twenties. He is approximately six foot tall with a medium build. He was wearing a maroon shirt with grey sleeves, and a grey breast pocket. He was also wearing black shorts and a grey and black flat brimmed baseball style cap. The suspect was wearing dark sunglasses while in the bank. No one was injured during the robbery and no weapon was displayed. The amount of cash taken is unknown at this time.

 

Yavapai Silent Witness offered a $500.00 cash reward for information that led to the arrest of the man who threw a small puppy out of a moving car on Cornville Road. It was in the evening on June 10th when the witness saw 3 people in a white newer Chevy sedan (possibly a Chevy Cruz). In the front seat were two Caucasian women who both had medium dark hair and the man in the back seat was bald. As the car travelled on Cornville Road the man in the back seat flung a small puppy out the window as the car was going about 50 MPH. This was on Cornville Road just above the switchbacks.

The puppy is a black and white female Pit Bull that is about 6 weeks old. If you have any information about the animal abuse, please call Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232. Remember that you never have to give your name and if your information leads to an arrest, you will be offered a cash reward.

 

A man who was convicted on child sex charges in Prescott and then allegedly fled the country in violation of his lifetime sex offender probation was arrested Thursday by the U.S. Marshall's Service in Sonora, Mexico. Christopher Wayne Scalf, 32, was the subject of a 2009 Yavapai Silent Witness “Catch-22″ profile after he was believed to have gone on the run in 2006, according to a U.S. Marshall's Service news release.

Scalf was found guilty in 2002 of two counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Scalf, a worker at a Prescott-area fast food restaurant, had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl, a customer, at her mother’s home while the mother was asleep. He engaged in similar conduct on at least three other occasions, the news release said. A plea agreement allowed Scalf to avoid four counts of sexual conduct with a minor under 15. He was convicted and sentenced to a term of lifetime probation by then-Superior Court Judge Janis Ann Sterling, but he left the country. Scalf was located in Guaymas, Sonora, and arrested last week without incident, the release said.

In addition to the probation violation, he failed to register as a sex offender, the release said. “Christopher Scalf is just another child predator who refused to abide by the conditions imposed upon him by the court,” David P. Gonzales, U.S. Marshall for the District of Arizona, said. “Once again, the U.S. Marshall's Service has proven that child predators are our top priority.” The U.S. Marshall's Service said he has been brought back to the U.S., but a Yavapai County Sheriff’s spokesman said on Tuesday that Scalf was not yet in the Camp Verde jail.

 

Yavapai Silent Witness was offering a $500.00 cash reward for information that led to the arrest of Mark Neuman. Neuman is a 57-year-old man who is 5'10" and weighs about 140 pounds. He has brown hair and is bald on top with a full beard that is mostly gray. He rides a bicycle and has connections on Lillian Lane in Prescott. He frequents Acker Park and the downtown Prescott area and it appears that he is homeless. 

Neuman was wanted by the Prescott Police on felony warrants for attempting to lure a 10-year-old girl for sex after showing her pornographic photos and talking to her suggestively. He also showed pornographic material to an 11-year-old boy and was recently found to be in possession of meth and a meth pipe.

 

The US Marshal’s Office have confirmed a “Catch 22” arrest in Ohio. Yavapai Silent Witness recently sent the local Marshall’s information on Day #17 of the most resent “Catch 22” Kenneth Briandt Winland. The Marshall’s informed Silent Witness that the information was good and that they had just arrested Winland while he was at work in Canton, Ohio.

 

On October 29, 2012 at about 9:15 A.M. (Arizona Time) Jane Leslie Carpenter age 61 was arrested in LaPorte County Indiana and charged in the murder of her husband, Brent Carpenter. The murder of Brent Carpenter occurred in the Yavapai Hills Subdivision in Prescott on June 4, 2002. Mr. Carpenter was 71 years old when he was stabbed and beaten to death inside the home he shared with Jane.

Prescott Police Investigators traveled to Indiana this weekend and worked with Indiana State Police Officials to track down and apprehend Jane Carpenter. She was booked into LaPorte County Jail on one count of first-degree murder. Prescott Police Investigators will work with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office on the extradition of Jane Leslie Carpenter back to Arizona. No reward was applicable to this apprehension.

 

Day 17 of “Catch 22″ Kory King France was arrested on drug charges.

 

Day 4 of “Catch 22″, James Stanton Stewart was arrested June 25, 2012. Stewart was wanted on 5 felony drug charges.

 

Day 6 of “Catch 22”, Jocinda Lee Shepherd has been arrested. Shepherd was arrested May 15, 2012 by members of the US Marshals Office and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest followed a call to Yavapai Silent Witness. A $500.00 cash reward will be offered to the caller. Shepherd was wanted by the YCSO for a March 2012 $100,000.00 burglary to a home near Prescott Valley.

 

19 year-old Juan Ramon Dominguez of Cottonwood was apprehended for an outstanding warrant after he fled from police. As officers attempted to place him under arrest, he fled on foot through a neighboring property and over a fence. Once officers contacted him, he continued to resist arrest and fought with officers. They successfully deployed a Taser on him and he was placed under arrest. A subsequent search of his person yielded a homemade pipe determined to be consistent with drug paraphernalia. The original warrant stemmed from an aggravated assault on a peace officer charge in 2010 and he had been previously featured on Yavapai County’s Catch 22 program. Dominguez was booked in at the Yavapai County Jail on charges of failure to appear (for the original warrant), false reporting to law enforcement, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 

On December 15, 2011 Prescott police arrested, Martin Lee Williamson, on an attempted murder warrant after Yavapai Silent Witness received a call about Williamson’s whereabouts. Williamson was Day 7 of phase 29 of “Catch 22”, and there was a $500.00 reward being offered for information that led to his arrest. Williamson was booked into the Yavapai County jail in Camp Verde and the $500.00 reward was paid.

 

On May 13, 2008 dispatchers at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in Prescott, Arizona received two Silent Witness calls before 9:30 a.m. about the whereabouts of Jose Acosta.

Jose Acosta was featured in “Catch 22″ and had been wanted for the last three years on child molestation charges. The callers said that they heard the advertisement on the radio and decided to call Silent Witness. Deputies from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office were sent to an area in the Village of Oak Creek and a short time later identified Acosta and made the arrest. The streets are a little safer now!

 

Douglas Dishon was arrested in Mexico on December 7, 2009 by US Marshals. He is currently being held in the Yavapai County jail in Camp Verde. He was being investigated for the murder of his wife, Vicki Dishon, by Mexican officials. However, their investigation has ended and he will now be returned to the United States. It is not known when he will be returned to Arizona to answer to charges in Yavapai County.

Dishon worked and lived in the Dewey area and was arrested in 2004 for child molestation and child abuse but failed to show up for a hearing on July 13, 2005. At that time a warrant was issued for his arrest and efforts to locate him have been ongoing. Dishon has been featured in “Catch 22″ over the past four years as well as on TV’s America’s Most Wanted. Silent Witness had received numerous calls over time indicating he lived in Mexico but none of the callers seemed to know just where.

 

The combination of an exhaustive investigation by deputies, detectives and evidence personnel, exemplary forensic work, and determination by the lead detective to see this case solved on behalf of the victims, has led to the arrest of 48-year-old Kenneth Birchett from Cottonwood.

This case has been a top priority for YCSO since the incident was reported on July 25, 2011. On that date, deputies arrived at the home on Apache Drive in the Village of Oak Creek and met two victims who are husband and wife. Deputies learned a male suspect had entered the home while the husband, 67, was out on a morning walk. The suspect confronted the man’s 64-year-old wife and assaulted her with a stun gun to gain compliance. He then bound her with duct tape while demanding money. When her husband arrived home, a fight ensued and the suspect struck him over the head with the butt of a handgun causing a serious laceration. During the struggle, the suspect fired a round, which fortunately did not strike either victim. His wife was able to escape and run to a neighbor’s house for help as the suspect fled from the area.

Over the next few days, detectives and evidence technicians gathered critical evidence from the victim’s home. During a search of adjacent properties, a plastic bucket was found in an area, which provided concealment and a view of the victim’s front door. Assuming it had been handled by the suspect, it was submitted to the DPS crime lab. A forensic examination recovered a fingerprint, which led to the identification of Birchett. Later evidence recovered from the victim’s home provided a DNA match to Birchett.

Detectives initially discovered the suspect had ties to North Dakota, but developed information regarding a Cottonwood, Arizona, residence where he was found and arrested on January 9. Birchett has been charged with Kidnapping, Burglary, Robbery and Aggravated Assault and remains in-custody on a $200,000 bond. Apparently, Birchett identified the victims during previous area casino visits.

Sheriff Mascher is very proud of the efforts by all YCSO personnel, noting the outstanding work by the case detective, to identify and arrest this dangerous suspect.

One of the victims recently said, “We have been so fearful since this incident and the arrest has lifted a great burden from us.”