Community News

Deputies Honored for Meritorious Service

On Wednesday, April 15, 2009, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and the Pinal County Board of Supervisors honored three deputies for commendable performance and truly representing service before self. Deputy Russell Warren was honored with a Lifesaving Medal for risking his life to save several undocumented immigrants who had fallen into a Stanfield/Maricopa Irrigation District Canal. Deputy David Hernandez was honored with a Medal of Distinction for his role in the same incident. On March 6, 2009, as Deputy Warren approached a vehicle he had been looking for in the area, he noticed several people fleeing from the vehicle in all directions. He was attempting to maintain a visual on the suspect driver while giving him commands to stop running when his attention was diverted to the canal where he could hear people yelling. Deputy Warren immediately turned his attention to the yelling and advanced toward the canal bank, where he saw seven people who had fallen into the canal and appeared to be unable to swim. Deputy Warren removed his duty gear and jumped into the canal in an attempt to save the victims. He was able to retrieve one individual who had gone under the water and pulled him to the water edge, when Deputy Hernandez and Cpl. Berry had arrived and assisted them out of the water. Hernandez threw one end of a pair of jumper cables into the canal to save another victim. Two additional victims were able to hold on to the side of the canal and Hernandez and Berry pulled them from the water as well. Retired Corporal Christopher Encisco was honored with a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained while responding to a 911 call from a victim of Domestic Violence. He observed a vehicle traveling north bound in the opposing lane and it eventually yielded. He then observed a vehicle enter his lane of traffic coming straight at him. He swerved off the roadway, in an effort to avoid hitting another vehicle in the roadway and the oncoming vehicle driver, who was impaired, traveled off the roadway as well, striking his patrol vehicle head on. Cpl. Encisco was trapped in his vehicle with multiple critical injuries. He was extricated and transported to St. Joseph's Hospital by air-evac. Cpl. Encisco spent 5 days in intensive care and sustained a 20% disability to his right leg, irreparable vision damage and now has a plate in the left side of his face. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was forced to medically retire, but has since been appointed by Sheriff Babeu to the position of Impound Hearing Officer. Sheriff Paul Babeu commented. "It is a proud day for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Each of these three deputies have young families who depend on them and yet they still selflessly put their lives at risk. Their actions represent the true spirit of the law enforcement profession. I am extremely proud of these three deputies and their selfless actions. I am honored to serve beside them."

Benefit Ride for Dylan Earven

The benefit ride is presented by Independent Riders Family & Friends and will be held on Dylan Birthday May 16. Meet at the Globe Fire Department for registration and breakfast from 8:00 a.m till 10:00 a.m. Kickstands up at 10:00 a.m. Ending at the Globe Community Center at approximately 4:30 PM . Dinner will be provided. For more information call Al at 928-200-3558, Bob 928-812-0536, Vicky 928-812-0766, or Joe Brown at 928-200-6670.

Bylas S.T.E.P.P Coalition News

The Bylas STEPP Coalition would like to thank all Bylas community members who signed the petition to request the reopening of the new Bylas Police Substation. The Bylas District Council and the San Carlos P.D. held a dedication ceremony of the new Bylas substation on April 10, as the coalition asked all agencies to work together in addressing problems within our community. A special thank-you goes to the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council for their financial support of this project. We would like to also thank Police Chief Alejandro Benally and all the Law Enforcement staff for their commitment to protecting our community. The Bylas STEPP Coalition has been working on a community action plan since January and will be completing the action plan at its last workshop session on Wednesday, April 29, beginning 10:00 a.m. The strategic plan began the process of creating a community prevention action plan. The first session involved the coalition taking a snap-shot of their community, creating a vision and begin finding issues and obstacles. The second session involved identifying local issues and obstacles of the Bylas community and moving towards getting to the root cause of these issues and obstacles. As coalition members all learned, getting to the root cause helped them to realize that the issues and obstacles listed are not always the only issues but that there is a root cause of all the social problems in their community. Within the community strategic action plan, coalition members would like to advocate for more community based programs for the Bylas youth and children. They would like to see parents, schools, and local programs foster healthy behaviors in their youth. All interested community members are welcome to attend the last session at the Bylas Boys & Girls Club building on April 29. Lunch and refreshments will be served.

Victim's Rights Week

In Celebration of Victim's Rights Week, the Gila County Attorney's Office of Victim Services would like to invite you to a special Candlelight Ceremony to honor victims of crimes and their families. It will be held on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Gila County Courthouse in Globe. For more information, please call Vitim Services at 928-402-8835 or 928-402-8836. The Payson ceremony will be held on Monday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Green Valley Park.