Category: Court News

BULLHEAD CITY – There was little drama at a Thursday, Nov. 2 sentencing hearing in a Bullhead City homicide case. A Mohave County Superior Court jury last month convicted Kenneth Petrone, 28, of first-degree murder for the Nov. 5, 2022 stabbing death of his stepson Jake Arredondo, 26. Punishment imposed by Judge Billy Sipe is mandated under Arizona law. “It is ordered that the defendant is sentenced to natural life in the Arizona Department of Corrections,” Sipe said. “He is not eligible for any release on any basis whatsoever. He does have to spend the rest of his life in…

BULLHEAD CITY – There was little drama at a Thursday, Nov. 2 sentencing hearing in a Bullhead City homicide case. A Mohave County Superior Court jury last month convicted Kenneth Petrone, 28, of first-degree murder for the Nov. 5, 2022 stabbing death of his stepson Jake Arredondo, 26. Punishment imposed by Judge Billy Sipe is mandated under Arizona law. “It is ordered that the defendant is sentenced to natural life in the Arizona Department of Corrections,” Sipe said. “He is not eligible for any release on any basis whatsoever. He does have to spend the rest of his life in…

LAKE HAVASU CITY – Former Lake Havasu City police detective John Hickey Johnson is a wanted man more than a decade after allegedly stealing undercover investigation funds and committing evidence room crimes. Johnson was the focus of an internal criminal police investigation from April through Oct., 2013. Johnson was a 16-year veteran when he resigned from the police department and relocated to Charleston, Massachusetts. He was formally charged with 48 felony offenses including forgery, theft and fraud in April 2016. Known as “JJ” in the community, Johnson was accused of removing illegal drugs from the police department evidence room and…

LAKE HAVASU CITY – Former Lake Havasu City police detective John Hickey Johnson is a wanted man more than a decade after allegedly stealing undercover investigation funds and committing evidence room crimes. Johnson was the focus of an internal criminal police investigation from April through Oct., 2013. Johnson was a 16-year veteran when he resigned from the police department and relocated to Charleston, Massachusetts. He was formally charged with 48 felony offenses including forgery, theft and fraud in April 2016. Known as “JJ” in the community, Johnson was accused of removing illegal drugs from the police department evidence room and…

KINGMAN – Northern Arizona Fire District personnel responding to a medical call drew gunfire from a north Kingman residence late Sunday morning. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said the firefighters were able to safely retreat after shots were fired from the home in the 3700 block of John L Ave. “Deputies arrived on scene and began making announcements for the suspect … to come out of the residence,” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Anita Mortensen. She said the subject identified as Steven Willard was unarmed when he exited the home after about one hour of negotiation. Mortensen said Willard, 66, is…

KINGMAN – A Golden Valley man has embarked upon a civil litigation binge while spending decades behind bars in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Zion Kauffman, 36, is serving 94 years in prison for sentences imposed in separate criminal cases. Kauffman was first charged for an air rifle pellet shot that struck an eight-month-old baby in the back of the head in Nov., 2020. Authorities say the victim is unable to walk and faces a lifetime of challenges due to the injury. Authorities investigating the baby shooting incident discovered that Kauffman possessed child pornography in his phone. Resulting convictions saw…