Category: Court News

KINGMAN – The language barrier that presented difficulty in the criminal investigation is also evident in legal proceedings for an elderly Asian defendant who allegedly brutally assaulted co-workers with hot oil at a Kingman eatery last spring. Parties had difficulty hearing and understanding one another during an Oct. 14 hearing for Kien Yun Wong, the 70-year old who reportedly slit his throat after attacking two male co-workers during the lunch hour at the Sakura Sushi & Grill. A translator appeared over the telephone which was placed behind COVID-19 plexiglass in the historical, though acoustically- challenged third story courtroom under an…

A firefighter accused of stealing roughly $24,000 from the rural Mohave County fire district that formerly employed him pleaded guilty to theft Wednesday. A fraud charge is dismissed through the agreement entered for Phillip Picard, 32. Terms of the misdemeanor conviction deal protect Picard from prison, unless he violates supervised probation.  Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert can impose up to a 30-day county jail term at a Nov. 16 sentencing hearing. Discovery of payroll anomalies by Administrative Assistant Karen Jackson at the Dolan Springs-based Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District (LMRFD) prompted a Mohave County Sheriff’s Office investigation beginning…

A Lake Havasu City man fired more than two dozen rifle rounds towards officers and homes before charging out of his residence drawing fatal gunfire from local police. That’s part of the narrative of a Mohave County Attorney’s office letter clearing Sergeant Brian Jacobs and officer Brent Skancke of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of Ronald Chipman, 39. The Bullhead City Police Department conducted an independent investigation of the Aug. 19 incident in the 3300 block of Pocahontas Drive. Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann wrote a letter stating that he reviewed the investigation and determined the officers were…

A Lake Havasu City man fired more than two dozen rifle rounds towards officers and homes before charging out of his residence drawing fatal gunfire from local police. That’s part of the narrative of a Mohave County Attorney’s office letter clearing Sergeant Brian Jacobs and officer Brent Skancke of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of Ronald Chipman, 39. The Bullhead City Police Department conducted an independent investigation of the Aug. 19 incident in the 3300 block of Pocahontas Drive. Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann wrote a letter stating that he reviewed the investigation and determined the officers were…

KINGMAN – An ex con who pointed a pellet gun at a group of Black Lives Matters (BLM) protesters at a Kingman demonstration is being sent back to the Arizona Department of Corrections. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert rejected pleas for probation Monday and ordered a 3.5-year prison term for Robert Fernandes, 43. Fernandes pleaded guilty to one aggravated assault charge while four other counts are dismissed in the plea agreement. Dozens of BLM demonstrators lined Locomotive Park June 2 when authorities said at least 5 were threatened when they saw a weapon trained in their direction from…

BULLHEAD CITY – An elderly Bullhead City man has been arrested for harming young children during babysitting sessions. Harold Stanley Pinkard, 70, was booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Center Monday. “The victim’s parents reported to police that their children had been sexually abused and physically assaulted while Pinkard was babysitting them,” said police spokeswoman Emily Fromelt. She said detectives learned that Pinkard sexually abused girls 7 and 11 years of age and physically abused a 4-year-old boy. “The abuse occurred on several occasions while the children were in his care since July,” Fromelt said. Pinkard is originally charged…