Category: Court News

A 31 year prison sentence was imposed Friday for a Las Vegas man convicted of intending to have sex with a 13-year-old girl who was actually a Mohave County Sheriff’s detective posing as “Sabrina” in an undercover investigation targeting men who prey upon minors. A trial jury convicted Kevin Moninger, 63, of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation. Moninger answered an ad the detective placed on the internet Doublelist match site before the initial communication was diverted to text messages. More than 1,200 text message exchanges occurred before Moninger drove…

A serial arson suspect dubbed the “Burning Bush Bandit” by law enforcement authorities was arrested in Kingman Tuesday. Deputy police chief Rusty Cooper said Charlie Lee Balluff, 39, Kingman, had been identified as a suspect and was under surveillance. Officers conducted a traffic stop on Dove Lane at 7:00 a.m. after Balluff drove from his home in the 3600 block of Bond Street. Cooper said Balluff was found to be in possession of a usable quantity of methamphetamine and that a subsequent search of his residence turned up evidence linking him to the arson spree. Cooper said Balluff is believed…

A person of interest in a hit and run fatal traffic fatality reportedly confessed his involvement after being arrested on unrelated charges over the weekend. 34-year-old Joseph Whybark was booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Center on burglary, prohibited weapons possession and driving on a suspended license. Mohave County Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Anita Mortensen said detectives responded to the jail to question Whybark about the April 23, 2019 death of Krisandrea Lynn Pannell-Cashen in Golden Valley. The 62-year-old Bullhead City resident was dead at the scene where her body was located in the roadway of an area in the…

An apparent suicide is under investigation at the Mohave County Adult Detention Center in downtown Kingman. Inmate Rylee Adam Campo, 27, Kingman was discovered about 8:00 p.m. Saturday. “A detention officer found an inmate in his closed cell that had apparently hung himself,” a news release stated. “Detention officers and medical staff initiated life saving efforts.” Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Anita Mortensen said Campo was rushed to Kingman Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. “The initial investigation shows no reason to suspect foul play,” she said. The incident remains under investigation and an autopsy will be conducted to…

A judge in Kingman imposed a two year prison sentence last Wednesday, rejecting a request for probation by a Mohave Valley man who pleaded guilty to voyeurism for using his cell phone to take pictures up and underneath the dress of a female customer at Walmart last September. Defense attorney Nathan Best said his client, Ronald Duarte, 36, suffers mental health issues associated with the death of his fiancé, the mother of his children, in a traffic accident more than five years ago. “I’m a mess,” Duarte said at his sentencing hearing. “All I ask for is just a fighting…

A local judge has imposed the harshest punishment possible under terms of a plea agreement resolving five drug cases involving a Needles resident. Judge Billy Sipe ordered a 20 year prison term during a June 4 sentencing hearing for Matthew Solari. Solari, 31, was one of eight defendants convicted in a Bullhead City based opioid ring prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He also pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs for sale in three other cases handled by the Mohave County attorney’s office, which dismissed the final case. Solari’s disabled mother begged the Court for compassion and leniency…