Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Feb. 17-19
Feb 19, 2023, 6:00 PM
General view of workers getting State Farm Stadium ready ahead of Super Bowl LVII on February 11, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — A man allegedly killed his coworker at the Intel campus in Chandler, winter precipitation in the Valley provided a boost to reservoir levels and a man died after getting dragged by an ATV near State Farm Stadium.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
1 person dead, another in custody after incident near Intel’s Ocotillo campus
One person is dead and another is in custody after an incident at Intel’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler, authorities said Saturday morning.
Police responded to the area of Dobson and Ocotillo roads at approximately 6:15 a.m. and found a subject fatally injured from blunt-force trauma, the Chandler Police Department said in a tweet.
Another person suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident and was transported to a hospital, authorities said.
The suspect was identified as 50-year-old Derrick Lemond Simmons, who was taken into custody without incident.
Police said it appeared the subjects involved were coworkers.
Man taking down materials at State Farm Stadium dies after getting dragged by ATV
A man is dead after he was dragged by an ATV while taking down materials at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, authorities said.
Officers responded to the area of the stadium on Saturday morning and found the unidentified man with life-threatening injuries, the Glendale Police Department said in a press release.
The victim was dragged several hundred feet by an unknowing worker leading to his death, authorities said.
Strong winter of precipitation helps boost metro Phoenix reservoir levels
Metro Phoenix reservoir levels have risen in recent months as a result of an above-average stretch of precipitation across the state.
Salt River Project’s six dams are 80% full as of Friday, up from 63% at the start of December.
Strong precipitation levels and runoff from the high country, notably Flagstaff, are fueling the increase, according to Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
Paradise Valley man pleads guilty to $50 million tax fraud scheme
A Paradise Valley man pleaded guilty in January to a seven-year tax fraud scheme that resulted in more than $50 million from illegal tax refunds.
56-year-old Charles St. George Kirkland falsely claimed he lost more than $135 million investing in solar equipment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said in a press release.
Kirkland then “sold” the losses through a network of tax preparers, telling them that their clients could use the losses to claim refunds on their tax returns, the release said.
Meeting about Loop 101, I-10 interchange ramp changes set for next week
The Arizona Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting next week regarding potential changes to the Loop 101 and Interstate 10 interchange in the West Valley.
The meeting on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sheely Farms Elementary School in Phoenix will provide information to attendees about alternatives being considered for new HOV ramp connections at the interchange.
“ADOT’s study team has been studying options for HOV ramp connections to and from the north along the Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway and to and from the east along I-10,” ADOT said in a press release. “Construction of the new HOV ramp structure could begin as soon as 2025.”
