Maricopa County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Kratzer reported to the Town Council at its Jan. 17 session with information related to a couple of recent incidents in Fountain Hills.

Kratzer said that on Dec. 27, 2022, MCSO was contacted about an in-progress burglary at a vacant commercial building located at 16805 E. Shea Blvd., which previously housed the KFC/A&W business. The complainant was a plumber who was at the commercial property to replace several previously stolen backflow valves that had caused water disruption to businesses.

After the plumber replaced the backflow valves and turned the water back on, he heard water gushing at the vacant building and then heard metal pipes clanking. He went to the building to investigate and observed two male subjects in a truck near the entrance to the building. The plumber then went inside the building to see what the issue was. He noticed cut copper pipes and damage to the drywall and water flowing out of the cut pipes and realized the two men were in the process of stealing the copper from the building.

As the plumber was calling 911 the two men fled in the truck prior to deputies arriving.

MCSO detectives and crime lab personnel processed the scene due to the amount of damage to the building, estimated to be approximately $50,000 to $60,000.

On Monday, Jan. 2, patrol deputies in Fountain Hills observed a truck matching the description of the suspect vehicle at Denny’s located on Shea and Saguaro boulevards. Deputies were then alerted about a restaurant patron who exited the establishment through a back door. Deputies were able to locate the male subject a short distance away and found that he had several outstanding felony arrest warrants and that he was the registered owner of the vehicle that had been observed at the commercial burglary in December.

Detectives responded and impounded the vehicle and obtained a search warrant to process the vehicle. Also, several pieces of cut copper pipe were visible in the bed of the truck.

Kratzer said the case is pending results of ongoing forensic testing.

Kratzer also reported on an incident described by deputies as a “rolling shootout” or road rage incident that took place in Fountain Hills on Tuesday morning, Jan. 3.

According to MCSO, gunshots were fired as two vehicles traveled east on Grande Boulevard early in the morning. There were no reports of any injuries, and a suspect was taken into custody without incident at the Denny’s restaurant at Shea and Saguaro boulevards later that same morning.

Detectives closed Grande Boulevard in Fountain Hills between Saguaro Boulevard and the Town boundary at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation for their investigation. Fort McDowell Police also were involved in the pursuit, which ended at the parking lot of Denny’s, where the suspect was taken into custody.

Kratzer said that suspect is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and discharging a firearm, among other things.

Kratzer also reported to the council that District 7, based in Fountain Hills, is once again fully staffed. He said this allows for use of a community action team and provides flexibility in using law enforcement resources.

Mayor Ginny Dickey asked about how patrol resources are used related to mitigating crimes of opportunity in neighborhoods.

Kratzer said deputies are assigned to a geographic patrol area. They are accountable for their work hours and are able to spend more time in areas where issues have been reported. He said if the public has a specific concern, they can contact MCSO for a follow-up process.

Councilwoman Brenda Kalivianakis asked Kratzer to discuss how resources are being allocated at local schools. She had passed along information she had received from concerned parents related to bullying and possible substance abuse.

Kratzer said additional resources related to the community action team have been made available to the school district to supplement and support the assigned school resource officer. He said they are trying to be more visible at times of greater activity on both the high school and middle school campuses.

In response to a question, Kratzer said at the request of the district officials they can arrange for a K-9 officer to visit campus to sweep for illegal substances.