Safford police responded to a report of domestic violence last Wednesday night at approximately 9:00 p.m. A man called police to report that his 33-year-old son had a bat and was destroying his residence. While en-route, officers were notified that the man had an active local misdemeanor arrest warrant.
When police arrived at the residence the reporting party said that he had a confrontation with his son in front of their house and the younger man ‘went crazy.’ The man told officers that his son had left the residence on foot.
While looking for the man a concerned citizen told authorities that the man they were looking for was hiding in the backyard of a vacant residence. Police went to the home but were unable to find the man. However, the home’s utility vent was broken and it appeared that someone had tried to gain access to the residence through it. One officer stayed in front of the house while another walked to the back. Through a window in the front of the house the officer could see the black shape of a person inside the residence just below the window. The officer in the back of the house shined his duty pistol flashlight through the broken vent and saw the man squatted below the front window. The officer ordered the man to show his hands and walk toward him. The man stood up but did not walk toward the officer.
The man kept asking what the ‘big deal’ was and argued about having to come out through the utility vent. After several minutes the man finally complied and exited the home by crawling back through the utility vent. The man was handcuffed and placed under arrest for the warrant and criminal trespassing.
The man was transported to the Graham County Jail where he submitted to an alcohol breath test, which showed his BrAC to be .315%. Due to his level of intoxication the jail would not accept him.
The man was transported back to his father’s residence, where the officer explained the jail’s refusal to accept the man. The man was released to the custody of his father and advised that he needed to contact the local court.
As of this report, authorities had not been able to contact the owners of the vacant residence the man broke into to find out if they wanted to press charges.
