SAFFORD – On Sunday afternoon, police officers received a report of a man and woman in Firth Park who appeared to be fighting. The reporting party claimed that every time the woman tried to get up to leave, the man would grab her by the throat and pull her back. When the authorities arrived, they saw two men and a woman sitting under some trees. One of the men told the officers that he had just come over to ask the other two for a lighter. He reported to authorities that he had not witnessed any altercation between the couple at any time. The man was allowed to leave after officers were done speaking with him.
The woman who was identified as Tanja Thomas, seemed perplexed as to why someone made the report to police. She stated nothing had happened, that they were just waiting for a ride to Willcox. The officer did not notice any marks or signs of assault or bodily injury. A records check, however, revealed an extraditable Felony Warrant out of Willcox for Thomas. While the officer waited for the warrant to be confirmed, he noticed Thomas had injection marks on her arms and hands. She had allegedly admitted to previous heroin use, so the officer asked to search her bag. After police received confirmation of the warrant Thomas was handcuffed and placed in the patrol vehicle. The other man offered to hold her belongings because they were on their way to Willcox and they would meet up when she was released. Thomas was booked in the Graham County Jail.
