Missing Couple Located After 4-Day Delay
Police foul-up causes worried family to wait for info— Officers to undergo remedial training
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Relatives of a missing Apache Junction couple spent four anxious days awaiting word from the Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) regarding the couple’s welfare before they resorted to flying to Arizona to deal with the situation themselves.
   Family and friends began calling the AJPD around 1:30 p.m. on Friday January 4, 2008, asking them to conduct a welfare check on Gertrude “Gert” Wicka, 66, and Norbert “Norb” Wicka, 85, who had not been seen since New Year’s Day. Police computer-aided dispatch (CAD) records show that the police department was informed that it was unusual for the couple to leave without telling relatives or friends and it was further noted there was additional concern for Mr. Wicka because he had been having heart problems.
   AJPD’s CAD documents show that AJPD Officer Chris Sabo responded to the initial call and he proceeded to the Wicka residence in the 1400 block of West Second Avenue around 1:46 p.m. that first day and logged notes into the CAD system that indicated he did not make contact with the couple and that the residence was secure and that there was no car in the driveway.
   Later that evening the AJPD received yet another call regarding the Wickas around 10 p.m., voicing the family’s concern for the couple’s well-being and further expressing a desire to have police break down the door and make entry to make sure the couple was not injured or unable to respond.

See A-1 and see Missing Couple, A-3

Special Operation Nabs 2
Operation produces suspects in string of vehicle burglaries
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- An Apache Junction man was arrested during a special operation conducted by the Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) on Wednesday, January 16, 2008.
   Brandon Percy, 20, along with a juvenile (name withheld), was arrested on a variety of charges during a vehicle burglary detail called “Operation Sneak Attack.”
   The special operation was initiated following a number of thefts and burglaries from vehicles that had been reported in several Apache Junction neighborhoods. With input from citizens the AJPD criminal investigations and patrol divisions joined forces to analyze intelligence and formulate a plan to implement the special operation.
   At approximately 11 a.m. AJPD personnel participating in the special detail reportedly observed two subjects enter the Diamond Key residential area from 16th Avenue. The suspects were allegedly observed breaking into numerous vehicles and removing articles from those vehicles. The suspects then reportedly crossed Ironwood Drive and entered the Renaissance neighborhood where they were observed burglarizing another vehicle.
   Percy and the juvenile suspect were subsequently taken into custody and charged with a variety of crimes including criminal damage, burglary and theft. According to Interim AJPD Chief Tom Kelly the suspects have been linked to other burglaries and will be pursued for additional charges.
   According to Kelly, community input was a “paramount factor” in the successful planning of the operation.

School Town Hall Meeting Held
School District holds 2nd meeting for community input
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION — The Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) scheduled three “Challenges and Choices” public town hall meetings for the month of January to involve the community in the decision-making process necessitated by the November defeat of the Maintenance and Budget Override (M&O) renewal election.
   The M&O override that was in effect for eight years was denied by voters last November leaving the AJUSD to make the decision of reducing approximately $950,000 from the districts budget each year for the next three years.
   Superintendent Dr. Gregory Wyman explained that the M&O override granted permission to exceed the threshold or limit the budget by 10 percent, which provided a one-time budget of $2.9 million during the seven-year life span of the override.
   The theme “Challenges and Choices” meetings were held to provide a voice for parents, community members and district employees through the decision-making process of reaching solutions for the 2008-2009 school district budget. Wyman said he wanted to involve the community and AJUSD employees in the decision-making process to hear what their desires and wants are as a community.

See A-1 and see Schools, A-2

Spring Training Comes Early In IA..
Arizona MLB Alumni Association hosts baseball clinic for local boys and girls
By Chuck Baker
The News
Major League Baseball’s pitcher and catchers haven’t even reported yet for Spring Training but that didn’t stop 55 boys and girls from Apache Junction and Gold Canyon from getting a head start on the 2008 baseball and softball seasons in A.J.
   The kids were participants in last Monday’s baseball clinic hosted by the Arizona Major League Alumni Association and Apache Junction Little League that featured former MLB players as clinic instructors.
   Among the clinic instructors were former Oakland A’s pitcher and current head baseball coach at Apache Junction High School, Bob Lacey, former New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Ron Davis, Lou Klimchock, who spent 17 years in professional baseball and serves as the President of the Arizona Major League Alumni Association, Leon Brown, who played for both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, and Dax Jones, who last played for the San Francisco Giants in 1996.
   Also helping as clinic instructors were Tom Dunlavey, the hitting coach for Scottsdale Coronado High School, the current 4A-II State champions, and current AJHS players, Ryan Sparks, Thomas Hicks and Nick Saathoff.
   Lacey, who spent 12 years as a pitcher in the Major Leagues, mostly of those with the A’s and Giants, was named the new AJHS head baseball coach over the summer and is prepping for his first year with the Prospectors.
   Davis, a 10-year MLB veteran, went 14-2 with nine saves as a relief pitcher with the Yankees in 1979, was chosen for the American League All Star team in 1981, and in four seasons with the Minnesota Twins, from 1982 to 1985, recorded 106 saves.  

See C-1 and See Baseball, C-6