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‘Personality Conflict’
Affects Search Effort
 Sheriff rebukes the Superstition
Wilderness’ main rescue group for
Superstition search Missing hiker’s body
recovered after 5 days and only 150
yards from the parking lot
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A hiker found dead about 6
p.m. Tuesday, September 15,
near Discovery Trail Head
in Lost Dutchman State Park
died from cardiac arrest, according
to preliminary autopsy
results released Thursday,
September 17, by the Pinal
County Sheriff’s Office.
The report revealed that
Kelly Tate, 53, had a diseased
blood vessel in his heart, apparently
unknown to him and
his family, according to PCSO
spokeswoman Tami Villar.
Entomology supports the
estimation that Tate had been
deceased for a minimum of
four to five days when his
body was found only 150
yards from his motorcycle in
the Park’s parking lot, Villar
said.
Tate had been missing
since Thursday, September
10, when he told his wife he was going
to go hiking for a
few hours. When he did not
return, his wife called the police,
Villar said.
Sheriff Paul Babeau of Pinal
County did not call out Superstition
Search and Rescue
to help find the missing Mesa
man because of a “personality
conflict,” according to
Villar. The 15-year-old SSAR
team has a record of retrieving
2,000 hikers alive from
the Superstition Wilderness
over the course of those 15
years.
Instead, up to 150 searchers
from rescue teams from Pinal,
Pima, Maricopa and Gila
counties, as well as the Arizona
Department of Public
Safety, U.S. Air Force Civil
Air Patrol and other volunteers
were called out.
See
A-1
and see Conflict,
A-9
AJ Woman Missing
 Crusenberry lives in area of South
Ocotillo Drive
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Apache Junction Police
Department is seeking the
public’s help in locating a
53-year-old Apache Junction
woman who went missing
Tuesday, August 25.
Hazel Louise Crusenberry,
last known to be residing in
the area of South Ocotillo
Drive, was reported missing
by a family member in
Apache Junction.
“Per the family member,
Crusenberry would routinely
contact them via telephone
daily,” said Capt. Tom Kelly
in a press release.
“Through limited investigative
leads given, Crusenberry
was also known to have temporarily
lived in the area of
80th Street and Broadway in
Mesa.”
Crusenberry is described as
a white female, 5 feet 8 inches
tall, 155 pounds, blonde hair and hazel
eyes. She also
wears glasses. Crusenberry
is known to have had some
physical and medical issues
in the past.
Anyone who has any information
is requested to call
the local police as the subject
may be in jeopardy due to
health issues, Kelly said.
Further information should
be forwarded to the Apache
Junction Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division
at (480) 982-8260 and
ask for case Investigator
James Trout.
Mesa Water
Interconnect
 Nearly Complete
Mayor Insalaco tightens last bolt
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
Apache Junction Mayor John
Insalaco, who also serves as
chairman of the Apache Junction
Water Company board of
directors, tightened the last
bolt and created the final connection
to the $2.5 million
Water Transmission Main and
Pump Station Mesa Interconnect
during ceremonies at 9
a.m. Friday, September 18.
In March, the Apache Junction
Water Co. awarded a $2.2
million contract to Phoenixbased
B&F Contracting Inc.
for the building of the interconnect.
Project/construction
management was handled by
Stantec. The project was also
overseen by Giao Pham, water
district engineer, and his
staff.
Pipeline construction started
in May and included more
than 20,000 linear feet of
16-inch diameter ductile iron
pipe and 26 large valves. The remaining
part of this project
includes pump equipment,
electrical work and system
automation, said Frank Blanco,
water company director.
“The pipeline crosses into
two cities and two counties,
requiring permits from various
governmental entities,”
Blanco said.
“Other challenges related
to the project were a lease
agreement with a home owners
association, crossing over
the Central Arizona Project
canal, and major traffic and utility
lines at the intersections
of Signal Butte and
Ironwood at Baseline.”
Once the pump station portion
of this project is finished,
on or about January 2010,
Arizona Water Co. customers
will begin receiving water delivered
by the Central Arizona
Project (CAP) and treated by
the City of Mesa. This water
is considered a renewable resource;
groundwater is not.
“Currently we are primarily
a groundwater system,” Blanco
said. “In 2008 our system
pumped approximately 1,400
acre feet (457 million gallons)
of water from the aquifer.
That equals almost 90 percent
of the total amount delivered
by the water district.”
 AJHS Girls Golfers
Win Two Matches
By Chuck Baker
The News
Counting three scores, the
Lady Prospector golf team
picked up their first two
wins of the season, defeating
Maricopa on Friday,
September 11 and beating
Williams Field this past
Monday.
McKenna Mann won medalist
honors in the win over
Maricopa, shooting a round
of 61 for nine holes at The
Duke Golf Course in Maricopa.
Presley White carded
a round of 63 and Kelsey
Hillman posted a score of
79 and the AJHS girls shot
203 as a team to the 219
shot by Maricopa.
On Monday, September 14
at Apache Creek Golf Club,
the Lady Prospectors tallied
193 using three scores
while Williams Field came
in with a 232. Lacey Chronister
fired a round of 59 to
lead Apache Junction while
Mann turned in another
round of 61 and Hillman
shot 73. White started her
round on Monday but was
not able to finish.
The Lady Prospectors also
hosted Scottsdale Christian
and Queen Creek schools on
Wednesday of last week at
Apache Creek and finished
third with a 244 team score.
Queen Creek shot 185 as a
team and Scottsdale Christian
shot 203.
Chronister again led AJHS
with a round of 49, White
shot a round of 59, Mann
posted a 66 score and Hillman
came in with a 70.
This week, the AJHS girls
will host Seton on Monday,
September 21 and play at
Cave Creek Cactus Shadows
on Wednesday, September
23. Tee times begin at 3:30
p.m. for both matches.
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