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AJ Police Honored At
Guantanamo Bay
 Flag flown over McCalla Hill during
trial of terrorist
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The “men and women of the
Apache Junction Police Department”
were honored October
26 when a U.S. flag was
flown on their behalf over
McCalla Hill in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, for 9 minutes and
11 seconds.
“Sgt. Pat Wagner is deployed
in his military role and he
ended up being deployed in
Guantanamo Bay,” said Capt.
Tom Kelly of the Apache
Junction Police Department.
“He’s been there six months
or longer. As part of his deployment
he made the connections.
It’s kind of cool.
They had the trial of the terrorist
at that time, plus, if you
look at the time that it was
flown, it’s in honor of Sept.
11.”
The flag was flown during
the trial of Omar Khadr, a
Canadian convicted of five
charges under the U.S. Military
Commissions Act of
2009 including “murder in violation
of the law of war” and
“providing material support
for terrorism,” by a Guantanamo
military commission
tribunal, a venue reserved for
non-American enemy combatants
captured in the War
on Terror.
Kelly said Police Chief
Jerald Monahan is going to
frame and mount the photo
of the flag (at right) in his office.
McCalla Hill has historical
significance. On June 7,
1898, two U.S. Navy ships—
the Marblehead and the St.
Louis, entered Guantanamo
Bay with the mission to cut
communication cables located
at Fisherman’s Point. The
Marblehead fired its cannons on the
village at Fisherman’s
point and a blockhouse that
was located on the hill above
the village, clearing them of
Spanish troops.
See
A-1
and See
Cuba,
A-5
Newly Built Trail
Provides Path to Tonto Gate
 Supervisor Bryan Martyn mediates
solution and helps build new trail
By Betty Swanson
The News
A problem involving access
into Tonto National Forest
via the east end of McKellips
Road, has been finally solved
largely through the perseverance,
intervention and
hard work (literally) of Pinal
County District 2 Supervisor
Bryan Martyn, according to
foothills residents Steve and
Beth Boesen.
The new trail was punched
through recently by a team
of local homeowners and experienced
trail blazers from
the East Valley Back Country
Horsemen’s Association. Boesen
said that Martyn joined
the homeowners to assist in
the backbreaking labor necessary
for the actual trail construction.
Winter resident Boesen lives
just off East McKellips Road
and was one of the first to
report the problems with access
for hikers and horseback
riders that were arising when
Lost Dutchman State Park personnel
fenced off a gateway
into land that led to the
Tonto gate more than a year
ago.
Martyn presided over a
meeting of homeowners in
the area who couldn’t seem
to agree amongst themselves
what the best solution would
be at that time.
County personnel and Martyn
consulted to examine
the available options. It was
decided that improving the
rough roadway that serves as
the east end of Mining Camp
Road would be the best solution,
with cars being able to
park in an area adjacent to
Mining Camp Restaurant.
See
A-1
and See
New Trail,
A-8
Shot Deputy Placed On
Administrative Leave
 Under investigation for comments to New
Times, said friend volunteered to murder
journalist
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A Pinal County Sheriff’s
Deputy who was purportedly
shot by illegal immigrants in
the Vekol Valley in April, has
been placed on paid administrative
leave pending an internal
affairs investigation for
comments he allegedly made
to the Phoenix New Times,
according to PCSO spokesman
Tim Gaffney.
The investigation of Deputy
Louie Puroll will be handled
by the PCSO, Professional
Standards Unit, Gaffney said.
According to an article published
in the Phoenix New
Times on November 25 written
by Paul Rubin, Puroll
was quoted as saying he has
had meetings with known
Mexican Drug Cartel operatives,
who “have approached
him four or five times over
the years wanting to do business.”
The article makes further
claims that Puroll made other
comments regarding possible
shooting incidents he has
been involved in that would make the
Vekol Valley incident
“seem like eating lunch
at the Dairy Queen.”
Puroll was also quoted as
saying, “Now that that’s off
(referring to a tape recorder
used by Rubin), let me tell
you something. You’re lucky
to be alive right now.”
He reportedly continues
by stating a rancher friend of
Mexican descent offered to
murder the journalist, because
of what he wrote in his initial
article questioning the veracity
of Puroll.
“If the statements reported
in the article written by Mr.
Rubin are in fact proven accurate,
the conduct of Deputy
Puroll is not consistent with
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office
policies nor do I approve of
the way in which he represented
our sworn profession,”
said Pinal County Sheriff Paul
Babeu.
See
A-1
and see Deputy,
A-3
AJHS Wrestling Kicks
Off Season
 By Chuck Baker
The News
Apache Junction sophomore
Dana Russo traded
in his soccer uniform for
a wrestling singlet this
Winter and the switch may
prove to a wise one after
the season-opening wrestling
meet held this past
Thursday.
Russo, who played a defensive
position for the
AJHS junior varsity soccer
the last year, pinned his
Higley opponent at 1:09 of
the first period to win his
first match of the season
in the 171-pound weight
class.
The win by Russo gave
the Prospectors a 39-24
lead over the Knights
with three weight classes
to go. But when AJHS
wrestler Zack Crismon
lost his 189-pound match
via a pin, and with Apache
Junction forfeiting both
the 215-pound and heavyweight
classes, Higley was
able to rally for a 42-36
team victory.
Brandon Edwards got
things rolling for Apache
Junction in the 103-pound
weight classes when he
pinned his Higley opponent
at the 3:47 mark of
the second period to give
AJHS a 6-0 lead.
The Knights came back to
win the 112-pound weight
class when Hunter Konecny
was pinned but then
Prospector Marc Uehling
registered a two-point
take-down with just two
seconds remaining in his
119-pound match to give
him an exciting 15-13 decision
to put Apache Junction
back in front, 9-6.
See
B-1
and see AJHS,
B-6
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