Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher recently highlighted two stories of recent work involving deputies who are on
the front lines.

On July 16, around 8:30 p.m., a YCSO deputy spotted a suspicious vehicle parked on the backside of a guard rail nearthe overpass to south Interstate 17 in Cordes Junction. By the time he turned around to check further, the vehicle was gone. A short time later, the deputy spotted the vehicle on Arcosanti Road as it ran a stop sign turning onto Stagecoach
Trail in Cordes Junction and conducted a traffic stop. The female driver, and only occupant, was visibly upset and eventually admitted she intended to commit suicide by driving or jumping off the overpass across I-17. The deputy had Mayer Fire Department personnel dispatched to the scene while he kept her calm pending their
arrival. She told the deputy she lost her husband in a collision two months prior and was now essentially homeless.
The deputy indicated she was extremely despondent. She was transported to a Prescott Valley hospital for evaluation and, with permission, the deputy removed her car from the roadway and secured it in a nearby gas station parking lot. He then drove to the hospital to release her keys and confirmed via the medic that she had intended to
commit suicide that day. The actions and intervention of this deputy likely prevented a tragedy, Mascher stated in a press release.

On July 19, around 8 a.m., a deputy was dispatched to a home on Stage Coach Trail in Cordes Lakes regarding a family dispute. The reporting party indicated she allowed her
son’s girlfriend and 10-month old infant to stay the past two weeks with her due to an apparently hostile environment at her son’s home in Phoenix.
Because of ongoing family conflict, the homeowner requested the girlfriend and child find another place to stay. After determining that the homeowner ’s request was
valid, the deputy learned that the girlfriend had no immediate place to go but was expecting family from California to pick her up a few days later. The deputy agreed to seek
resources and shelter for her and the infant until then. The deputy drove her and the child to a police substation nearby so they could be in the shade while he made
calls. Several calls to shelters were not successful as the circumstances generally did not qualify for assistance. The Arizona Department of Child Safety was put on standby to
assist if no alternative housing was found. The deputy was finally able to reach an out-of-state family member of the girlfriend who agreed to pay for a hotel online
and promised to drive out the next day to pick up her and the infant. The deputy contacted a local hotel, arranged for the stay and dropped them off, making sure they were safe.

On Aug. 5, around 4 p.m., a YCSO patrol commander conducted a traffic stop on Highway 69 and Fain Road in Prescott Valley and initiated a DUI investigation.
The driver, a 46-year-old with no current home address, was extremely intoxicated while her 13-year-old daughter was a passenger in the car. The driver stated she was going to
camp out because she had been evicted from a shelter due to intoxication issues. The supervisor saw that she had sores over both arms and it became apparent the 13-year old
was trying to care for her mom. There was also a dog in the car. The investigation resulted in the arrest of the driver for DUI. The Arizona Department of Child Safety was notified to
assume temporary custody of the teen. It was apparent the dog was critically important to this young girl and brought stability to her life, but deputies learned that DCS would not be able to
take the dog at that time. A YCSO supervisor, out of compassion for the situation, agreed to take the dog for the night until it could be determined how to best reunite the teen with her companion.
On Aug. 6, the dog was reunited with the teen, who is currently living safely in a foster home. The patrol commander was impressed with the compassion shown by all the deputies involved to insure
this young girl was provided a safety net and the opportunity to have her “best friend” by her side.