Chief Criminal Deputy Richard Platt elected State Bar of Arizona Secretary-Treasurer

Florence - June 16, 2010 - Chief Criminal Deputy Pinal County Attorney
Richard Platt was elected by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Governors
to the Office of Secretary-Treasurer on June 8, 2010.

The election took place during a regular meeting of the Board of
Governors.

This election will lead to the presidency of the State Bar of Arizona
in five years.

Platt has volunteered for different positions with the Bar since 1985.
He served on the CLE Committee and the Peer Review Committee.

He has been a member of the Board of Governors, representing Pinal
County, since 2001. As a board member he has served on the Long Range
Planning and Discipline Oversight Committees.

"I have been serving the State Bar since 1985. As a board member I
have worked with nine State Bar presidents. It is this experience I
bring to the job," Platt said. He added that his participation in the
organization gives a voice to Pinal County.

"The Board is composed of people volunteering their time to improve
the State Bar and the level of services lawyers provide in Arizona,"
Platt said.

Platt is a 1980 graduate of the Gonzaga University School of Law,
Spokane WA. He received an MBA from the same university in 1980, as
well. He graduated from ASU with a Bachelor of Science in 1973.

Platt has been a prosecutor with the Pinal County Attorney's Office
since 1996 and its Chief Criminal Deputy since 1998. He also worked in
private practice in Coolidge, AZ  from 1983 to 1996 and with the Spokane
County Prosecuting Attorney's Office from 1978 to 1983.

The State Bar of Arizona is a non-profit organization that operates
under the supervision of the Arizona Supreme Court. It regulates
approximately 15,000 active attorneys in Arizona and provides education
and development programs for the legal profession and the public.

For more information call Kostas Kalaitzidis at 520 866 6699 or 520 709
1333 or email at Kostas.kalaitzidis@pinalcountyaz.gov

Williams sentenced to 6.5 years in prison

Florence, AZ - The Pinal County Superior Court on Friday, June 11,

2010, sentenced Royzell Devere Williams to 6.5 years in prison for
improper influence on a public officer a Class 4 Felony.

Williams, 47, was arrested on July 14, 2009, following a month long
investigation by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. He was indicted on
charges of bribery and offering to exert improper influence on a public
officer. Williams was employed as a bailiff at the Pinal County Superior
Court in Florence.

The investigation involved an undercover operation. Williams accepted
$3500 from a victim in exchange for his promise to influence a Superior
Court Judge in a domestic relations case.

He pled guilty to improper influence on a public officer in May 2010.

"Crimes like the ones committed by Williams can shake the public's
trust in the justice system. I will work very hard to preserve and
enhance that sense of trust," said James P. Walsh, Pinal County
Attorney. "

Prichard Platt, Chief Criminal Deputy Pinal County Attorney prosecuted
the case.

Two sentenced for the grisly murder of a San Tan Valley teen

Florence, AZ - The Pinal County Superior Court on Friday, May 29, 2010, sentenced Todd Hoke, 18, and Nicolas Castillo, 19, for the murder of a San Tan Valley area teenager who was killed almost three years ago.

The two teenagers plead guilty to killing 17-year-old Amber LeAnn Hess after the three went to the movies on June 22, 2007. Her parents reported her missing two days later after they arrived home from a weekend vacation. Her body was found stabbed and burned on June 25 2007, in a desert area near the Anthem at Merrill Ranch development in Florence.

Hoke, 16, at the time of the crime, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, having pled guilty to first degree murder of Hess.

Castillo, 16, at the time of the crime, was sentenced to 22 years in prison having pled guilty to second-degree murder and an additional 2 years in prison for abandonment or concealment of a body. The two sentences are consecutive.

The court also set restitution hearings in September 2010.

Hoke and Castillo have been in jail since their arrest in 2007.

The teens signed plea agreements in late March and were sentenced by the Honorable Judge Boyd T. Johnson, Pinal County Superior Court.

Pinal County Deputy County Attorneys Sylvia Lafferty and Susan Crawford prosecuted the case for the state.

For more information call Kostas Kalaitzidis at 520 866 6699 or 520 709 1333 or email at Kostas.kalaitzidis@pinalcountyaz.gov

Former police officer convicted of child molestation

Florence, AZ - A Pinal County jury on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 found
Justin Bowman guilty of 32 counts that included child molestation,
sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor and
furnishing obscene materials to a minor.

Bowman, 31, of Maricopa was convicted of crimes committed in 2008 in
the City of Maricopa against two children, a boy ten and a girl nine
years old at the time the crimes were committed. Police found child
pornography on his computer hard drive. Bowman was a former Mesa police
officer.

The Maricopa Police Department investigated the case with the
assistance of DPS, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Child Help, a
non-profit organization, and the Family Advocacy Center of the Pinal
County Attorney's Office.

"I am satisfied with the conclusion of this case. These were horrible
crimes committed against very young children," said James P. Walsh,
Pinal County Attorney. "This case really stands out as a showcase of
the multi-disciplinary approach we have been working on for years. I am
proud of the work done by the Family Advocacy Center."

Bowman faces a sentence, which could include 15 life terms.

Pinal County Deputy County Attorneys Matthew Long and Jason Holmberg
prosecuted the case.

The case will go before a Pinal County Superior judge for sentencing
later this year.

For more information call Kostas Kalaitzidis at 520 866 6699 or 520 709
1333 or email at Kostas.kalaitzidis@co.pinal.az.us

CGRMC Hosts Nutrition Class for Cancer Patients

Casa Grande, Arizona – Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (CGRMC) is conducting a class, “Eating Hints for Cancer Patients—Before, During and After Treatment,” taught by a Registered Dietician on Saturday, June 12, 2010, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Discovery Room at the hospital. The class will cover how to manage common eating problems related to cancer treatments such as appetite loss, nausea, sore mouth, weight gain or loss, change in smell and more. These helpful tips will benefit both patients and their caregivers. This class is free, but space is limited.  To register, please contact Jackie Huston at 520-381-6416 or by email at jhuston@cgrmc.org. 

This class is part of a series of nutrition classes at CGRMC to be held on the second Saturday of each month. The goal of the series is to provide participants the knowledge and tools to make better food choices to improve their health. All of the classes will be taught by a Registered Dietitian. Future topics include “The Healthy Weigh to Weight Loss,” “Diabetes Overview,” and “Heart Healthy Nutrition.” For more information, please call CGRMC Dietitian Jackie Huston at 520-381-6416.