Attorneys gave closing arguments today in front of a La Paz County jury in the case of a woman on trial for second-degree murder, allegedly caused while drunk driving on I-10.

Rebecca Loya, who was 57 at the time of the crash which killed two children, took the stand this morning. Loya broke down multiple times during her testimony and avoided eye contact with everybody in the courtroom as she spoke.

The jury went out for deliberations just before lunchtime today after hearing closing arguments from the attorneys and final jury instructions from Judge Michael Burke.

La Paz County Attorney Tony Rogers, the prosecutor in the case, told the jury that Loya’s conduct rose to the level of second-degree murder because she was aware of the risk she was taking and showed an indifference about her choice. He talked at length about witness testimony that she was weaving all over the road. “You or I might hit the rumble strips on the side of the road once,” Rogers told the jury, “but that’s our wake-up call. Rebecca Loya hit them again and again and again, and each time made the decision to keep driving.” Witnesses reported seeing Loya’s vehicle completely outside the lines on the roadway, he said, and then weaving back into the lane.

Loya admits drinking and driving, and says she can’t remember the accident and believes she was so tired she fell asleep at the wheel. Her attorney Matt Newman made a brief closing statement during which he acknowledged Loya’s guilt, but said, “Now you must decide which crime she is guilty of.” Newman said that charges of second-degree murder are usually reserved for people who have committed such crimes before, and that his client has never been in any trouble with the law before.

Jurors who do not believe Loya’s crime meets the burden for second-degree murder may opt to convict her of the lesser charge of manslaughter, which Newman urged them to do.

UPDATE 3:50pm– A verdict has been reached and is expected to be read around 4:30pm. Parker Live will report the verdict when it is available.

UPDATE 4:25pm– Verdict: guilty, second-degree murder, two counts.

Our previous story on the start of the trial can be found by clicking HERE.

In a statement Parker Police Chief Rod Mendoza says was read into the record at Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Town of Parker explains why it shut the Narcotics Task Force building down and removed equipment, money, guns and other items from it.

Saying that it has not been reimbursed by La Paz County for the building since February 2013, the Town says it shut the building down for financial reasons and removed the assets inside so that the Task Force could continue operating out of Parker Police Department.

The Town claims that the Sheriff’s Department has not been a major participant in the Task Force operations until recently, saying, “Parker Officers have been the sole entity keeping the Task Force operational during the last two years working cases throughout the County and will continue operating as per the IGA agreement.”

Two weeks ago, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office said it would be taking command of the task force on June 1st, 2013. The Town’s latest statement complains that this “demand” involves backing out of a current intergovernmental agreement which was renewed for another 5 years in 2012, saying, “The Sheriff wants control and complains about productivity even though they have not had a single deputy assigned to the Task Force in two years.”

The entire statement by the Town of Parker is included below. For all articles about the Narcotics Task Force (including a war of words between Sheriff Drum and Quartzsite Police Chief Jeff Gilbert, a recent spate of arrests by the Force and announcements on the future of the Task Force), CLICK HERE.

“During the last two years Parker Police Officers have been the only members of the Task Force combating drug activity throughout the entire county. The Sheriff’s Department has not assigned a deputy to assist us until a few months ago. During these last two years Parker Officers have worked effectively with the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), HIDTA, Boarder Patrol, Mojave County Task Force, Phoenix PD Task Force and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

Last month The Task Force completed an eight month investigation and served 10 arrest warrants on individuals for sales of drugs and narcotics. Parker Officers have been the sole entity keeping the Task Force operational during the last two years working cases throughout the County and will continue operating as per the IGA agreement.

On the evening of May 14, 2013, the Parker Town Council was fully informed that the County Administrator denied reimbursing the Town of Parker operating funds for the Task Force building and salaries for the Task Force officers. Historically the Town of Parker pays all Task Force bills and then will be reimbursed from the RICO account which now controlled by the County. However, by State Statue the County Attorney is supposed to be responsible for controlling all RICO monies.

Currently the County has not reimbursed the Town since February 2013 and now owes the Town over $63,000. The decision to close the Task Force building was a financial move. The Town needed to be reimbursed for their expenditures. The equipment removed from the building was simply relocated to the Parker PD in order to continue working Task Force operations. Parker is still working within the IGA and will continue to combat drugs that plague our county.

After the Task Force Building was closed for lack of payment, the Task Force relocated to work from Parker PD. We then notified DPS Captain Campbell, DEA agent in charge of La Paz County, Assistant Director of HIDA Ralph Ogden and all three supported what we were doing and reconfirmed their full support of our operations. There was never any criminal activity by this move as the Sheriff incorrectly stated.

Our current Task Force IGA was signed by all entities in 2007 and renewed for another five years in October of 2012. The Sheriff Department now demands to back-out of this agreement and sign a new agreement giving a majority of the authority to the Sheriff’s department and away from the current NTF board. The Sheriff wants control and complains about productivity even though they have not had a single deputy assigned to the Task Force in two years. It was just a few months ago he assigned a Lieutenant to the detail.

The current Task Force IGA consists of the County Attorney, whom is the chairman, Quartzsite PD, the Sheriff’s department and Parker PD. We have reached out to other entities to become board members but the Department of Public Safety and DEA have both stated they would rather just offer their full support whenever needed.

I spoke with Border Patrol agent in charge of the Blythe Station and he is working on an agreement to join our Task Force. The current NTF board welcomes new board members to assist us in our mission.

The County Attorney is the Chairman of the Task Force and has told the Sheriff numerous times that any new proposed IGA must be reviewed and approved by all entities of the current IGA.

Our mission has never changed. We are committed to eradicating the criminal activity surrounding the use and sale of drugs and narcotic in our communities. We have and will continue to effectively work with all Federal, State and Tribal agencies. We are looking forward to having the county release the RICO funds to reimburse our officers and for the maintenance of the Task Force building in order for us to resume normal operations.

Per Arizona State Statue the County Attorney is the chairmen of the Task Force and we will patiently wait until he has had time to review all the legal, State and Federal issues that need to be addressed in the Sheriff’s proposed IGA.

In closing, the Town of Parker will always work with all entities to enhance the quality of life and in the protection of all citizens of La Paz County.”

Via Randy Hartless. “Smoke blocks the sky near Yuma. Colorado River fire.”

Lily of the Valley Church, May 24th, 11am

Teens from La Paz County will join youth from across Arizona this month in a global fight to end tobacco use. As members of the statewide anti-tobacco youth coalition STAND (Students Taking a New Direction), they are working to shed light on the dangers of tobacco use and will host a variety of events to mark World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

The students, who have set up No Tobacco Pledge Walls in high traffic areas such as city and town halls, local super markets and other businesses, work year-round to increase awareness about tobacco use in their local communities, encourage others to reject the tobacco industry’s deceptive messages and urge local leaders to protect kids from being recruited as a new generation of smokers.

In La Paz County, the teens will conclude their May initiative with a special surprise for local community members who come out to their World No Tobacco Day event at 4:30 p.m. May 31 at Bashas’.

The theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO), is “Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.”

“What better way to support this year’s focus on banning tobacco promotion than for us to be out here promoting our own anti-tobacco message,” said Tammy Minor, Teen Solutions Coordinator with the La Paz County Health Department. “Plus, we will have a fun surprise for everyone. So come out, make a pledge and join us.”

According to WHO, tobacco kills nearly six million people worldwide each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. In the United States alone, more than 500,000 people die from tobacco use annually, which is more than 1,400 each day, and 50,000 die from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Arizona Tobacco Stats at a Glance:

• 17.4 percent of Arizona high school students smoke
• 6,000 Arizona kids under 18 become new daily smokers each year
• 227,000 Arizona kids are exposed to second-hand smoke at home
• 10.4 percent of male high school students use smokeless or spit tobacco
• 19.2 percent of adults smoke

(Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)

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About STAND (Students Taking a New Direction)
STAND, Students Taking a New Direction, a coalition of students ages 13-18 who work to not only raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, but urge elected officials at all levels of government to treat cigarettes as hazardous materials – including creating regulations for storage, transport, sale and disposal. www.standaz.com

About World No Tobacco Day
Led internationally by the World Health Organization, World No Tobacco Day is a global call-to-action against the tobacco industry with the aim of protecting present and future generations not only from these devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke. The first World No Tobacco Day was held in 1987. In Arizona, it is supported by the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Tobacco & Chronic Disease. http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/en/

La Paz County Sheriff John Drum says he will be filing criminal complaints against the Town of Parker after he says the Parker Police Department shut down the Task Force building and “illegally removed files, computers, guns, buy money and surveillance equipment rendering the unit crippled of any law enforcement activity.”

Sheriff Drum says the items were purchased with public money and that makes the removal of them illegal.

Parker Police Chief Rod Mendoza responded to Parker Live late Tuesday, saying the Council was approving a statement on behalf of the Town of Parker.

At Monday’s regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors public meeting, Sheriff Drum read a statement aloud to the Board with his complaint and allegations against the Town, which is contained in full below.

Parker Live will publish the Town of Parker’s statement when it is received.

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“On the evening of May 14th 2013, the Parker Town Council voted to lock up the La Paz County Narcotics Task Force building, denying entry to any other agencies. On that same evening, members of the Parker Police Department entered the Task Force and illegally removed files, computers, guns, buy money and surveillance equipment rendering the unit “crippled” of any law enforcement activity. The reason that this is illegal is that the above listed items were purchased with R.I.C.O. and Federal Grant monies. As of now, the Parker Police Department is working their “own” drug cases (within the Town of Parker).

Over the past 3 years, the Task Force has been under the command of the Parker Police Department. During that time, the Task Force has lost 2 grants (State and Federal), totaling approximately $270,000 a year, R.I.C.O. monies have been over spent, productivity has dropped to a record low and for most of that time, the only officers in the unit were from the Parker Police Department. For those reasons, I felt that it was in the best interest of the citizens of La Paz County that the Sheriff’s Office re-establish command and control of the Task Force.

Since I have taken office in January, there have been several meetings with Chief Mendoza from the Parker Police Department, Chief Gilbert from the Quartzsite Police Department and the County Attorney Tony Rogers (the only current voting members on the Task Force Board besides myself). During these meetings, we verbally agreed that a new I.G.A. would be created and the Sheriff’s Office would take command of the Task Force on June 1st. A rough draft of this new I.G.A. was presented to the County attorney for his review on April 29th.

We have taken several positive steps forward in an effort to rebuild the La Paz County Task Force. All of these positive steps were nearly destroyed after the events of May 14th. It appears as though the Town of Parker and the Parker Police Department are not in support of a cooperative effort to improve the Narcotics Task Force and their own self-interests supersede the County’s overall need for narcotics enforcement.

At this time, the Sheriff’s Office intends on continuing forward to build an effective Task Force that will serve everyone within the County. We still intend on creating a unit with all State, Federal and local cooperation. We also intend on signing an intergovernmental Agreement with CRIT so we can assist them with the Narcotic issues on and around the reservation.

In closing I would like to leave you with this: I want to bring more agencies to the table to help us vote on Task Force expenditures. These Agencies (Border Patrol and Riverside County), will not be able to spend Task Force monies on their agencies, they will simply be there as unbiased voting members who have nothing to gain. So you have to ask yourself; why wouldn’t the Town of Parker want more unbiased people voting on the Task Force Board? There is only one answer and that is control.”

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It’s the holiday that marks the traditional start of the summer in Parker, and California and Arizona drivers will be on the roads. In Arizona, the Memorial Day weekend also will provide drivers with a break from construction-related closures along state highways.

The Arizona Department of Transportation reminds anyone who is planning a road trip over the holiday weekend to prepare ahead of time and to “expect the unexpected” when behind the wheel.

To ease holiday travel, ADOT will not schedule any construction closures along state highways over the extended weekend. Travelers are still asked to allow extra travel time, be prepared for existing work zones and obey reduced speed limits even when crews are not in a work area.

Travelers and commuters in California can expect the I-5, I-15, U.S. 101, SR 91 and other outbound freeways to be packed on Thursday and Friday with those headed to Memorial Day weekend getaways, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Las Vegas and Arizona are two of the top five destinations for SoCal travelers, according to the club.

Over last year’s Memorial Day weekend, eight people were killed in a total of seven fatal crashes on highways and local streets in Arizona. Five of the fatal crashes were alcohol-related, claiming the lives of six people.

Gas prices have also gone up; check FuelCostCalculator.AAA.com before leaving to budget your drive trip with real-time gas price estimates based on the make, model and year of your vehicle.

Via BlueWater Resort & Casino