State Glance
UPS workers among 11 charged in Tucson drug trafficking ring
TUCSON — Several UPS employees are among nearly a dozen people accused of shipping illegal drugs undetected out of Tucson.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday that a grand jury indicted 11 people on 48 counts including money laundering, illegally conducting an enterprise and related charges.
The defendants include four UPS employees.
The indictment is the culmination of a two-year investigation conducted by Tucson police, Homeland Security Investigations and the attorney general’s office.
State prosecutors say the UPS workers and three others used closed business accounts to ship packages of contraband nationwide. Undercover officers said they were able to send and receive packages of illegal drugs like marijuana through a shipment hub in Tucson between November 2018 and last June.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities say they came across four others who were manufacturing and selling thousands of counterfeit vape pens.
The vape pens contained counterfeit versions of the marijuana compound THC.
In a statement, UPS said it is fully cooperating with law enforcement but could not discuss any details because of an ongoing investigation.
Firefighters open gates to allow dogs to escape kennel fire
PHOENIX — At least 10 dogs escaped a boarding kennel fire unharmed early Wednesday after firefighters opened multiple gates to allow them to get out of the burning structure on their own, the Phoenix Fire Department said.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to a nearby home and no firefighters were injured.
Fire Capt. Todd Keller said cause of the fire was under investigation.
University professor settles gender discrimination lawsuit
TUCSON — A University of Arizona professor has settled a $20 million gender discrimination lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents.
The board would pay $100,000 to associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry Katrina Miranda, the Arizona Daily Star reports.
The federal lawsuit was filed in December 2018 on behalf of Miranda and all female faculty members in the College of Science who have worked at the Tucsonbased university for at least three years, officials said.
Miranda experienced gender discrimination that resulted in lesser pay than her male counterparts since begin her job in 2002, she said.
The lawsuit claims the university underpays its female faculty by tens of thousands of dollars each year and denied them equal access to work resources.
Miranda was paid $100,714 for the 2018-2019 school year, which has increased by $9,200 since 2011, officials said. A male professor of chemistry hired at the same time was paid $130,500 for the previous two school years, officials said.
Miranda would continue in her role at the university, a joint statement said.
The settlement comes five months after the state board settled a separate $190,000 gender discrimination lawsuit filed by three former University of Arizona deans, the newspaper reported.
Tucson woman pleads guilty to endangerment in child’s death
A Tucson woman accused of child abuse in the death of her 8-month-old daughter in January has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of endangerment.
Pima County prosecutors say Breanna Henson agreed to a plea agreement Wednesday and will be sentenced on Jan. 27.
Henson was arrested after Tucson police found Henson’s daughter dead inside an apartment last Jan. 24. Police say Henson was intoxicated and the baby girl had puncture wounds and scratches on her body.
They say the child’s wounds were consistent with injuries that could have been caused by a dog.
Although there was a dog in the home at the time, police didn’t say the dog attacked the baby.
An autopsy report stated that multiple injuries led to the girl’s death, but the manner of death was undetermined.