State Glance
Fort Defiance man gets prison sentence
for fatal stabbing
PHOENIX — A Fort Defiance man accused of a fatal stabbing has been sentenced to 17 ½ years in federal prison.
Prosecutors said 25-year-old Lodi Gene Bitsie II was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.
Bitsie previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 2019 incident on the Navajo Nation reservation.
Prosecutors said Bitsie argued with the victim before punching him and then stabbing him in the chest with a large knife.
They said the victim died from the stab wounds.
The FBI investigated the case because it was on tribal land.
Homes evacuated in north Phoenix by
fast-moving brush fire PHOENIX — Up to 50 homes have been evacuated as a precaution in north Phoenix due to a fast-moving brush fire, according to authorities.
State Forestry officials say the fire started around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday near 27th Avenue and the Carefree Highway and was burning through wash and heavy vegetation.
They said at least two structures have been destroyed by the flames, which were being fanned by windy conditions in the area.
Authorities said the cause of the brush fire is unclear.
Several fire departments in the surrounding cities were trying to contain the blaze and protect nearby structures and homes.
Payson man apparently drowns; body
recovered from reservoir FLAGSTAFF — The body of a Payson man who apparently drowned in the Blue Ridge Reservoir in northern Arizona has been recovered.
Coconino County Sheriff’s officials said 32-year-old Austin Smith reportedly was swimming in the reservoir Sunday evening when he went under water near the boat ramp and never resurfaced.
They say a search of the immediate area was conducted using boats belonging to bystanders, but Smith wasn’t found.
Darkness suspended search operations until Monday morning.
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office dive team and Tonto Rim Search and Rescue crew did an underwater search and Smith’s body was located about 11:30 a.m.
The body was transferred to the custody of the Coconino County Office of the Medical Examiner and authorities said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.