State Glance
Fire forces evacuations for mountain towns north of Phoenix
CROWN KING — Officials in Yavapai County have ordered residents of several small remote mountain communities to evacuate as a wildfire threatens the area.
Yavapai County sheriff’s officials sent an evacuation order for residents of Crown King, Minnehaha and Horsethief Cabins Friday morning. Crown King has more than 100 residents but also has many vacation cabins. Crown King is a historic mining town that also was evacuated for a 2012 fire that destroyed some homes .
Sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said between 80 and 100 residents of the communities evacuated Friday and many others left Thursday night. He said about 10 people refused to leave their homes.
The local American Red Cross chapter has opened an evacuation center at Mayer High School in the community of Mayer.
Prescott National Forest officials said the blaze broke out Thursday about 7 miles northwest of Crown King and has burned more than 5 square miles of juniper, chaparral and timber.
Ground crews trying to corral the flames are being aided by three air tankers and four helicopters dropping fire retardant or water.
Crown King is about 80 miles north of Phoenix in the Bradshaw Mountains.
Arizona woman files lawsuit after water turned off in cell
GLOBE — An Arizona woman has filed a lawsuit against the Gila County jail, saying she was held without criminal charges and forced to drink toilet water.
The lawsuit alleges false imprisonment, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tamara Barnicoat, 63, was booked in the Globe facility in October 2019 while having a psychotic episode after being arrested on suspicion of trespassing and other minor crimes, KNXVTV reported Thursday. The lawsuit said she was held for 27 days before being released because no criminal charges had been filed yet.
Because Barnicoat exhibited bizarre behavior, a jail employee decided to turn off water to her isolation cell, so she could not splash or cause a mess, the lawsuit said, adding that the employee did not properly log or inform coworkers and she was deprived of water for two days.
“I want them to change things at the jail because it was so devastating,” Barnicoat told KNXV-TV.
Her attorney Robert J. Campos said being mentally ill is not a crime, adding that “we should not put them in a jail, and forget about them, and throw away the key.”
The Gila County sheriff’s office and the county attorney said in an emailed response that they gave the case to the Arizona Counties Insurance Fund to handle.
Sheriff Adam Shepherd previously admitted to jail staff mistakes resulting in Barnicoat’s constitutional rights being violated. Shepherd also said staff has been reminded about dry cell procedures, and the facility is making changes to decrease errors.