Single-engine plane crashes in Mazatsar wilderness area

On the afternoon of Friday, November 11, 2022, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office received notification from the Arizona Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that a single-engine plane had crashed. With the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol, the destroyed aircraft and pilot were located approximately 8.7 miles north of Sheep’s His Bridge on the Verde River in the Mazazzal Wilderness Area. The pilot survived with minor injuries. AZ DEMA arranged for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office helicopter to retrieve the pilot and fly him to Scottsdale Airport to reunite with his wife. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

YCSO arrests man for attempted murder in Cordes Lakes

At approximately 1:15 p.m. Saturday, November 12, YCSO agents responded to a 911 call to report that a woman was shot at a residence on Marble Canyon Way in Cordes Lakes. According to preliminary information, a 43-year-old woman who lives next door to the alleged perpetrator went to his residence to inform him that his dog had been released. Suspect Joshua Johnson, 31, shot her in the neck when she tried to talk to him. I was able to hide in

After shooting the first victim, the suspect entered the home, held his wife against her will as she escaped a situation with her 18-month-old child, broke into the house and opened fire.

The first two YCSO agents on the scene were able to rescue the first victim with the help of two nearby men working in the area. One deputy transported the victim to a nearby community center, and another of hers held the perimeter with the help of Arizona DPS troopers. The YCSO SWAT team responded and took over the scene as the suspect barricaded himself in his home with his wife and children.

YCSO’s 911 dispatch operator was able to communicate with the suspect on the phone and keep in touch until the suspect agreed to leave the house and surrender. The shooting victim was taken to Deer Valley Hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck and was released from the hospital later that evening.

The suspect pleaded guilty to the crime, saying he was “casting the devil out of both victims.” He has been charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of disorderly conduct per domestic violence.