On December 17th, a ranger conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle whose operator was suspected of having camped illegally at a trailhead parking area. During the course of the contact, the ranger determined that a 25-year old male passenger was a registered sexual offender who was in non-compliant status with the state of Minnesota, having failed to provide authorities with his address or general whereabouts. Two Pima County Sheriff?s Office deputies responded to render assistance. While they were talking with the passenger, two small plastic bags dropped from his clothing to the ground, both containing suspected drug residue. As he bent down to pick them up, the ranger and a deputy told him to drop the bags. When he failed to comply, the ranger grabbed his right arm, which held the plastic bags. The man pushed the ranger away with his hand, then shoved the ranger with his shoulder. The ranger again grabbed him, but the man?s shirt ripped away and he ran about 15 feet to a residential adobe wall. As he began to climb the wall, one of the deputies discharged her Taser but missed him. With the help of additional deputies and an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter, the man was found about a mile and a half north of the original scene. A sheriff?s deputy had to use a Taser on him in order to safely take him into custody. The man was transferred to a federal detention facility and was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer (18 USC 111). Pima County may file additional charges. The ranger was not injured during the incident.
