Mohave County Sheriff's Office

Recently, our Animal Control Officers have responded to multiple cases involving abandoned or stray puppies in remote areas. With temperatures rapidly rising, these animals face extreme dehydration, starvation, heat-related illness, attacks from wildlife, and potential death.

Animal abandonment is a crime in Arizona and may result in criminal charges ranging from misdemeanors to felonies depending on the circumstances. Arizona law prohibits knowingly abandoning animals or subjecting them to cruel neglect.

If you are unable to care for an animal, there are lawful and humane alternatives. Contact your local shelter, rescue organization, or Animal Control Officers for assistance. Leaving animals in the desert is never the answer.

If you witness animal abandonment or suspect animal cruelty, please contact Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officers. It is our duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

We would like to introduce one of our newest deputies, Stephen Samarin! Deputy Samarin graduated from the Arizona Western College Law Enforcement Training Academy on April 7th and is currently working to complete his field training. Once completed, he will be assigned to our Kingman district.

Deputy Samarin grew up and lived the majority of his life in Lake Havasu City. He moved to Anchorage, Alaska for a few years but returned to Mohave County to be closer to his friends and family. Prior to attending the academy, Deputy Samarin spent 3 years working as a Detention Officer.

When asked why he chose this career, he stated “I wanted to become a Deputy to advance my career and give myself a sense of purpose.”

Welcome to the team Deputy Samarin! 🎉

Citizens beware of SCAM that is targeting family members of incarcerated individuals in Mohave County.

The SCAM includes a fake call from someone claiming to be a county employee offering a new program that allows the inmate to be released from custody with an ankle monitor and curfew while promising to also provide rehab, housing and employment. During these calls, the caller claims to be “Captain Don Bischoff”, who then requests payment of hundreds of dollars as a fully refundable deposit and a monthly ankle monitoring fee. In some cases the victims of these scams have lost $800 - $1700. Any person who receives such a call should proceed with extreme caution as these types of fees are only paid through the court and are not solicited over the phone. Any victim of this scam should immediately call local law enforcement.

The Mohave County Attorney’s Office has a Diversion Program with many diversion options for certain first-time offenders and/or defendants with low-level and/or old convictions. The Program is designed to promote public safety; reduce recidivism; assist willing participants improve their lives, avoid convictions on their criminal records, make restitution to victims; and reduce the drain of public funds and taxpayer resources on criminal activity. However, these are not pay-to-play programs and if the call sounds too-good-to-be-true or promises an inmate’s release outside of a judge issuing a court order, you should proceed with extreme caution. The diversion options include the following: deferred-entry-of-guilt (DEOG) pleas; seriously-mentally-ill (SMI) pleas; Veteran’s treatment court pleas; deferred prosecution stipulations; and Health & Wellness Court (HAWC) pleas. Any fees associated with these options and the Program are payable through the court.

Don Bischoff is a Diversion Specialist with the MCAO and will never call and solicit payment over the phone. Additionally, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office does have a Reach Out re-entry program which connects inmates with community resources upon release. The MCSO’s phone number is (928)753-0753. Many incarcerated persons are represented by an attorney and family members who receive such a call may want to try to speak with their loved one’s attorney about such calls.

The MCAO takes these types of crimes very serious and hopes that victims will come forward and assist law enforcement in capturing these criminals. Those perpetuating such crimes in Mohave County should anticipate being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and will not be offered any diversion option!

The Mohave County Attorney’s Office phone number is (928)753-0719.

Following up on a cold case homicide, our Special Investigations Unit is hoping to obtain more information from the community about the potential identity of our "Sleeping Bag Man". SIU Investigators believe they have a lead on the victim's identity, but need more information to confirm.

Our victim possibly went by the name Joseph or James Kane, but authorities believe his true last name began with a “P”. He may have worked at a paint shop in the 3400 block of Maricopa in 1992-1994, painting Jet Skis. He later may have sold real estate. A witness said he was briefly engaged to a woman named Brandi. He possibly lived in the Kimberly Apartments. At the time of his murder it was believed he was living on a boat.

The victim was found shot multiple times, placed in a sleeping bag, and dumped on the shoreline of a secluded cove in the south end of Lake Havasu. He was wearing this Hot Boat Magazine t-shirt at the time of his death.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact our SIU Invesitators at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408 or 4328 and reference DR # 00-026283.

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office Division of Boating Safety saw a substantial increase of boating traffic on the waterways throughout Mohave County.

Throughout the weekend, Deputies were deployed on patrol boats along with Rescue Divers and River Medical Paramedics on Lake Havasu and the Lower Colorado River in Mohave County.

Over the weekend:
• 486 boats contacted
• 80 various citations issued
• 1 arrest for Operating Under the Influence
• 4 minors arrested for consuming alcohol
• 14 medical calls with on-board paramedic response
• 1 non-injury boating collision
• 3 injury boating collisions
• 23 boaters assisted
• 8 people rescued from the water for various reasons

We appreciate everyone who helped make the weekend as safe as possible. As boating season continues, please remember to boat safe, boat smart, boat sober, and ALWAYS wear a life jacket!

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION ARREST- MEADVIEW

Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Deputies arrested Jason Allen Welch, 55 of Meadview, after conducting a search warrant on a residence in the 500 block of Phantom Creek Ln.

The investigation began with a report from the Internet Crimes Against Children and the search warrant was executed on Thursday (5/21). Welch was contacted by Detectives at the residence and several electronic devices were seized containing evidence supporting the ICAC report of child sexual abuse material.

At the conclusion on the search warrant, Jason Allen Welch was arrested for 10 counts of felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Welch was transported to the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility in Kingman without incident. This investigation is ongoing.

Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Their courage, dedication, and selflessness will never be forgotten.

As we spend time with family and friends this Memorial Day, we ask our community to take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday and remember those who gave everything for our freedoms.

From all of us at the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, we honor our fallen heroes and their families.

Thank you to Just Money Motorsports for the donations of hundreds of teddy bears to our Patrol Division.

The bears were donated in remembrance of Tracey O’Halloran and will be given out to kids during our patrol duties.

We would like to introduce one of our newest deputies, Gage Bathurst! Deputy Bathurst graduated from the Arizona Western College Law Enforcement Training Academy on April 7th and is currently working to complete his field training. Once completed, he will be assigned to our Kingman district.

Right after high school, Deputy Bathurst served his country in the United States Army. He moved to Mohave County approximately 2 years ago because he was drawn to the outdoors, particularly the river.

When asked why he wanted to become a cop, he stated “Moving to Mohave County has done a lot for me. Helping the community is my way to show my appreciation for what the area has done for me.”

Welcome to the team Deputy Bathurst! 🎉

Office views for Memorial Day weekend 🌊🚤