LIST: Top 10 stories you missed in the news Dec. 19-24
There was no shortage of news this last week in Phoenix and around the country. From Dec. 19-24, 90% of our top stories were local. Those stories include a pre-teen about to head to Arizona State University, a father who reportedly shot and killed his son, and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills being seized in drug busts.
1. Arizona 6-year-old tests positive for STD; father's roommate arrested, sheriff's office says: The sheriff's office says 26-year-old Jacob Sullivan sexually assaulted a 6-year-old child and allegedly transmitted an STD to the child.
6-year-old sexually assaulted by father's roommate in Arizona, sheriff's office says
26-year-old Jacob Sullivan was arrested by deputies with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office after they say he sexually assaulted his roommate's 6-year-old child. They found out after the child tested positive for an STD, the sheriff's office says.
2. DPS: Driver dies after chasing and rear-ending girlfriend on I-10, crashes into 3rd vehicle: A man who chased and rear-ended his girlfriend multiple times on Interstate 10 in Phoenix died after his truck turned the wrong way and crashed into an SUV, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
3. Arizona mayor defies governor's COVID vaccine mandate ban: ‘No authority’: An Arizona mayor announced that she will keep the coronavirus vaccine mandate for city workers in place despite Gov. Doug Ducey's renewal of an executive order banning local governments from imposing the vaccine requirements.
4. Police find 10K fentanyl pills, guns inside Phoenix man's apartment: court documents: A man was arrested after police said they found 10,000 fentanyl pills and several guns inside his Phoenix apartment.
5. Father shot and killed his 19-year-old son in Mesa, police say: A father killed his 19-year-old son, the Mesa Police Department said on Dec. 19, and he's now facing a murder charge.
6. How a 'gifted' 11-year-old got accepted to Arizona State University: Jimi Hernandez is 11 years old now, but he’ll be 12 when he accepts his high school diploma. Then, he's off to college.
7. Missing college student found naked and alive in man’s basement: A 39-year-old Utah man is now facing multiple charges after a college student who was missing for five days was found naked and covered in coal inside his home, reports say.
8. AZDHS: Those who received Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine should get Moderna or Pfizer booster shots: Officials with the Arizona Department of Health Services say Arizonans who were vaccinated against COVID-19 with Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine should get a booster shot with either Moderna or Pfizer's offerings.
9. Police seize 270K fentanyl pills, cash, guns from Phoenix home; suspect arrested: 18-year-old Brian Meza-Raya was arrested after police said they seized over 270,000 fentanyl pills, hundreds of dollars of cash, and weapons in Phoenix.
Brian Meza-Raya
10. Army veteran in Arizona passes away from COVID-19 complications while waiting for life-saving ECMO treatment: On Dec. 23, we reported on a 35-year-old Army veteran in Arizona who was in need of a life-saving treatment as he battled COVID-19. On Christmas Eve, Brian Yazzie passed away.
Clock is ticking for Army veteran in Arizona in need of ECMO machine as he battles COVID-19
According to family members, 35-year-old Brian Yazzie only has a few more days left before his window of opportunity for ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment runs out. This comes as hospitals in the Phoenix area say their ECMO machines are at capacity. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.