Woman branded "Snitch" for helping police

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles...90001?cid=2194

Woman branded "Snitch" for helping police
By AMANDA LEE MYERS
AP
Posted: 2007-06-23 11:05:14
PHOENIX (June 23) - A woman had the word "snitch" burned into her face with a branding iron in apparent retaliation for helping police in a domestic violence case, authorities said.

The brand singed into her flesh during a June 13 attack is 4 to 6 inches long and stretches across her left cheek from lip to earlobe, Mesa police Sgt. Chuck Trapani said Friday.

"Obviously, they were trying to send a message to her, and they were obviously trying to humiliate her," Trapani said.

Trapani declined to identify the 38-year-old woman. He said the woman had not returned calls relaying interview requests from the news media.

The woman told police she was attacked by four people, including an acquaintance whose Mesa apartment she was visiting, Trapani said. That acquaintance, Preston L. Valdez, 21, told police the woman was smoking methamphetamine with him shortly before the attack.


The woman said the three others who attacked her were hiding in the bedroom, Trapani said. She said they came out, knocked her unconscious, then cut and shaved large swaths of her hair and branded her, Trapani said. She was treated at a hospital and released.

Two of those who attacked the woman - James H. Standridge, 34, and, Jackie L. Getz, 26 - were arrested in a domestic violence case in February 2006 after the woman answered officers' questions about them. The police investigation later led to the removal of a child from the home because drug paraphernalia was found there.

Trapani said a picture of the woman shows that the word on her face had scabbed over and that "snitch" was clearly legible. He said police were searching for the branding iron.

Standridge, Getz and Kibbol A. Avila, 33, were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment. Valdez, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.

The four were being held Friday in the Maricopa County jail. Bond for Standridge and Getz was set at $270,000 each. Bond for Avila was set at $90,000, and no bond was set for Valdez. The suspects are scheduled back in court next week.

The Maricopa County Public Defender's Office would not confirm whether it was representing the suspects, and declined to comment on the case Friday. The Associated Press made a request through authorities to interview the four but had received no response as of Friday evening.

HOW AWFUL :getyou

How sad, but it doesn't suprise me at all.

Throw the book at them ... this was clearly planned ahead ( you don't buy a branding iron "SNITCH" at Lowe's - it would have to be special made ) with malice and intent.

I feel sorry for what hapened to her but she did the right thing. I hope they throw the book at them for the domestic violence and for what they did to her.

They couldn't have picked a better (well for their sakes worse) county to choose to do it in. Maracopa County, I guess they've never met Sheriff Joe!

Hoping those losers all splend time with Sheriff Joe!

Poor lady. Maybe plastic surgery would help her face.

Suspect describes Ariz. woman's branding
By AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 54 minutes ago

PHOENIX - One of four people arrested on suspicion of branding a woman's face with the word "snitch" said Thursday that the victim was awake and screamed as her flesh was burned from lip to earlobe.

Kibbol A. Avila, 33, said in a jailhouse interview with The Associated Press that he sat next to the woman during the June 13 attack in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. Police have not released the 38-year-old woman's identity.

Avila described the attack as revenge for help the woman gave police in a 2006 domestic violence case involving two of his friends, James H. Standridge, 34, and Jackie L. Getz, 26. The two were arrested after she gave the help, and a child was removed from their home.

The three suspects were waiting in a bedroom June 13 when the woman went to the house of Preston Valdez, 21, Avila said. Valdez had called Standridge to tell him the woman would be there.

The woman was sitting on the couch when Standridge came out of the bedroom, Avila said: "Her eyes got big when she saw him."

Standridge punched the woman, grabbed a pair of scissors and cut her hair as tears streamed down her face, Avila said. Standridge told her: "'You ain't going to get hurt, you ain't going to get killed, if you just listen to what we're telling you and don't jerk around,'" Avila said.

The branding occurred afterward in a car, Avila said. "I heard her saying, 'Aaah!' just screaming, and he had something in his hand, and it smelled like skin," Avila said.

Avila didn't think anyone in the car knew Standridge had the branding iron, and when he realized what was happening, he got out, he said. "My mind just went blank. I didn't know what to do," he said.

The woman ran out the open door, and no one followed her, he said. Avila said that he didn't get a good look at the woman's face, but that police later showed him a photograph. "It's bad," he said. "I didn't really stare at it. I just looked at it, looked up and pushed it away. I didn't want to see it."

Avila said he feels guilty for being there when it happened. "I feel bad because now she has to live with that on her face," he said. "It wasn't right. She was bad, but come on now, branding and burning someone's face?"

Avila, Standridge and Getz were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment. Valdez was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.

The defendants are scheduled for court hearings Friday. Standridge, Getz and Valdez declined requests to be interviewed. They had not yet been assigned lawyers by the Maricopa County public defender's office.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070629/...HD6kmC8uGs0NUE

On the Net: Mesa Police Department: http://www.cityofmesa.org/police/

Quote:

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Avila didn't think anyone in the car knew Standridge had the branding iron,

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BS !!

How do you heat a red hot branding iron that had to be five to six inches across inside a car without anyone "noticing" ??