| NEWS | Fourplay from p 11 promised to “restore confidence” in the office, with a focus on building relationships with law enforcement and “vigorously prosecuting” people for more serious crimes. Gina Godbehere Godbehere, current Goodyear city prosecutor and longtime MCAO attorney, is running on a similar platform to Mitchell. Both are career prosecutors and have touted that experience. Godbehere worked for two decades as a prosecutor at MCAO, in various units, though did not rise as high in the ranks of the office as Mitchell. But while Mitchell has taken a somewhat softer stance on policing and prosecutorial reforms, touting her experience reviewing cases for prosecutorial misconduct, Godbehere is resolutely “tough on crime,” according to her campaign materials. She has collected endorsement from far-right candidates, including Kari Lake, who urgently requested her supporters to get Godbehere on the ballot. “The Dems got their candidate her signatures in 24 hours. Not sure how that’s even possible!” Lake wrote on Twitter. Godbehere did not return inquiries from New Times about her platform. But in her own answers to questions from EZAZ, Godbehere wrote that she would oppose “dangerous anti-police rhetoric” and supported a “balanced” approach to criminal justice reform. Jailhouse from p 8 life-threatening injuries” and was in “crit- ical condition.” Last week, another spokesperson for MCSO confirmed that Lemus had died over the previous weekend, and that a criminal investigation, as well as an internal investigation, was underway. The new details about Lemus’ death were revealed in charging documents filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. According to a criminal complaint, Schroeder faces one count of aggravated assault, although police accused him of first-degree murder. Those court records describe that once Schroeder made his second call, the on-duty officer requested a wellness check, and officers arrived to find Lemus covered in blood and unresponsive. Schroeder quickly confessed, telling officers that he had “killed him,” as they put him in a holding cell, MCSO said in court records. “It was going to be me or him,” he said, MCSO added. Later on, records state that Schroeder confessed to punching Lemus in the gut, choking him Far-right fave Gina Godbehere. Like Foster, Godbehere has avoided directly answering questions on whether President Joe Biden won the 2020 election in Maricopa County, telling CBS 5 that conservatives “are concerned that there were some discrepancies and I think the key is we always have discrepancies in elections.” Godbehere plans to make “election integrity” central to her campaign, it seems. “As County Attorney, I plan to create an Election Integrity Task Force that will work to ensure all of our laws are enforced,” she told EZAZ. “Let me be clear, if there is evidence our election laws were broken, the offender will be prosecuted,” she said. using the jail sink, and stabbing him in one eye with a pencil. A source at MCSO familiar with the case, who spoke to New Times under the condition of anonymity, said that it was fairly common for inmates to call and claim they were going to fight their cellmates. “What’s unusual would be to ignore it for 10 minutes,” the source said. Policy dictates that officers respond immediately to such calls. And, according to the source, shift notes from that day indicate that the officers were not responding to another emergency at the time — though the internal investigation is still ongoing. Spokespeople for MCSO did not imme- diately reply to another request for comment regarding the actions of officers involved. For years, both men had been in and out of Arizona’s jails and prisons, online Arizona Department of Corrections data and court records show. Schroeder was booked on charges of arson and burglary 10 days before the incident. Lemus had been in and out of custody in the last 15 years on various drug charges, according to ADOC and court records. 13 Gina Godbehere phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES APRIL 14TH– APRIL 20TH, 2022
