GROUND BROKEN ON COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER, PAGE 2
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Grand jury not misled, state says
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167-page document filed in response to defense motion in freeway shooting case by Emily Toepfer assistant editor
Prosecutors in the freeway shooting case are firing back against the defense’s claims that the state misled a grand jury by not fully disclosing evidence. In a 167-page document filed with the courts Jan. 8, prosecutors outline why the charges should not be taken back to a grand jury for a new determination of probable cause. Former Avondale resident Leslie Merritt Jr., 21, was indicted by a grand jury on 15 felony Leslie Merritt charges related to four reported shootings on Interstate 10 in late August 2015. His attorneys alleged in a motion filed last month that Merritt has an alibi for the crimes and that cell phone location data, his fiancée’s statements to detectives and his employment records are evidence that was improperly withheld from the grand jury. Prosecutors responded that the grand jury’s purpose is to determine whether probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed and that the individual being investigated is the
LOOK OF DETERMINATION Local high school sports coverage begins on Page 11.
BUCKEYE DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN Annual celebration to kick off Saturday — Page 9.
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(See Grand jury on Page 5) View photo by Ray Thomas
School Downtown development boundaries Project discussed at Litchfield’s State of City meeting finalized LITCHFIELD PARK MAYOR TOM SCHOAF speaks Jan 16 at city’s State of the City address.
by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
Litchfield Park residents will have the opportunity later this year to make suggestions on how up to 27 acres in the city’s downtown should be developed. The project was among commercial and housing developments that were a theme during Litchfield Park’s State of the City meeting on Jan. 16. At the meeting, Mayor Tom Schoaf reported that the city has acquired 17 acres of the land around City Hall near the corner of Litchfield Road and Wigwam Boulevard. In an effort to control development of the area, Schoaf said the council hopes to gain control over four adjacent parcels owned by private landowners in the coming months. As the largest landowner downtown, the city will be able to drive commercial development that will provide amenities for residents as well
as guests of the nearby Wigwam, Schoaf said. The planning process, which Schoaf said won’t be completed quickly, has started by gathering background information on potential developers, who could be asked to submit proposals. The public input process will be similar to procedures used in 2014, when the city considered amendments to its general plan, Schoaf said. Public meetings could start in the fall or winter, with residents asked what they would like to see downtown, he said. Schoaf said the adobe-style architecture featured on other downtown buildings should be used for new construction. “It should all fit together in a way that’s very pleasing,” he said. A goal of the project would be to generate sales taxes, which could generate as much as $1 million annually for city coffers, Schoaf said.
(See State of City on Page 5)
Scaled-back plan could move up to 700 Litchfield District pupils by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
The Litchfield Elementary School District Governing board has finalized a school boundary plan that was scaled back after a two-month process that one board member called an “incredible struggle.” The plan, approved unanimously by the board on Jan. 12, will potentially affect almost 700 (See Boundaries on Page 4)