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W.V. boy dies from accidental gunshot
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by Emily Toepfer assistant editor
Submitted photo
HOBO JOE IS MOVED from Main Street and Apache Road in Buckeye July 27 to an undisclosed location where he awaits some fiberglass repair and fresh paint. The 23-foottall statue was purchased from the Gillum family by the Buckeye Main Street Coalition, which has plans to donate it to the city after refurbishing it.
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After acting as king of the road in the West Valley for decades, Buckeye’s iconic Hobo Joe statue has gone into hiding — and no one knows when or where the big guy will make his next appearance. In July, the statue was removed from its perch in a dusty parking lot in front of a meat packing plant at East Monroe Avenue and North Apache Road. Hobo Joe was moved after the statue was purchased by the Main Street Coalition, according to Tammy Noble, a member of the organization. Ever since the statue disappeared, people have wondered what happened to it, Noble said. “People from all over Buckeye are asking where it went,” she said. Hobo Joe apparently hasn’t jumped a box car or been run out of town, but Noble declined to reveal where the statue has been taken. “He’s in a secure location,” she said. The secrecy isn’t out of concern of vandalism or theft — the statue weighs a ton — but to keep the lore surrounding the statue alive, Noble said. Noble said the coalition developed a plan for the statue five years ago, and acted to purchase it fearing it might be lost after the land where it stood was recently sold. The coalition is scheduled to discuss the vagabond’s future with the Buckeye City Council in January, she said. The city’s public information officer, Bob Bushner, said the city can’t address the topic until plans have been submitted, which he said hasn’t happened yet. Roy Dean, who operates Arid State Enterprises, a Buckeye-based company that specializes in relocating structures, said he led a four-man crew that moved Hobo Joe on July 27.
“It was an honor to be the one that moved him,” said Dean, a lifelong Buckeye resident who said he’s fond of the statue. A crane was used to lift the top of the statue as its feet were cut from its pedestal, then transferred onto a flatbed, where it was placed at an angle that made it a legal load during transport, Dean said. The operation took about four hours, with another three hours for transporting the statue and moving it into storage, he said. Dean said the fiberglass statue built over a steel interior frame is strong but fragile, which caused concern that it could crack or break during the move. “He’s in good shape, other than he needs some paint,” he said. “He’s faded out.”
A 5-year-old Avondale boy identified as Savier Jones died Sept. 28 after he accidentally shot himself with a gun at his family’s home, police said. Officers responded at about 9:25 a.m. to an apartment complex near Dysart Road and Harrison Street in Avondale, and found the boy with a gunshot wound to the head, said Officer Ray Emmett, a spokesman with the Avondale Police Department. Police attempted life-saving measures until firefighters arrived, and Savier was transported to Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear, where he later died, Emmett said. Savier was at home with his mother and two siblings when he found a gun in a bedroom, Emmett said. His mother reportedly heard a bang and found the boy alone in the room with a gunshot wound, Emmett said. The 9 mm semi-automatic handgun belongs to Savier’s father, who was not at home when the shooting occurred, Emmett said. No charges are pending at this time, and the case is still under investigation, he said.
Nonprofit looks for missing boy AZ Extreme Terrain Search & Rescue searches for Buckeye 10-year-old by Emily Toepfer
Restoration plan
assistant editor
Hobo Joe may be a man of means by no means, but the Main Street Coalition’s project to clean up and relocate the statue will take some funds. Purchasing and moving the statue cost the coalition $7,000, part of a project expected to total $30,000, Noble said. The makeover will include some fiberglass work, repainting the statue and setting it on a new base, she said. Laura Serben, a member of the Main Street Coalition board, said the group plans a “firstclass restoration” of Hobo Joe. “We will get it right. That’s the important thing,” she said. The statue hasn’t been painted since the 1980s and has weathered over the years with exposure to the Arizona sun, Serben said. Dean said Hobo Joe is stored in a tight space, so he expects to get a call to move it again to a place with room to do the
A nonprofit group looking to provide closure for the family of Jesse Wilson set out over three days last weekend to search for the 10-yearold Buckeye boy. Jesse has been missing for more than 11 weeks. He was last seen sleeping in his bed at 9:30 p.m. July 17 near Watson and Yuma roads in Buckeye. When his mother went to check on him four hours later, Jesse was gone. The boy has a history Jesse Wilson of leaving home in the middle of the night to wander the neighborhood, but usually returned by morning, his mother, Crystal Wilson, told police. In the past three months, Buckeye police, along with multiple other law enforcement agencies and community volunteers, have (See Missing on Page 4)
(See Hobo Joe on Page 4)