Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 8

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC SIX VIOLENT DEATHS A teen shot Monday becomes the sixth victim of violent death since early Saturday. B6 WALTER MATTHAU Quake caused $6 million damage to his uninsured home. B6. TUESDAY JANUARY 25, 1994 Editor, Laurie Roberts 271-8222 bbbbbbbbbbbbbbblhbb 3 Bankrupt man hopes to sell Suns playoff tickets in lottery 17 r. A I i XT i -v Ij i 1h Va.

outlets throughout metropolitan Phoenix. It would be held during a two- to three-week period in late March or early April, with the drawing by the court held just before the Suns' final regular-season game, April 22. The winner would receive playoff tickets for this season worth about $2,500, as well as renewal rights for season tickets for the 1994-95 season and future seasons. "We originally planned to sell only the renewal rights by lottery, but thought if we bought the playoff tickets and included them, it would increase interest and sales," Collins said. their face value.

"We're hoping fan interest remains very high," said Collins, who filed the lottery proposal on behalf of Robert Abele, a court trustee assigned to liquidate the accountant's assets. Bankruptcy Judge Robert G. Mooreman cleared the way for the lottery with a ruling in October that the renewal rights were part of the accountant's estate and could be sold by the court. The Phoenix Suns appealed the ruling, claiming that the renewal rights of season-ticket holders actually belong to the team and cannot be sold or passed on to anyone By Frank Turco The Arizona Republic Although the Phoenix Suns haven't been burning up the National Basketball League quite like they did last season, a bankruptcy lawyer is hoping that fan interest in their games remains at a fever pitch. If it does, Dan Collins said Monday, a lottery for four tickets to all of the team's home playoff games this year and the rights to buy seats for future seasons could raise a pretty hefty sum.

Collins, in a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, proposes to sell lottery tickets for the entire package playoff games and renewal rights for $10 a shot. "I think it might be possible to sell as many as 10,000 tickets at that price," he said. The game tickets, for seating just under the southern basket at America West Arena, 14 rows from the floor, were owned by a Scottsdale accountant who filed for bankruptcy in 1991. Proceeds from the lottery would be used to help pay his debts.

Earlier court-sponsored auctions of the accountant's tickets for the final six regular games last season and the home playoff games, plus season tickets for this season, have brought in $20,200, about three times other than a family member. Bill Maledon, an attorney for the Suns, said the team probably will not oppose the latest motion by Collins because it expects a decision on its appeal to be made before a lottery could be held. "If we win the appeal, then there would be no lottery," he said. "If we lose, then it does not seem that we would have a standing in how the tickets and renewal privileges are sold." Under the mechanics of the lottery proposed by Collins, the sale would be conducted by Ticketmaster, an entcrtain-ment-ticket-sales company that has 25 11 ir roan onicer v. v.

is susuect in 9 doss siayin Cocopah police chief's death was first considered suicide MORE LOCAL NEWS, A6, A7 0 1 1 T- 1 Michael GlngThe Arizona Republic Fire Marshal Wes Kemp of Gilbert examines what remains of the roof on the original Town Hall, which was built in 1939 and still housed offices for the southeast Valley town. Fire damages old Gilbert Town Hall Forces Municipal Court's temporary move By Jim Walsh The Arizona Republic A Cocopah tribal police officer is a suspect in the shooting death of the small tribal department's police chief, whose body was found in a Scottsdale motel room last week, police said Monday. Chief Eric Monahan's death originally was considered a probable suicide, but an autopsy by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office determined it actually was a homicide. Monahan, 32, who was shot in the upper chest just below his neck, was found in the room of Officer Princetta Thomas, 25, at 11:30 p.m. last Tuesday at the Hospitality Suites Resort, 409 N.

Scottsdale Road, said Sgt. John Cocca, a Scottsdale police spokesman. Thomas was the only other person present during the shooting, Cocca said. She was interviewed by detectives shortly afterward, he said. "Some of the physical evidence does not coincide with the original story she told police," Cocca said.

"Everybody was in shock (about the slaying). They can't believe it," said Cocopah Police Commissioner T.C. Canterbury, who was Monahan's supervisor. Question of an affair Cocca would not comment on why Monahan was in Thomas' room or what the relationship was between Monahan and Thomas. Cocca said Monahan was not in bed when found by officers and was fully clothed.

Canterbury said he does not know whether Monahan and Thomas were having an affair. "I never knew of anything or heard of anything, but that doesn't mean there wasn't" a relationship, he said. But Canterbury cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the circumstances of Monahan's death. Cocca said that a semiautomatic pistol was found in the room but that police are awaiting the results of ballistics tests to identify the weapon used in Monahan's killing. Also being examined are the department-issued guns of Monahan, Thomas and tribal Officer Dwayne P.

Waters, who accompanied them to the Valley from the southwestern Arizona reservation, Cocca said. The three tribal police officers were in the Valley to attend a U.S. District Court trial concerning a drive-by shooting on the reservation. Canterbury said Thomas and Waters have been placed on paid leave. Thomas also is the subject of an internal-affairs investigation, he said.

Detectives on reservation Two Scottsdale detectives were on the reservation Monday continuing their investigation, Cocca said. Thomas has been with the department for a little less than a year, Canterbury said. A resident of nearby Imperial Valley, Calif, Monahan joined the tribal department in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Rose, and their three daughters. Canterbury described Monahan, who was buried Monday, as a resourceful, loyal employee who was given a trustworthy position at a young age because of his professionalism.

Canterbury said there were no indications that Monahan was despondent. "He had a beautiful wife and children. He had no problems at work whatsoever," the police commissioner said. Monahan, who headed a department with five officers, was excited about recently taking up sky diving as a hobby, Canterbury said. "When you know the players, you wonder what the motive was and why it happened," Canterbury said.

"It baffles me. I really don't know why." "It's not a catastrophe," he said. "It's just an inconvenience that we have to work around for the next 30 days." Pettit said the town's parks and recreation office, which also has been housed in the old Town Hall, may reopen by this morning. Two wings added to the original Town I lull in 1982 met all fire-code regulations, Pettit said, but there was no requirement to replace the wiring of the old building. Repairs on the building will be covered by insurance, he added.

marshal. "Luckily, we were able to save all the records and the contents of the building," Kemp said. He said damage, primarily to the attic and roof, was estimated at $40,000. Assistant Town Manager George Pcttit said the court will be temporarily moved to a second-floor conference room at Gilbert's current Town Hall, 1025 S. Gilbert, until repairs are completed.

Gilbert's historic, original Town Hall was damaged Sunday night by an electrical fire, forcing the temporary relocation of the town's Municipal Court. Opened in 1939, the building at 119 N. Gilbert Road is one of the oldest in the rapidly growing southeast Valley town. A poor connection in the building's original wiring led to a short that started the attic fire about 9 p.m., said Wes Kemp, the town's fire Gun-free school zones studied for youths violators guilty of delinquency and would allow a judge to revoke a juvenile's driver's license for gun offenses. I IB 2299, which would allow police agencies to seie vehicles when there is a weapons violation in the vehicle and the juvenile owns the vehicle or the adult owner of the See GUN-FREE, page U2 The subcommittee has four gun bills that it will begin formally reviewing next week, Keegan said.

They are: House Bill 2131, which would create a buffer around Arizona schools in which possession of a gun would be prohibited. Exemptions would be provided for residents living within the zone. The bill would make juvenile The bills are a response to the growing number of violent crimes committed by children with guns, said subcommittee Chairman John Kee-gan, R-Peoria. "There were five shootings by juveniles this past weekend," Keegan said. A statewide poll released Monday indicated support for tougher gun laws.

By Jonathan Sidener The Arizona Republic Gun-free school zones and the seizure of vehicles owned by juveniles who illegally possess guns were among the proposals debated before a legislative panel Monday. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Firearms began reviewing a package of bills designed to crack down on juvenile crimes involving guns. A preview of summer Report blames poverty in Arizona on shortage of well-paying jobs '-'fij't? fili'. (- Dave Buchli, 39, takes advantage of Monday's high temperatures to raise a rooster tail on a lake in Gilbert designed for competition water skiing. The Valley weather was expected to turn cooler today, with a chance of showers this morning.

Snow was expected in the northern half of the state. fails to recognize the efforts made in the past three years to attract higher-paying employers to the state. "They are telling us to do what we already are doing," Harris said. In fiscal 1992-93, the department worked with 50 companies that either relocated to Arizona or expanded their operations here, creating 13,000 jobs with an average wage of $14.84 per hour, he said. Of those, 4,500 were created by Hughes Aircraft in Tucson, he said.

Excluding Hughes, the average wage was $9.35 an hour, Harris said. Douglas Cole, spokesman for Gov. Fife Symington, also downplayed the report, citing figures issued last week by the U.S. Department of Commerce that ranked Arizona third in the nation for personal income growth See STATE, page 1)2 increased nearly 61 percent from 1979 to 1989. Among those most affected by poverty are people ages 18 to 24 and children younger than age 6.

Arizona ranks 11th in the nation for the number of children younger than age 18 who live in poverty, according to the Children's Defense Fund. Few opportunities for better-paying jobs, a lack of education, a high divorce rate, and cutbacks in public assistance contributed to the high poverty rates, the report concluded. The number of workers earning low wages in Arizona has grown substantially, it said. From 1986 to 1990, the average wage in the United States, adjusted for inflation, decreased 0.5 percent, while Arizona's average wage dropped 3.9 percent. State Department of Commerce spokesman Don Harris said the report By Victoria Harker The Arizona Republic Decrying an increase of Arizonans living in poverty, the Arizona Community Action Association called Monday for the state to concentrate its development efforts on attracting better-paying jobs.

"When we create jobs, we have to create healthy jobs," said Duane Hall, who coordinated a poverty report for the 25-year-old non-profit organization, which researches issues relating to Arizona's poor. In the report, th organization also said there must be more coordination among state and county agencies and "economic-development groups to combat poverty. It cited the latest U.S. Census Bureau statistics, which were released in 1992 and said that the number of people living in poverty in Arizona John SamoraThe Arizona Republic.