Hit-and-run suspect caught on camera

By Steph Slater, Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 9:17 AM MST

A family in Thatcher is resting a little easier after a hit-and-run incident which occurred in May because a man fitting all witness descriptions has been arrested.

The suspect in the hit-and run incident is Jeremy Close of New Mexico, who was employed with an electrical subcontractor of the Phelps Dodge Mining Company at the time of the arrest.

Connie and Johnny Melendrez were purchasing gasoline at Doc's after a family outing, when a brawl occurred between Johnny and Close, who was apparently intoxicated.

According to police reports, two men were identified in a surveillance video obtained from the Doc's gas station in early June. The second man identified, a Hispanic male, appeared to be a co-worker with whom Close was carpooling.

Several police officers and a police detective worked on the case and located the suspects through evidence found at the scene of the crime, surveillance footage and other eye-witnesses, Thatcher Police Chief Mike McEuen said.

"It was very much a team effort," Thatcher Police officer Michael Cochran said.

Melendrez confronted Close because he had made some inappropriate gestures and comments to his wife, Connie, when she went into the gas station to pay.

During the confrontation between Melendrez and Close, Connie interrupted the fight and pulled her husband away. Close then revved his engine, jumped the curb and went after the couple, in the same direction of the family's vehicle.

Melendrez shouted for his wife to look out, but Connie was struck and fell down in the dirt, sustaining several injuries, mainly to her legs. The most serious injury was to her right leg. She was taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center following the hit-and-run.

The three Melendrez children, ages 2 to 10 years, witnessed the fight and the hit-and-run while in the family vehicle at Doc's. In a letter to the Courier in late May, Connie said the injuries from the incident were more than just physically painful.

"On the night of the accident, (my kids) were screaming and thought I was going to die," Connie wrote. "Worse than that, my kids are hurting. I wish they had their mother back."

Connie said she is a softball coach for the Red Hot Angels in the midgets age division but has been unable to coach since the accident. She underwent surgery and skin-grafting in mid-June and is expected to recover, McEuen said.

Officers are still collecting some of the evidence from the Jeep Laredo, which struck the victim. According to the police reports, the vehicle's front bumper section was removed in Deming, N.M. in May. Close will appear before the Graham County Justice of Peace Precinct 2 on July 5.

Contact Steph Slater at 428-2560 (ext. 248) or e-mail her at steph@eacourier.com.

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Comments

14 comment(s)

Genevieve wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:59 PM:

" I visited this spot in 2001 and had a wonderful time, in the two weeks I was there I greatly enjoyed the spring, the people and hiking in the surrounding area. The time I spent here was the highlight of my winter adventure. I played dominoes, drank tequila and picked up pretty rocks (and soaked in the spring of course!) It sounds like some terrible things have happened since and it's a shame that it's now closed. I would have loved to have seen it again. "

Tricia Wenzl wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:32 PM:

" Re: Eve Batchelder murder-2006. I personally knew Eve as did many of my other co-workers and we were appalled that her confessed murderer was allowed to plead to a lesser charge (obviously) to escape the death penalty. This was a pre-meditated murder and kidnapping, resulting in the death of a wonderful, gentle soul not to mention leaving her two children without their mother! Jason Martinez does not deserve to live at the expense of the taxpayers with the chance that he could be paroled! Society cannot afford to be "soft" for the fear of peer pressure. "

ciara wrote on Jul 17, 2008 9:06 PM:

" hi i would like to know what time the pool opens "

Warnar Moll Amsterdam The Netherlands wrote on Jul 14, 2008 11:20 AM:

" I agree with Rustom Kevala.
In literature there are many scientific indications that the preparation of the sacred liquid (Haoma),could not contain a Hallucinogen-Entheogen drug (cf publications of Harry Falk, Jan Houben, Frits Staal and the late Mary Boyce).
As a plant-physiologist and toxicologian, I did some study about the preparation of Parahom (as described in Avesta). From the scientic point of view it is impossible that the sacred drink is hallucinogen.
I do not understand the arguments of the Pima's Church of Cognizance.
It is as stupid as the assert: Jesus used Marihuana. "

tom wrote on Apr 19, 2008 3:15 PM:

" if having someone go through something like especially a child is not an invasion of privacy then nothing is but then thats the 9th circus for you "

F THE SYSTEM!!! wrote on Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM:

" Who cares about ibuprofen anyways! its just a pill that peopel take for headaches and aches who cares about what the school system. If someone suffers from chronic headaches and stuff like that they should be allowed to carry it around. IT was a bad thing to distribute it around to others, but they should be able to keep it anyway. Its not like teachers are all that willing to let students out of the classroom just because of a headache!!! SMS should be sued. Strip searching a student like that should NOT BE ALLOWED!!!! "

LaVae McClellan wrote on Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM:

" Eric and Kevin Yazzie are my brothers, they always will be. Yeah its true they had a history of fighting, but thats all u see. The Eric and Kevin i know are happy and fun loving, make everybody laugh. I miss kevin, but theres nothing we can do for him now. As for Eric they need to let my brother go already "

joe tapia wrote on Dec 9, 2007 8:05 PM:

" I have spent half of my life in this canyon along with my cusion juan luepke and I would like to know what threats to the public that our gate is causing. there is another way into the canyon then through our property. Just before you get to the cobra guest ranch on klondyke rd take the tully springs\old aravaipa town turn follow for about 4 miles there is a side road just after the second cattle guard the road turns east you have to open a few gates but there not locked. "

JOE TAPIA wrote on Dec 9, 2007 12:11 AM:

" THE ROAD THAT EVERY ONE HAS USED FOR THE LAST 20-30 YEARS, Is owned by my family. as I have been told to me by my father that the b.l.m and nature conseverency asked to use our road because their easement down by the river kept getting washed out by floods.So when norma put the gate up the b.l.m asked the conservency to redo the road by the river again conservency said no way. By,joe tapia "

Katelynn Nichols wrote on Dec 7, 2007 5:34 PM:

" Clifford Bea Fowler is My uncle ans my cousin Kelci's dad he may be a white supremeist but he still loves his daughter.But he should be held responsible for his actions. "

Stephen wrote on Nov 30, 2007 8:57 AM:

" My thoughts and prayer's go out to the late Bobby Bell's family. "

SMSmom wrote on Nov 9, 2007 12:11 PM:

" I will be notified if my child is in so much trouble that he may need to be stripped searched. "Depending on circumstances"--NO I WILL BE NOTIFIED!!! TRY ME!!! "

Keisha wrote on Oct 27, 2007 8:03 PM:

" I'm sure if these guys were a threat to society action would of been taken. I'm not condoning such behavior but Linda sounds like she's up to no good. "

linda wrote on Oct 26, 2007 11:59 AM:

" Is there any way to post the photos of these molesters "in" the schools so that the children and school staff may detect any possible molesters? After all they are the ones who would most likely see them. "

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