She ran herself over with her own car March 28 — Woman runs self over with car

A woman driving through Senita ran over her own leg after failing to put her car in park when she got out to attend to puppies on the road. Maricopa Police, Fire and Medical were dispatched to Maricopa Groves Parkway near North Meghan Drive and learned the pedestrian who got hit was also the driver of the car. The woman, who told officers she saw puppies running in the road and got out to help them, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

2 drowned in swimming pools May 23 — 2 drownings too many

As Maricopans flocked to the pool to beat the summer heat, Maricopa Fire and Medical Department advised residents to be vigilant in and around water.

It’s a heavy but timely topic. Maricopa saw two drowning deaths take place in 2023 — a 2-year-old girl who died in March after being pulled from a pool and a 55-year-old man in April.

Drowning is the leading cause of death of children age 1-4, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Since 2018, Maricopa has experienced 16 drowning deaths.

All but three were children.

Body found in roadside ditch July 25 — Body found in ditch

Maricopa police responded to a call of a body spotted in a drainage ditch near Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and Stonegate Road. Shortly after arriving on scene, officers confirmed an adult woman had died.

The woman’s body did not show any obvious signs of foul play. The Pinal County Medical Examiner retrieved the body and identified her as 47-year-old Melanie Pahe, a local resident.

Palm tree farm burned for weeks July 30 — Echoes of Fire: Thunderbird Farms aftermath

Unincorporated Maricopa suffered a palm tree fire that sparked in July and crackled until mid-August. A palm tree nursery in Thunderbird Farms — the same one that burned for several weeks the previous summer — totally charred to ash. Maricopa residents smelled smoke in town as plumes rained into their lawns and pools. Crews from at least three municipal, rural and Indian fire departments contained the fire and eventually extinguished it.

Infant died in Hidden Valley crash Sept. 19 — Infant dead in crash

Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash at West Farrell and North Ralston Roads and found a vehicle with seven occupants. A 5-month-old baby boy was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. One adult female passenger was ejected from the vehicle. She sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital. No one was charged.

Man found dead at Pacana Park Sept. 26 — Man found dead on greenbelt

The body of Allen Moore Jr., a 51-year-old Maricopa resident who lived in the Villages, was discovered in Glennwilde.

Residents found the body Sept. 24 on the greenbelt around Pacana Park near Centennial Drive and Falcon Lane.

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