Tucson Cops Can't Win!

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Legend has it Henok is an immigrant from Ethiopia.  He has been on the east side of Tucson for the last couple of years as a member of the drug addicted homeless community.  His drugs of choice are fentanyl and methamphetamine.  

In or around March or April of 2024, Henok decided that an east side convenience store was his new bathroom and kitchen.  On several occasions, Henok would enter the store, select several items that were displayed for sale, and then just walk out.  This happened several times.  The store manager contacted a Tucson Police Officer and advised him of this series of shoplifting incidents and she provided him with surveillance photos of the suspect.  

After some time, Henok was caught by this officer just after one of his "kitchen runs."  

Henok was arrested for shoplifting and unlawful possession of narcotic paraphernalia (after a search incident to arrest revealed the cut straw he used to smoke fentanyl).  He was transported to the Pima County Jail.  Henok was officially trespassed from this location and he was advised that he would be arrested if he returned to any part of the property.  Henok stated he understood and he would not return.  

Shockingly, Henok turned out to NOT be a man of his word and he continued to return to this location several times.  Each time Henok returned to the location, the staff members would advise this officer and provide surveillance photos of the incident.  The officer would then create a case report documenting the crime, upload the surveillance photo, and issue a "stop and arrest" for Henok.  

On many occasions, after Henok was arrested, this officer would request an "area restriction."  What that means is the officer was asking the court to restrict Henok from returning to this location.  If granted, an area restriction would allow officers to arrest Henok for contempt of court in addition to criminal trespassing IF he were to return to this location.  Think of it like a punishment enhancement.

The employees at this business, like most of the residents and businesses in Tucson, grew frustrated with the lack of enforcement by all levels of local law enforcement (to include the jail and the courts).  The manager stated multiple times that the morale in her store took a hit every single time a member of Tucson's drug addicted homeless community acted with such disregard for our laws.

Henok's arrests added up.  On 12/25/2024, Henok was located by the same pesky officer.  A record check showed Henok had 14 (!) outstanding misdemeanor warrants issued by the Tucson City Court, as well as 2 outstanding stop and arrests reference 2 recent kitchen runs.  Grinch Mode was activated and Henok was transported to the Pima County Jail where he was booked.

Henok's initial bond was $4,082 and the arresting officer sheepishly believed the jail and the courts would do the right thing and keep this persistent criminal locked up for a while.  More jail time would also give Henok time to purge the fentanyl and methamphetamine from his body and he could potentially have a fair shot at sobriety.  

But then... 

You can see that the total bond amount for the 16 charges (14 warrants and 2 news charges) came to $4,082.00.  Let's see how long that lasts...

You can now see that an unknown judge or judges have reduced Henok's bond amount from $4,082 to $1,000 in less than 24 hours.  WHY?!

This incident occurred on 1/4/2025.  Henok was released from the Pima County Jail on 1/3/2025.  For those keeping score, Henok was booked into the jail on 12/25/2025 with 16 criminal charges (14 misdemeanor warrants and 2 new misdemeanor charges).  After his release from the jail, Henok returned to the victim location where he was spotted by that same pesky officer.   

The officer approached Henok and told him he was trespassed from the property and he ordered Henok to put his hands behind his back.  Henok decided NOT to comply and well, watch for yourself!

After Henok was detained, he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, a single fentanyl pill, and narcotic paraphernalia.  Officer Voss initially thought Henok had fentanyl powder but he was WRONG.  He thought the methamphetamine was fentanyl powder which cannot be tested in the field so Henok was not charged at the scene.  Guess Voss isn't as smart as he thinks he is. :(

The possession of these items should have been charged as unlawful possession of a dangerous drug/ meth (13-3407/ class 4 felony), possession of a narcotic drug/ fentanyl pill (13-3408/ class 4 felony), and drug paraphernalia (13-3415/ class 6 felony).  He has not been charged for possession of these drugs.  

**It should also be noted that despite the fact that a single fentanyl pills is a lethal dose for more than half of the population, the Pima County Attorneys Office has issuing guidelines that require at least 10 fentanyl pills before they will issue felony charges.

As you watch this video, please put yourself in the shoes of the employees, managers, and business owners of these victim businesses.  Try to imagine the frustration of having drug addicted homeless people see your store as their own personal kitchen and bathroom.  How many customers are these businesses losing because they don't want to walk through a group of addicts who look at the customer and decide the customer owes them money?  

This is a story of ONE criminal drug addict, how many times do you suppose this happens EVERY SINGLE DAY in Tucson?