Dear Sheriff Babeu,

On December 9, 2008 I was on a ride along with Deputy Jesus Lopez #1837 of your sheriff’s office. On State Route 347 north of Highway 84, Deputy Lopez observed an equipment violation from a vehicle. He conducted a stop on the civil equipment violation. Deputy Lopez contacted the driver and through his keen sense of investigation he was able determine that something was not right.

There were two occupants in the vehicle and it was very dark and lonely on the roadway. Deputy Lopez maintain control of the situation while effectively conducting his investigation and recognizing the need to call a canine dog and officer to the stop. Once the canine arrived, the canine alerted to the vehicle.

Deputy Lopez then discovered several bundles of money stashed behind the backseat of a single cab pickup. There were two large bags with a large amount of money. The total was later found to be $228,569.00. This is an awesome accomplishment and a very well job done by Deputy Lopez. He was able to turn a simple civil traffic stop into a money laundering investigation within minutes.

Deputy Lopez showed a great sense experience, knowledge and courage following through with his gut instincts. He is a very impressive and profession employee that you should be proud to have on your department. I would like to extend my gratitude to Deputy Lopez for serving and protecting our community and county. My request would be that he is considered for a commendation or some type of award deserving of his accomplishment.

Thanks for your time.

Jose Angulo,
Citizen of Maricopa, AZ.