Examining the TPD Reports on Patterson/Escobar Incidents

This morning the Tucson Weekly requested the Tucson Police Department report on the Friday, Feb. 24, incident between state Rep. Daniel Patterson and his ex-girlfriend and ex-campaign manager, Georgette Escobar, but was told by a public-records clerk that the report was not available, because the case was assigned to a TPD detective for further investigation.

Yesterday, we interviewed Escobar and Patterson regarding what happened that day. Escobar claims that Tucson Parks and Recreation employees witnessed Patterson and Escobar get into a fight. Escobar said Patterson allegedly grabbed her roughly, pulled her fingers back to remove them from her dog’s collar, and pulled the dog out of her car by the collar.

Patterson told the Weekly that he was the one attacked.

Although that report isn’t yet available, the Weekly requested a list of all TPD-responded incidents or 911 calls in 2011 and the past two months made from the property owned by Patterson, located north off Santa Rita Park just east of Fourth Avenue, where he lived until recently with Escobar.

The first report was filed Feb. 16, when Patterson called TPD and filed a missing-person report, claiming Escobar was missing, along with “their” dog. He also said that she had taken four guns belonging to him — a Glock handgun, a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle, and another rifle. Patterson told the officer that he left Tucson on Monday, Feb. 13, to work at the state Legislature in Phoenix and returned home on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Patterson said when he entered the house, he found jewelry scattered in his bedroom and other household items scattered throughout the house before he discovered the four firearms were missing. He said he remained in contact while in Phoenix with Escobar that week, but that day, she didn’t respond to his calls or texts. Patterson told the officer that he noticed a change in Escobar’s behavior toward him, and that she had accused him of seeing someone else.

Patterson also said he did not wish to prosecute regarding the missing guns valued at $2,200 total.

The next day, on Feb. 17, Patterson called TPD to report he had heard from Escobar, and that she “is fine and not in any danger,” and was staying with family in Casa Grande.

The officer called Escobar, and heard back from her on Feb. 18. Escobar identified herself as Patterson’s fiancee and said that she was staying with her cousins, and that she took the guns to “make sure his ex-wife couldn’t make any allegations.”

The officer recorded each conversation, and the Weekly has requested a copy of the recordings.

The next report is dated Friday, Feb. 24, and involves a 911 hangup report made that morning.

Next report was filed Saturday, Feb. 25. Officer responded to a “preserve the peace” call near Patterson’s home. There, he talked to Escobar, who told the officer she was trying to serve a protection order on Patterson, that she had lived with him for eight months, that he grows marijuana at the house — and has had 20 plants growing under lights. She also reportedly said he has a sawed off shotgun and other guns in his safe. She told the cop that she is a convicted felon and wanted the guns removed and the marijuana plants.

A different officer went to Patterson’s home, but the front gate was locked, and Patterson did not respond.

Escobar insisted Patterson was home, and that he “always plays games with the cops.” She showed police bruises on her arm, and an officer photographed the bruises. The police advised her to contact a “service agency,” and she left to stay with friends.

The officer did note that in an earlier call to the house on Feb. 24, that Escobar said there were no weapons in the house, and no marijuana plants were seen at that time.

The last report, thus far, was filed last night. The Weekly heard from a source that four cop cars were at Patterson’s house, and that there was a fight between Escobar and Patterson taking place in the yard. The Weekly drove by, but by then, the front gate was closed, and only one cop car was parked in front. However, on Fourth Avenue, there were three cop cars, and Escobar standing near her car with one officer.

In the report, the officer said he was responding to a suspicious-person incident and checked in with a neighbor, listed as a witness, who pointed to the open gate that leads to Patterson’s house. The officer said Patterson was on his cell phone and was speaking with his attorney when he pointed toward the rear of his house at Escobar. The officer described Escobar as cooperative, and he accompanied her off the property. She told the officer about the court order—and that she wanted her dog.

After they walked off the property, Patterson then closed and locked the gate. Patterson told TPD communications that his attorney told him not to speak to police at the scene. “Officer did not attempt nor were invited back into the fenced yard …” the report said. The cop took Escobar to her car, which was parked on Fourth Avenue and showed him the court order.

The neighbor/witness told the officer that he heard yelling in the back of his house, and came outside and spoke to Escobar, who asked him for help to get her dog from the fenced yard. He told her he couldn’t help; then Escobar reportedly said she would just get some “C4 and blow the neighborhood up.” Then, evidently, he said Escobar figured out how to get over the fence and on the property.

When the gate opened, Escobar was reportedly standing with the dog, and Patterson was on the phone inside the yard. Then the dog got loose, and he saw Escobar and Patterson chasing after the dog, eventually catching the pooch. There, they continued to have a verbal argument until police arrived. The witness said he “saw nothing physical, and he did not feel threatened.”

No arrests were made. Patterson was not interviewed and there were no complainants on Escobar’s threats to blow up the neighborhood.

She told the cops she would not come back to the house or neighborhood, and that “she would just get a new dog.” Her concern was for items that belong to her in the house. Then she left.

This article appears in Feb 23-29, 2012.