AZ AZ - Russell Vinton 66, camping w/friend at Jacob Lake, truck found 300 mi away Craggy Wash, man w/trk fired on LE & killed by return fire. 8 Oct 2024

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.coconino.az.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3127

Sheriff's Office​

Posted on: October 10, 2024

Sheriff’s Office Investigates Missing Person with Suspicious Circumstances​

Jacob Lake, AZ -

On October 8th, at 5:39 pm, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a missing person in the Jacob Lake area. The caller advised her husband and his friend had been camping in the Jacob Lake area and that she had not heard from her husband in a few days.

Deputies from the Page Substation responded to the location and located the campsite. The missing person was identified as Russell Vinton, a 66-year-old male from Prescott, Az. Vinton’s truck and camper were not at the campsite, but other items found at the site were suspicious in nature and gave deputies concern for Vinton’s welfare. The investigation continued throughout the evening and into the next day.

On October 9, at about 11:00 AM CCSO was notified that Lake Havasu Police Department had found Vinton’s truck in an area outside of Lake Havasu City, AZ called Craggy Wash. When they contacted the subject in the truck, the Lake Havasu PD detectives were fired upon by the occupant. The detectives returned fire, striking the subject. The subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives sustained minor injuries and were later released from the hospital.

The deceased subject has been identified as Patrick Neal Champion, a 61-year-old from Tennessee. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office continues to Search for Vinton, the camper trailer, and any other evidence in the case. CCSO Detectives are working with Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City Police Detectives on the circumstances of what led up to this incident.

The camper trailer is described as a white 2017 travel trailer with Arizona license plate 5LA50N. The license plate may or may not still be affixed to the trailer. Refer to the accompanying missing person flyer for more information.

CCSO is asking for the public’s help in locating the camper trailer and Vinton. If you have any information on the location of the camper trailer or any other information on this case, contact the Coconino County Sheriff's Office at 928-774-4523 or Coconino County Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.

Disappearance of Russell Vinton of Prescott Suspicious/Suspect has Shoot Out with Police | MyRadioPlace

myradioplace.com

Tennessee man shot and killed by authorities looking for missing Prescott man

Lake Havasu City police detectives shot and killed a man Wednesday when they encountered him during the search for a missing Prescott man.

www.azcentral.com

https://www.facebook.com/CoconinoSheriff/posts/925067392987672

 

[Unalienable Rights]

We probably all have the same questions. Was the man who was killed, the friend who was camping with him? If not, is the friend accounted for?

 

[Unalienable Rights]

This answers one of the questions.

Man still missing after Lake Havasu police involved in deadly shootout

Lake Havasu police were involved in a deadly shooting while looking for a Prescott man, who still hasn't been found.

www.azfamily.com

Investigators said Champion and Vinton didn’t know each other.
ETA: Another piece of information in this article:

Man shot and killed by police after he was found in the truck of a missing person

The search for a missing man in Coconino County led to a shootout between police and a different man found in his truck, leaving one person dead.

www.fox10phoenix.com

A third man who was camping with Vinton was safe and is not believed to be a suspect in the disappearance.

(IMO the wording in the fox10 article is confusing. I don't think they mean that 3 men were camping with Vinton. I think the 3 men are Vinton, Champion, and Vinton's camping companion.)

 

[swanniee11]

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Public camping FB page. Sad news. IMO

 

[truthfinder2019]

Well for me it is still not clear. Ok the man shot was another one, but then Where was the friend with whom he was camping, all this time? Did the wife call him before alterting the police ?

 

[truthfinder2019]

Omg

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Patrick Neal Champion, Defendant-appellant, 248 F.3d 502 (6th Cir. 2001)

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Patrick Neal Champion, Defendant-appellant, 248 F.3d 502 (6th Cir. 2001) case opinion from the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

law.justia.com

 

[truthfinder2019]

Russell Thomas Vinton,

The Search For Russell Vinton Takes A Turn

gcmaz.com

dob 25 Feb 1958

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KRZV-FBL

 

[swanniee11]

Could this be him? https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local...fJCrV6vYJ3xS7-z5-g_aem_4cVPgc5v1f9sFVX-Qeqp9w

 

[GraceG]

Omg

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Patrick Neal Champion, Defendant-appellant, 248 F.3d 502 (6th Cir. 2001)

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Patrick Neal Champion, Defendant-appellant, 248 F.3d 502 (6th Cir. 2001) case opinion from the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

law.justia.com

Here is some more from that trial - offence was in in 1998. https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/details/00328286
He's a registered sex offender in the State of Tennessee. Currently showing address within the state and a vehicle that is a 1991 WHITE CHEVROLET C/K 2500 (CHASSIS AND CAB) TAG: 766648C, MT. No word if that vehicle has been located in the search for Mr. Vinton. (who has no court history or relationship with the man shot that I could find in Tennessee or Arizona). Sex Offender Registry Information: OFFENDER ID: 00328286
ALIASES - QUICK, CATHERINE NEAL;
CHAMPION, PATRICK N
CHAMPION, PATRICK N
CHAMPION, RICK N
QUICK, CATHERINE L
CHAMPION, PATRICK NEAL

Link to Registry: https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/details/00328286

 

[truthfinder2019]

Could this be him? https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local...fJCrV6vYJ3xS7-z5-g_aem_4cVPgc5v1f9sFVX-Qeqp9w

Size and weight almost, moustache…looks like him quite. And this man was shot. If only we had other photos.
Is the road/ distance likely ?

 

[truthfinder2019]

Here is some more from that trial - offence was in in 1998. https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/details/00328286
He's a registered sex offender in the State of Tennessee. Currently showing address within the state and a vehicle that is a 1991 WHITE CHEVROLET C/K 2500 (CHASSIS AND CAB) TAG: 766648C, MT. No word if that vehicle has been located in the search for Mr. Vinton. (who has no court history or relationship with the man shot that I could find in Tennessee or Arizona). Sex Offender Registry Information: OFFENDER ID: 00328286
ALIASES - QUICK, CATHERINE NEAL;
CHAMPION, PATRICK N
CHAMPION, PATRICK N
CHAMPION, RICK N
QUICK, CATHERINE L
CHAMPION, PATRICK NEAL

Link to Registry: https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/details/00328286

I thought I had seen a 1990 offense in Maricopa ( assault and burglary/theft) but now I cannot find it anymore.
I wonder why an alias which looks feminine name. Just my impression

 

[GraceG]

Could this be him? https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local...fJCrV6vYJ3xS7-z5-g_aem_4cVPgc5v1f9sFVX-Qeqp9w

The missing man is six feet tall. The body found was a man that is 5 foot 8. Even if a body is in a state of advanced decomp establishing height is relatively easy using the bones. This is the preferred method for height estimation as even in the recently deceased, bodies do shrink slightly after death so the original height of the living person will be slightly greater than measured directly from the deceased body (giving you a degree of error you're not going to get using bone measurement.) Measurement is made using the length of specific long bones -femur, tibia, and fibula in the legs and the humerus, radius and ulna in the arm (the relative proportions between height and leg or arm length vary according to biological gender and ethnicity of the person). The process involves something called regression analysis but I won't bore you with the science. Here's a link with the nuts and bolts of establishing height using this method: Stature Estimation – FORENSICS.

But a 4 inch difference between the missing man and the deceased man is such I personally doubt it's the same person unless trauma impacted the ability to get good bone measurement.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Three cases found here

Public Access Case Lookup

The Arizona Judicial Branch is pleased to offer Public Access to Court Case Information, a valuable online service providing a resource for information about court cases from 153 out of 180 courts in Arizona.

apps.azcourts.gov

 

[swanniee11]

@GraceG Odd that his last known address is a vacant lot and woods. IMO

 

[Linear13]

Size and weight almost, moustache…looks like him quite. And this man was shot. If only we had other photos.
Is the road/ distance likely ?

Also the article said when police arrived they found the man ‘suffering’ from trauma and gunshots. So was he alive when they found him or is this just the journalist not clarifying. Other than the height, it does sound like him. He could have had breaks in his legs or other places that made actual standing height hard to measure. Either way if not him hopefully they will put a name to this man quickly.

 

[Linear13]

Found this…

Quick v. Conley, No. 13-2034-STA-tmp | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Quick v. Conley, No. 13-2034-STA-tmp, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

 

[GraceG]

@GraceG Odd that his last known address is a vacant lot and woods. IMO

Could be 2 things (1) he owns it and lived on it in a camper with a generator.
(2) gave authorities a fake address. It happens more than you know. I had a case a few years ago where the POI gave local LE (in another state) an address that was an international airport. Obviously, he didn't live there. But I thought "how would he KNOW the address to give to the cops immediately on asking?" He had to WORK there. Sure enough - his picture was shared with tenants at the airport and we found his employer, and him. Thanks for playing - here's your summons.

 

[truthfinder2019]

A photo of the shot suspect (when younger I reckon)

https://www.offenderradar.com/offender-details/patrick-neal-champion-of-tennessee-822519

 

[truthfinder2019]

Found this…

Quick v. Conley, No. 13-2034-STA-tmp | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Quick v. Conley, No. 13-2034-STA-tmp, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

Thanks, this explains the name change and the looks of the photo I just posted. No judgement, just observation.
I really wonder what happened and why he was 300 mi away with the truck.