Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Police are on the lookout for Jose Cobos, who is wanted for questioning regarding an alleged assault.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Police are on the lookout for a houseguest who reportedly overstayed his welcome and rewarded his host by assaulting him.
Officers were dispatched at about 2:53 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to a residence in the 1000 block of S. 5th Avenue regarding a fight in progress. Upon arrival, a resident was observed cleaning up a broken lamp but no fight was ongoing.
The resident had a laceration to his eye and said it occurred after he had asked a houseguest to leave for making too much noise. He said the guest, identified as Jose Cobos, was invited to his house by a woman, identified as Dusti Wallace. He said the group had been drinking alcohol along with several other friends but when the resident decided it was time for bed he asked Cobos and Wallace to keep down the noise. When they failed to be quiet, the resident confronted Cobos about it and Cobos allegedly threatened him and then struck him, according to the resident’s statement to police. The resident said he then hit Cobos with his walking cane and the two continued the altercation outside until it was broken up by others.
While speaking to the resident, officers heard a rustling noise on the side of the house and located Wallace attempting to leave the area. Wallace initially gave a fake name, according to the report, but was positively identified by another officer and was learned to have three felony warrants with a combined bond of $55,000. She was later arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on her warrants.
Officers learned that Cobos lived in the residence next door, however, when they went there to search for him the other occupants advised he was not at home. The officer noted that Cobos was previously contacted by law enforcement at the same residence and was arrested on a warrant for shoplifting at that time.
An attempt to locate was issued for Cobos, and the resident was transported by paramedics with Lifeline Ambulance to the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. As of Monday, Cobos had yet to be apprehended.