Man admits falsifying deployment orders to postpone DUI trial
Associated Press
Dec. 1, 2005 07:15 AM
The Arizona Army National Guard is deciding whether a Mesa man should face military criminal prosecution after he admitted to falsifying deployment orders to postpone his trial on drunken-driving charges.
Maricopa County Superior Court judges have postponed Michael Denofre's trial five times since Sept. 1 based on military documents filed with the court.
The documents state that Denofre, 30, was ordered to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and to report to Fort Lewis in Washington to help his Mesa-based unit deploy to Iraq.
The most recent trial postponement was because Denofre claimed he was going to Iraq for 18 months.
An Army document dated Nov. 21 states that "the soldier admitted falsification of orders."
National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Aguirre said Denofre isn't scheduled to deploy to Iraq and that the documents filed with the court "were not official documents originated from the Arizona Army National Guard."
An Army investigator is supposed to give a report Dec. 12 to the commander of the 153rd Field Artillery Brigade.
Mesa police arrested Denofre on Feb. 5 after finding him slumped over in his idling truck that was blocking his neighbor's driveway.
He had a beer in his hand and was surrounded by several empty beer cans as the officer nudged him awake, according to police.