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Former Phoenix police officer sought after missing court date Judge issues warrant in assault case By CHRIS BRISTOL A Jackson County judge has issued a fugitive warrant for a former Phoenix police officer accused of throttling a belligerent shoplifter. Mike West failed to appear in court Tuesday, prompting Judge Daniel Harris to order a bench warrant. It was the third time West missed a court date in the case, including a similar hearing in August. Special prosecutor Stephen Campbell, the chief deputy district attorney for Josephine County, said the defendant's whereabouts are unknown. "The last anybody heard of him, he was somewhere in Minnesota," Campbell remarked after court. The case began in March, after authorities caught wind of an incident last year involving the officer and a shoplifting suspect from Yreka named Curtis Dean Jones. According to court records, Jones was arrested Oct. 26, 1998, after he allegedly scuffled with two employees of a Phoenix grocery store who tried to detain him for stealing a package of Sudafed cold tablets. The attack occurred at the police station when the handcuffed suspect "lipped off" at West, according to a source familiar with the investigation. It ended only when another officer intervened. Phoenix police chief Bob Kershaw has since confirmed many of the details. He said he alerted Oregon State Police of the incident after he heard rumors about it months later. Campbell originally charged West with fourth-degree assault, but has since added charges of first-degree official misconduct and harassment. All three charges are misdemeanors. According to court records, West was scheduled to plead guilty to the harassment charge Tuesday. In exchange, the more serious assault and misconduct charges were to be dismissed. West, 49, resigned shortly after charges were filed, and authorities believe he has been traveling the country ever since. Jones, 35, still faces charges of his own for shoplifting and assaulting the store manager. He skipped a court date in December and hasn't been heard from since. The incident was one of three involving Rogue Valley police officers this year. Gold Hill police chief Dave Crawford resigned in June after he was convicted of assaulting a dirt-biker who tried to outrun a ticket and threatening an elderly couple in an unrelated off-duty traffic altercation. Another Phoenix officer was arrested in September on charges of sexual misconduct involving two teenage girls. Authorities allege Jon Bigman plied the girls with alcohol, exposed himself in their presence and fondled one of them at least twice. He was also accused of tampering with a witness. The charges stem from off-duty encounters in August, prosecutors said. Bigman, 31, was placed on unpaid leave pending trial. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA