On the run from cops, former Rancho Mirage woman kills a man

UPDATE June 20, 2024, 7:42 p.m. Leanne Lemman, 45, has been arrested.

Lemman was booked into the Pinal County jail on four felony counts of forgery, bank fraud, theft and fraudulent schemes. She is also charged with misdemeanor credit card fraud. She sits in the jail on a $20,000 bond.

She will face a Pinal County Superior Court judge for a preliminary hearing June 28.

If convicted on all charges, she faces a presumptive sentence of between 24 and 93 years in prison, according to the Arizona sentencing guidelines.

She may still be charged with vehicular manslaughter. That investigation by the Payson Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety is ongoing.

ORIGINAL STORY June 20, 2024, 11:48 a.m. A former resident of Rancho Mirage and Hidden Valley was on the run from local cops when she killed an elderly man in Payson last week, Payson Police Department Sgt. Jesse Davies confirmed this morning.

Leanne Lemman, 45, is wanted by the Casa Grande Police Department on charges of fraud, forgery and theft since last week, according to CGPD Det. Jon Campa. Lemman allegedly used the financial details of her ex-boss on a self-indulgent shopping spree that included a pedicure, Botox injections and other spa services, as well as large purchases at several other local businesses.

“On Saturday, May 25, [Lemman] got her nails and her toes done but left without paying,” said Hồng Hạnh, a Casa Grande salon owner. “She lacks morals and it’s not right.”

The fatal crash

Lemman was reportedly visiting her boyfriend in Payson last Wednesday when, just after 9 a.m., when she “failed to stop for the red light” at the intersection of State Route 260 and Manzanita Drive, according to PPD. She killed 69-year-old Mark Alexander of Payson, who was riding his bicycle and had the right-of-way.

“I can confirm that Leanne Lemman, 45, was the driver involved in the fatal collision in Payson on Wednesday, June 12, and that she is believed to be the same Leanne Lemman that Casa Grande PD is currently investigating,” Davies said today.

Police officers released Lemman at the scene and did not charge her with a crime.

“The investigation is currently ongoing and no charging decision will be made until it is completed,” PPD Cmdr. Joshua Haines told InMaricopa.

PPD Chief Jay Hirokawa added that “impairment is not believed to have been a factor in this collision.”

Police pressure mounting

CGPD is still looking for the longtime Maricopa resident, who is incredibly financially troubled, records reveal.

“She stole credit card information from her previous employer, and she unlawfully used that credit card information to make purchases,” Campa said. “She has been going into businesses and committing fraud.”

Creditors have sued Lemman eight times in Maricopa, Casa Grande, Florence and Apache Junction courts, Arizona Judicial Branch records reveal.

CGPD executed search warrants at an address associated with Lemman and found “probable cause to arrest her,” the detective said.

Ties to Maricopa

Lemman lived on Piccolo Drive in Rancho Mirage and owned another property with her husband on Surgeon Trail, near Quail Run Road in Hidden Valley, until 2022. That year, she got divorced and moved to Casa Grande.

A Casa Grande judge on Christmas Eve evicted Lemman from her mobile home on Battleford Drive. The owner sold the home June 7. Now, their wanted woman has slipped through police fingertips yet again.

The police department has released a driver’s license photo and images from security camera footage, asking the public to help locate the suspect.

“This is still an ongoing investigation,” Campa said. “Hopefully, she turns herself in.”

If you have any information about Lemman’s whereabouts, call Campa’s direct line at 520-705-2381. You can also email him at Jon_Campa-Molina@CasaGrandeAZ.gov or call the CGPD non-emergency line at 520-421-8700, ext. 7.

This post On the run from cops, former Rancho Mirage woman kills a man appeared first on InMaricopa .