Gilbert mayor, police chief reflect on community's teen violence issue

Brigette Peterson, Michael Soelberg say they will not resign

By Tom Blodgett
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Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson and Police Chief Michael Soelberg pledged to be part of the solution to teen violence in the town and region and said they will not resign their positions despite public pressure. 

In an extensive sit-down interview with the Daily Independent, the Gilbert officials reviewed how events unfolded in their eyes, discussed the role of the police and town council in addressing these issues and responded to criticisms about their handling of the situation, including allegations of a cover-up and a lack of empathy on their part. 

Peterson also threw “110%” support behind Soelberg and the Gilbert Police Department, though one large media outlet in town called for Soelberg’s resignation or firing for, in its view, destroying public trust in the wake of the incidents. 

“I'm out in the community every single day, and the residents that I come in contact with support our police department,” Peterson said. “And some are frustrated, and we've heard from them, but the majority of them thank me every day for the job that we're doing, and (I) get hugs and shaken hands, and it's just been amazing to be part of this community.” 

Peterson said she and the chief attended a recent vigil in Queen Creek and were warmly received, even by people who had harshly criticized Peterson previously at council meetings for not attending such events. 

Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson and Police Chief Michael Soelberg attended a vigil in Queen Creek together. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

“We had a great reception from many people there in the crowd that came over to shake chief's hands and shake my hand, thank me for being there, and I got lots of hugs from the people that have come and spoken at our council meetings,” she said. 

Soelberg said public support for the investigations in December and January helped police act quickly and make arrests since the beginning of the year after initial investigations had stalled out. 

“From my standpoint and from the community members that I come across, they still feel this is a safe community,” Soelberg said. “Keep in mind, we have 287,000 people in Gilbert, and you're hearing from a small group. They're very vocal. But the people I come across each day, the people my officers and our support staff are coming across each day, they appreciate what our employees are doing each and every day to keep their community safe.” 

Soelberg said it is those interactions that make him believe the public is still with him and his department. 

“But I don't take it blindly,” he said. “I understand the frustration that people have had over the communication and how did these incidents occur without us knowing.” 

Slow progress early 

Teen violence in Gilbert and surrounding communities came into focus after the Oct. 30 death of San Tan Valley teenager Preston Lord, two days after he was beaten outside a Halloween house party in Queen Creek. 

In the following weeks, social media groups on platforms such as Facebook and Reddit sprung up discussing the Lord murder but also other acts of teen violence, with people posting information tying many acts to a group of teens in Gilbert. Videos were shared, names were dropped, and the moniker “Gilbert Goons” first started circulating. 

As the information started to snowball, people noted some cases had been reported to Gilbert police and questioned where they had been on it. 

“I would remind those that are asking that question, when did they find out about it?” Soelberg said when asked by the Independent. “Because when they found out about it is when we found out about it, about the videos prior to Preston Lord being killed.” 

Soelberg said the slow reporting of incidents to police has been an issue that hampered the department. The first three videos police received, along with photos and Snapchat screen captures, came after Lord’s murder, he said. 

“It was not shared with Gilbert Police Department and, to my knowledge, any police department,” he said. “And so those who may have had information, that is one thing that (we) have regret, that that was not presented to Gilbert PD in any way.” 

He also indicated the term “Gilbert Goons” never appeared in any police documentation until after the Lord murder. He does not frequently use it now, saying he preferred for the investigation into whether the Goons are a gang play out and would only want to tie to specific cases where such a tie is proven. 

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said he regrets some information was not presented to his department sooner. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

Soelberg underscored that once the public started coming forward with videos and identifications, the department was able to quickly make arrests. But previously, it had been difficult to establish the probable cause standard, which is why some cases had been inactivated.  

“In those situations, we've exhausted leads, and we've talked about cases where (later) we find that we can do more,” he said. “We will reopen a case and try to get resolution of those cases.” 

Some cases also have had victims wish not to press charges, he said. 

Immediately after Queen Creek Police and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced the first indictments and arrests, Soelberg held a news conference detailing all of Gilbert police’s interactions with the suspects, from times they were arrested to times they were victims or merely witnesses to something. Gilbert Police had some interactions with all seven suspects. 

Soelberg said doing so was a matter of transparency, the same reason he gave for initiating weekly news conference updates in January along with twice-weekly briefings for mayor and council. 

But he acknowledged in the time before the news conferences started, public frustration mounted with a lack of information. 

“In hindsight, obviously you want to be quicker, but you want to make sure you have accurate information that you can provide the community,” he said. “And at the time when we were going through all the information that we were getting, we were getting a lot of information from a lot of different resources. And as we talked about, when we look at a case, we need to verify the information.” 

Failure to act 

However, Soelberg flatly rejected the assertion Gilbert Police bear some responsibility for Lord’s death because officers failed to arrest the suspects beforehand when other violent acts were done. 

“If those have been reported to us, then we could have taken action,” he said. “But the majority of those cases were not reported to us until we received the videos, and that was after Preston's death, and we actively and quickly investigated those and, as I've mentioned, made 27 arrests since January on those 10 cases that we received.” 

Soelberg said he realizes some people have not come forward to report because they feel unsafe as retaliation threats have been made. 

“They were afraid of being assaulted themselves,” he said. “And so that's something that's important for us to get across to not only our teens but our parents, is that this system, while not perfect, we will do everything we can to protect those individuals. There are steps we can take.” 

Asked about specific retaliatory threats from alleged Goons against victims, he said there have been cases where the original incident and the subsequent threat have not been reported until later.  

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg defended his officers' actions. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

He said his department has two active retaliation threat cases under investigation, one from before Lord’s death and one from after it. 

Soelberg defended his school resource officers against accusations they have done nothing when concerns have been expressed to them about students, particularly at Perry High School. 

“I can say that some of the threats and allegations, we weren't able to verify who that was,” he said. “And we had some roadblocks in obtaining information, not on our behalf, but from others to where we did not receive all of the information that was initially reported to us. And we're still working on getting that information.” 

He said SROs handle the criminal side of incidents while schools handle discipline and policy violations. 

“We keep that separate while we're housed together,” he said. “And in those situations, our SROs handled it properly and investigated it and documented those.” 

Council attention 

In the case of council, Peterson said she and other members never knew of a problem or any ties to the Queen Creek Police case for Lord until four women came to speak to council during the “communications from citizens” portion of the Dec. 12 council meeting. 

Peterson, an avid social media user, also said she had never seen the term “Gilbert Goons” in any of her online activities. 

The day after the meeting, council released a statement condemning teen violence and saying violence and hate had no place in the community. Peterson issued a statement of her own in early January. 

Nonetheless, the council and Peterson in particular were criticized in the following weeks for failing to rise to the moment and for a lack of leadership on the issue. 

“I think that everybody looks at this position in very different ways,” Peterson said. “I know that this was a very emotionally charged issue, and I handled it the way that I thought it should be handled from the town of Gilbert's perspective at that time.” 

Peterson said that included letting it be a police issue but inviting Soelberg to make statements to the public at council meetings updating them on the investigation. 

Gilbert Town Council formed a subcommittee on teen violence to listen to the public and formulate a response to teen violence. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

As public pressure mounted, council formed a subcommittee on teen violence Jan. 9, seeing it as the fastest way to study the issue and form recommendations to deal with the problem. 

One disadvantage, though, is that it locked out Peterson and other council members not on the subcommittee — Kathy Tilque, Yung Koprowski and Bobbi Buchli — from the discussions because of state open meetings law. 

People in the public-comment period of council meetings have praised subcommittee members Scott Anderson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson for acting and criticized the other four for their silence. 

Peterson admitted that has been frustrating, but noted the subcommittee has brought back reports to other members of council every two weeks, allowing for discussion. Typically, subcommittees only report back as their work concludes. 

“We've never seen that happen in Gilbert before,” she said. “So this is new. We're stepping outside of our bounds to do what we can to make sure that we're doing what's best for Gilbert in the future.” 

Coverup charges 

Social media posters also have accused police of not making arrests because the suspects’ families had connections with the department or town officials as several had parents who were wealthy business owners in town or perhaps because of other connections such as religion. 

Peterson and Soelberg strongly denied any such coverup. 

Soelberg said to his knowledge no one in his department knows any of the suspects’ families or has connections to them that would create a conflict of interest that needed to be addressed. 

Mayor Brigette Peterson and Police Chief Michael Soelberg denied any coverup during their interview with the Daily Independent. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

“We saw a lot of crazy things online, a lot of crazy conspiracies, but what I can tell you is that with our investigation, we were actively working our investigations,” he said. “There was no delay. As soon as we received information, we started working cases. Regardless, I honestly don't care who's involved in these cases. We are going to proceed.” 

Likewise, Peterson, who frequently attends business functions such as ribbon cuttings, said she did not know any of the suspects’ names until the arrests were made. 

“We don't have any access to that information, and I had no recollection of any connection to any of those young men or their families or the families’ businesses,” she said. “I don't know that I've ever been to any of their businesses or even met any of the parents.” 

Personal stakes 

Some residents at council meetings have accused Soelberg and particularly Peterson for lacking empathy about Lord’s death and community suffering in its aftermath. 

But each said they have been personally affected by the incident. 

Peterson said her heart is broken for the Lord family and acknowledged  the incident played a part in her decision last month not to run for reelection as mayor. 

Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson said the case made her think about family and not running for mayor again. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

“But not in the way that people are thinking,” she said. “It has affected me in a way that I don't see this as just a police situation or a town government situation or a school situation. I see this more starting at home with the families, and it is time for me to hang up my election gear and stay at home with my family and focus on my new grandson and my daughter and son-in-law.” 

Soelberg noted he has lived in Gilbert for 29 years. 

“This is my home,” he said. “This is where I raised my family. (I have) been with Gilbert PD for almost seven years, and we take great pride, I take great pride, in the safety of our community, and we have an excellent department, and we do everything we can to keep this community safe.” 

Internal review 

Asked if there was anything he would do differently, Soelberg said it is a valid question but police have to go on what they know at the time. 

“When you look at something, whether it turned out tragic or just a crime trend, you always look back,” he said. “Is there something we missed? Is there something that we could have done more? Is there something that between education and prevention that potentially could have prevented this from happening? And so it's a valid question and those are questions that we're asking.” 

The department has an internal review process for critical incidents to see if there is anything they could do better, Soelberg said. 

Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson said she wishes the community had brought forth more information sooner. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

“We're constantly looking for ways to improve, and the teen violence cases are no different,” he said. “And that's what we're currently doing now, is reviewing our teen violence cases and reviewing our response to determine if there's anything that we could change in the future or currently to improve that process and be more efficient and make sure that nothing is missed.” 

Peterson said she is thankful for the people who have come forward with information but wishes it happened sooner. 

“I understand the reasons that some people didn't feel comfortable to do that,” she said. “But that would be one thing that if I could go back and change, I would ask that our community do what they have always done, which is self-report to us, work with our police department, come forward when they saw something, heard something, and to tell that story sooner.” 

Going forward 

Peterson said council is relying on the subcommittee to bring as much information forward as possible for the town to develop a plan that will address the situation going into the future. 

“But it really is going to take all of us,” she said. “This is not a Gilbert Police issue. This is not a government issue. This is not a faith or schools issue or just a family issue. This is everybody coming together and finding a way to make sure that it doesn't happen again.” 

Peterson said, though, it will have to start with families, and Soelberg agreed. 

“I’m not trying to lay blame on anyone when crimes like this occur,” Soelberg said. “Even with these seven individuals, each of them has a different story. They each have a different background and history.” 

But he grew emotional in speaking about how important it is for parents to get involved again in their children’s lives. 

“I can tell you there's a lot of people, well-respected people, that have told me, ‘My kids were on their way to that party where Preston Lord was killed.’ It could have been my kids, your kids. And so having those important conversations with your kids about making the right choices, knowing what to do when you're in a situation you need to get out of. And a lot of that comes through parenting. and those who don't have that support of the parents, it's a struggle.” 

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg grew emotional when talking of the importance of family. (Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey)

Special for Independent Newsmedia/Arianna Grainey

Peterson said it has been especially difficult after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It starts there (with the family), but these students and kids are influenced in many different ways, and coming out of the pandemic, I think especially we've seen such a difference in our youth and our adults,” she said, “and we have to find a way to work through that together.” 

Soelberg said any plan to address the problem will have to be multifaceted. 

“Everyone's got a different avenue that they key into,” he said. “We talked about church and school and family. Everyone has a different trigger that they positively or negatively react to. And so it's not going to be a one size fits all because every individual, every family is different. Each community is different.” 

He said policing will have to be part of that plan but cannot be the only thing. 

“Obviously, we cannot arrest our way to solutions,” he said. 

We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.    

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).