The former Bisbee Deputy Police Chief arrested last summer for assaulting a Phoenix police officer while off-duty will be back in a Maricopa County courtroom next month for a hearing on whether there is probable cause to move forward with the prosecution.
Christopher “Joey” Long is charged with felony aggravated assault of an officer, felony resisting arrest by physical force, and misdemeanor assault stemming from a Sept. 23, 2021 altercation outside a Phoenix hotel. He is alleged to have punched a man in the face and then kicked a Phoenix officer in the chest.
Alcohol was likely involved, according to the police report.
Long, 40, was booked into jail after obtaining medical treatment for minor injuries. He was later released on his own recognizance and resigned from the Bisbee Police Department on Sept. 27.
The current status of his case requires the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to present evidence to a county grand jury for indictment or seek a superior court judge’s ruling of sufficient probable cause to sustain the charges.
A preliminary hearing was to have taken place March 4 on the probable cause question, but Long’s public defender filed a motion for a continuance. The motion noted that Long would waive time against his speedy trial deadline.
According to the motion, the prosecutor needed time prior to the preliminary hearing to review some documents from Long’s attorney. In addition, the attorney was intending to supplement those documents “with recently received medical reports.”
A judge granted the continuance and rescheduled the preliminary hearing for April 5. Court records show the attorneys and judge will take part in a status conference on March 31.
