A recent statement by the Maricopa County Attorney, Rachel Mitchell, detailed the sentencing of Keith Auzenne, born in August 1987, for a violent domestic dispute culminating in a crash that threatened the lives of a local family. This announcement confirmed Auzenne has been sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for his role in the September 2024 incident.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Auzenne and his girlfriend were in her SUV when an argument escalated. After she tried to exit the vehicle, he prevented her from leaving and subsequently forced her into the back seat to take control of the SUV. He accelerated to 104 mph while restraining his girlfriend until the vehicle careened into an apartment structure near Baseline and Miller Roads. The crash caused extensive damage, including a destroyed wall and shattered glass door, resulting in minor injuries to one of the six family members present. Auzenne fled the scene, leaving his girlfriend injured in the vehicle, but was apprehended shortly afterwards by Buckeye Police.
In his interaction with law enforcement, Auzenne admitted to having used methamphetamine earlier that day and entertaining the idea of causing a deliberate collision with a diesel truck. Mitchell, in her public statement, emphasized, "Driving a vehicle with total disregard for everyone in his path was not an accident, it was a choice." Auzenne's guilty plea accounted for several charges, including kidnapping, aggravated assault, both listed as domestic violence offenses, and unlawful use of means of transportation, as per the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Following his prison term, Auzenne is slated for 4 years of probation.
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