A Mesa Police Department sergeant is now facing a felony charge after prosecutors say he quietly warned a neighbor about a Chandler Police narcotics raid on March 10, giving the man time to stash a backpack that later turned up with a partially finished ghost gun, ammo and drugs. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office filed a direct complaint on April 23 charging Sgt. Edward Fire with first-degree hindering, a Class 5 felony. Mesa police say Fire has been placed on unpaid administrative suspension while a criminal case and an internal affairs probe run on parallel tracks.
How investigators say the warning went down
According to court records, Fire's police computer terminal received a notification at about 4:05 p.m. instructing patrol to steer clear of an upcoming Chandler SWAT operation. Minutes later, at 4:17 p.m., investigators say he texted neighbor Jason Rawlings, asking, "Are you home?" and then made a 58-second phone call. Surveillance and drone footage allegedly show Rawlings leaving his apartment soon after and tucking a backpack into a visitor's truck. Officers later stopped that vehicle and, inside the bag, reported finding a Polymer80 semi-automatic handgun, 31 rounds of ammunition, nearly 30 grams of methamphetamine and about three grams of cocaine. Those timeline and evidence details appear in court paperwork, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Chandler takes the lead on the case
The Chandler Police Department says it developed probable cause and is leading the criminal investigation, noting that the alleged tipoff did not just compromise the raid but also put officers at risk. Prosecutors filed the Direct Complaint on April 23, formally accusing Fire of first-degree hindering, a felony that could carry serious consequences if a court finds the charge proven. The department's statement and the charging information were reported by ABC15.
Legal fallout and internal fallout
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office told local reporters it plans to add Fire to the Rule 15, or Brady, list, which flags law enforcement officers whose credibility may be at issue and can complicate any past or future prosecutions that rely on their testimony. Mesa officials say the department is cooperating with Chandler detectives and has opened its own internal investigation, keeping Fire on unpaid administrative suspension while everything plays out. Those steps by county prosecutors and Mesa police were outlined in coverage from FOX 10 Phoenix.
Personal ties, past accolades and what comes next
Court filings state that Fire and Rawlings had exchanged hundreds of messages before the March operation and had been described as "drinking buddies," and that Fire's personal phone went offline the day after the raid. Public records also show Fire had been honored in 2024 for his role in a drug bust, and that he was arrested for DUI in a Kentucky national park in 2025, although those incidents are separate from the current hindering case. Chandler Police and Maricopa County prosecutors say the investigation remains active and additional filings could follow, according to ABC15.
