Exclusive — 2016 Arizona Police Report: Cocaine Pipe Found in Car Rented by Joe Biden’s Son Hunter Biden, Authorities Declined to Prosecute

WASHINGTON, D.C. - JANUARY 20: Vice-President Joe Biden and sons Hunter Biden (L) and Beau
David McNew/Getty Images

Breitbart News has exclusively obtained a heretofore unreported-on police report from days before the 2016 presidential election that describes how a cocaine pipe that authorities determined was used to smoke cocaine was found in a rental car returned to an Arizona Hertz location in the middle of the night. Also found in the vehicle were several personal effects of Hunter Biden, then-Vice President Joe Biden’s son, like two of his DC driver’s licenses, multiple credit cards, and personally identifying information like a Delaware Attorney General badge and a U.S. Secret Service business card that police said bore his name. Hunter Biden, according to the police report, had rented the vehicle from a location in California with the intent to return it to the Prescott, Arizona, location, where it was discovered the morning after it was dropped off with the drug paraphernalia and Hunter Biden’s personal effects inside.

Instead of returning the car keys to the drop box where after-hours returns are supposed to go, the car was returned—according to the police report—with the keys left in the gas tank compartment of the vehicle. Also found inside the vehicle, per the police report, were two drivers’ licenses both bearing Hunter Biden’s legal name Robert Biden, as well as “some credit cards with the same name,” “a secret service business card,” and an “Attorney General’s badge” all contained inside a wallet that Hertz rental employees discovered—along with a pipe that Hertz employees thought and police later confirmed was used to smoke illicit drugs, as well as “a white powdery substance in the arm rest of the vehicle.”

The next morning, according to the police report, a man who identified himself as “Joseph McGee” called the Hertz rental car counter to inform them of how the keys to the car were left in the vehicle’s gas cap rather than in the normal spot. “McGee” informed the rental car company employee, according to police, that “his friend was feeling sick so they didn’t know what to do” when the car was returned. Police, according to a supplemental report filed by a Prescott Police Department detective, sought and obtained a subpoena to discover the source of the “Joseph McGee” phone call—and traced it to a phone number owned and operated by a renowned “Colon Hydrotherapist” in the region.

Police attempted to find and interview “Joseph McGee,” but were unable to–and they also, per the documents, attempted to call Hunter Biden himself from the phone numbers he provided to the rental car company. Prescott Police Department officials were unable to reach Hunter Biden during the investigation for an interview on the matter, though, according to the documents, they did attempt to call him. One of the Prescott Police Department officers who responded to the initial scene wrote that according to his Sergeant, described in the report as “Sgt Small,” the Secret Service had informed the local police that “Robert Biden had been located by the Secret Service and was well.”

Laboratory analysis by the Arizona Department of Public Safety later determined that the pipe discovered in the vehicle was used to smoke cocaine, not meth, but fingerprints were not found on the device.

The 23 pages of law enforcement and police documents repeatedly refer to the suspect under investigation as Robert Hunter Biden and the report type as a “Narcotics Offense.” Breitbart News is publishing the documents here, with redactions made to remove personally-identifying contact information like addresses and phone numbers as well as the last names of key witnesses.

Hunter Biden Docs Final Red… by on Scribd

Two different Prescott Police Department officers as well as a detective conducted an investigation—but ultimately local authorities in both the city and county attorney’s offices declined to prosecute the case. A document shows the reason the county attorney declined to prosecute the vice president’s son is because they thought they would only be able to get minor charges to stick, and kicked it down to the city attorney. It is unclear from the documents why the city attorney declined to prosecute.

In addition to local police, FBI and the U.S. Secret Service agents were roped into the case, as well. The FBI dispatched agents to the scene, according to the law enforcement documents, and the Secret Service communicated with the various law enforcement officials investigating and confirmed that Hunter Biden was not in harm’s way.

As his father launches yet another bid for the presidency, Hunter Biden has emerged as a major scandal-prone problem for the former Vice President and leading Democrat candidate for the 2020 nomination. Hunter Biden’s position at Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings has come under scrutiny in the wake of his father’s push as Vice President to pressure the Ukrainian government to terminate a governmental investigator, Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma Holdings. His firm also received a $1 billion private equity investment from the Chinese Communist government after he and his father traveled to Beijing toward the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, and while Hunter Biden’s alleged corruption connections with his father’s official government actions remain the central focus of deep-dive reporting on the Bidens the former vice president’s son has been problematic for the 2020 frontrunner in many more ways too.

Back in 2014, Hunter Biden was discharged dishonorably from the Navy after failing a drug test that his commander said he should have known was coming.

“All sailors would be advised of the zero-tolerance policies when reporting aboard,” Captain Jack Hanzlik, commander of the Navy Public Affairs Support Element based in Norfolk, Virginia, said in 2014 according to USA Today. “And they would be advised of the testing practices of the organization, as well.” Hanzlik was the commander of the unit to which Hunter Biden was assigned for his brief time in the Navy—which according to the Wall Street Journal lasted only a month. His Navy Commission required multiple waivers—one to waive the age requirement, and another to waive past drug convictions which would have disqualified him. Then, within about a month of his Commission as a Naval officer, he was dishonorably discharged for the positive drug test.

After Hunter Biden’s brother Beau died, he began dating Beau’s widow Hallie—but they reportedly split up in 2019. Hunter Biden’s first wife Kathleen divorced him very messily in 2017. Kathleen alleged in court filings that Hunter Biden blew tons of the family’s money on hookers, strip clubs, and drugs.

While most of these incidents have all been reported publicly, this Prescott, Arizona, incident just days before the 2016 general election has never been reported until now. This public reporting of this Arizona incident comes in the wake of Joe Biden publicly defending his son Hunter Biden in an Associated Press interview, where the former Vice President was fending off allegations of impropriety regarding the Ukraine situation in particular. But during the interview, the former Vice President said his son has “great integrity.”

“I have great confidence in my son,” Joe Biden said. “He’s a man of great integrity.”

The police report and this incident is particularly detailed, as officials in the Prescott, Arizona, Police Department investigated Hunter Biden for months—from the time of the actual incident in late October 2016 until at least late February 2017—according to the police filings.

“On 10/28/2016 at approximately 2200 hours Robert Biden returned a rental vehicle to Hertz car rental at 6500 MacCurdy Dr and left his identifications, credit cards, Attorney General badge, cell phone, a meth pipe, and a used bindle to meth inside the vehicle,” reads the police report, obtained by Breitbart News and authored on Oct. 29, 2016, by Officer Troy Crawford of the Prescott, Arizona, Police Department.

Officer Crawford explains in the police report that he and Officer Arron Jennison of the Prescott Police Department received a call shortly after noon the next day reporting “suspicious” activity. “Upon arrival I made contact with a Hertz rental car employee named Emily [LAST NAME REDACTED],” Crawford wrote. “Emily took me to the vehicle that she moved from its parked spot to an area just north of the parking lot of Crystal Dr. I arrived at the location and observed a silver Jeep Compass with a Nevada license plate parked facing west in a gravel area.”

“Emily told me that they got a call at approximately 1000 hours from a Joseph McGee stating that his friend had left the car there over night and the keys were in the gas cap area,” Officer Crawford continued. “Emily told me that McGee told her that his friend was feeling sick so they didn’t know what to do. Emily stated that the car was suppose[d] to be returned last night at 2000 hours. Emily stated the store closes at 1700 hours so no one was present when the vehicle was returned.”

Officer Crawford continued in his report by noting what Emily said happened next.

“Emily said she went over to the car that was parked in the furthest northwest parking spot that Hertz owns and recorded the gas and mileage,” Crawford wrote. “Emily stated she noticed there was personal property inside the vehicle. Emily said there was a wallet with an Attorney’s General badge, two driver licenses that had the name of Robert Biden, some credit cards with the same name, and a secret service business card. Emily said the items were laid out on the passenger side dash board. Emily also stated there was a pipe that she thought was used to smoke meth and a white powdery substance in the arm rest of the vehicle.”

From there, Emily processed the rental car return like normal, Officer Crawford wrote, but the “credit card on file was being declined.”

“Emily stated they pushed the card through for payment,” Officer Crawford wrote. “Emily stated she called Joseph’s number back to let him know the car has been returned and a female answered the phone. Emily asked for Joseph and let him know that the car was returned but Joseph never asked for the property left in the car. Emily said it felt weird so she contacted her manager who contacted police. Emily stated while she was contacting her manager she looked up the name on the internet and realized the ID’s and credit cards belong to Vice President Joe Biden’s son.”

Officer Jennison’s supplemental report also describes, from Hertz manager Jennifer’s perspective, how the rental car facility staff discovered that this car with suspicious materials left inside was rented by the son of the then-Vice President of the United States. Jennifer managed three different Hertz rental car locations and was at a different one when her staff called her to inform of what was discovered.

According to Officer Jennison, Jennifer “stated that Emily and Zach told her that they had Googled the name Robert Biden and that a photo came up of the subject on line that matched that the photo of the Washington D.C. driver’s licenses.”

“[LAST NAME REDACTED] said that Emily and Zach told her that the subject, Robert Biden, appeared to be the son of Vice President, Joe Biden,” Officer Jennison wrote.

When police arrived on scene, according to Officer Crawford’s report, they found even more evidence in the vehicle.

“When I approached the vehicle I observed several items on the dashboard of the passenger side,” Officer Crawford wrote. “I later discovered they were the ID’s and Attorney General badge Emily was talking about. Emily stated she put those items back in the dash area where she located them. I opened the passenger side door and when I did I observed a small white and brown pipe approximately 3-4 inches long and a small ziplock bag with a white powdery substance inside all sitting on the passenger seat. Emily was asked if she touched the items. Emily stated she did pick up the pipe because she did not know what it was. Emily said when she was told what it was she placed everything back inside the vehicle. A Hertz incident report, rental agreement, smoke filter, and a multi-tool, were also located on the floor of the front passenger side of the vehicle. A cell phone was later located under the driver seat.”

The officer wrote that he asked Emily about the incident report discovered in the Biden rental vehicle, and she explained that Hunter Biden “was in an accident and traded a vehicle in for this silver Compass in Palm Springs, Ca.”

“Emily stated that the incident report is suppose to document how the accident happened and where the damage to the vehicle was located,” Officer Crawford continued. “When I looked at the report I observed Robert Biden’s name on the report along with his Washington DC address and phone numbers.”

While Officer Crawford dealt with assessing the situation in the vehicle, Officer Jennison was on the horn with detectives—who ordered the police officers to photograph the scene.

“While I was looking at the items that were left inside the vehicle Ofc Jennison was talking to detectives by telephone,” Officer Crawford wrote. “Please see Ofc Jennison’s supplement for his involvement in this case. Ofc Jennison stated that pictures should be taken of the scene. I grabbed my camera and took photos of the scene. They were later placed into property and evidence. A short while later Ofc Jennison stated that detectives has contacted the FBI and they were en route. A short time later two FBI agents arrived on scene.”

At that stage, Officers Crawford and Jennison handed the case over to the FBI and to detectives.

“After the two agents arrived Detective Brazell and Sgt Small arrived on scene,” Officer Crawford wrote. “Detective Brazell processed the scene. Please see Det. Brazell’s supplement for his involvement in this case. While the scene was being processed I stayed with the car. I was later informed by Sgt Small that Robert Biden had been located by Secret Service and was well. After Robert was located and the scene was released I returned the car keys to Hertz.”

In his supplemental report, Officer Jennison wrote that he attempted to contact Hunter Biden with the contact information he provided on his rental agreement and that the rental car location manager confirmed that Hunter Biden was the name of the person who originally rented the vehicle.

“I asked [LAST NAME REDACTED] if Robert Biden was the name of subject that originally rented the vehicle,” Officer Jennison wrote. “She stated that it was. I asked where the original vehicle was rented from. I was told that it had been rented from Los Angeles, Ca (LAX Airport) on 10-26-16 at approximately 0349 hours with a rental return destination of Prescott, Az. I was told that the vehicle was scheduled to be returned in Prescott on 10-27-16 at approximately 2000 hours. [LAST NAME REDACTED] also advised that the credit card/debit card that was provided at the time of rental had been denied. I asked [LAST NAME REDACTED] if Robert had provided any contact information on the original rental contract. She stated that there were two phone numbers provided. She gave me both numbers, REDACTED and REDACTED. I called the first number that went to a voice mail message stating that the voice mail box was full. The second identified a business (Seneca) and then said to push #1 to contact Hunter Biden. I pushed the #1 then heard a ring followed by a busy signal. I could not make contact.”

The documents obtained by Breitbart News also include two reports from Prescott Police Department Detective Jeremy Brazell. The first report is a summary of his investigation, and the second details the closing of the case without charges being brought after both city and county prosecutors declined to comment.

“On October 29, 2016, I was advised by my supervisor, Sgt Small, that I needed to respond to the Prescott Airport and Hertz for a suspicious vehicle that had been dropped off the prior night,” Detective Brazell wrote in his report filed on Oct. 31, 2016. “Upon arrival I located Ofc Jennison, Ofc Crawford and (RP/W) Emily [LAST NAME REDACTED] near the airport terminal standing outside a Silver Jeep. I immediately began processing the vehicle for evidence. I started by taking photographs of the vehicle and the items located inside the vehicle. I was provided a bag that contained ID’s, credit cards, a cell phone (Apple), and an Attorney General badge for the state of Delaware.”

It is notable that Hunter Biden had a Delaware Attorney General badge. He never served as Attorney General of Delaware, his brother Beau—who passed away due to cancer—did.

“Once pictures were taken, I began collecting items from the vehicle,” Detective Brazell continued. “Please see the property sheet for details of the items seized from the vehicle.”

The “Property Supplemental” document lists out all the things Detective Brazell seized into police evidence while investigating Hunter Biden. They include, per the extra document attached at the end of Brazell’s report, an iPhone with a dead battery, two DC driver’s licenses, four Visa credit cards, and a U.S. Secret Service business card with as Detective Brazell noted in the property report “Biden’s name on all.” Also, the Delaware Attorney’s General Badge was placed into evidence too. In a “black wallet,” Detective Brazell noted as he placed it into evidence, was found a small torn clear “baggie” containing “residue (small amount) white.” The detective also put the pipe in which he noted there was “residue in pipe,” into evidence, in addition to “tape” that he wrote was “used to pick up white residue from vehicle.”

In his report on the investigation on the scene, Detective Brazell further describes the investigatory process.

“I noted that there was a glass pipe on the passenger side seat that had burnt residue inside the pipe,” Detective Brazell wrote. “I noted that this type of glass pipe is commonly used to smoke illegal substances. I also found a torn small clear plastic baggie next to the pipe with white residue. I was advised by Ofc Crawford and Jennison that in between the two front seats of the Jeep, the console opened up and there was white residue present. I located the white residue and used tape to pull up some of the residue and folded the tape back onto the other end to trap the residue in the tape. I also placed a small piece of tape to close the end of the torn clear baggie as well to keep any residue inside the baggie. All items, including the glass pipe were later placed into evidence.”

From there, Detective Brazell explains how he discussed the incident with the rental car employee, Emily, who described the phone call to report the car’s return that she received from “Joseph McGee.”

“[LAST NAME REDACTED] confirmed that she could not provide the exact time the vehicle was dropped off and noted that they were not aware that the vehicle had been dropped off until ‘Joseph McGee’ had called around 1000 hrs,” Detective Brazell wrote. “[LAST NAME REDACTED] confirmed that McGee called from a phone number of [REDACTED PHONE NUMBER]. [LAST NAME REDACTED] noted that she called that number back and a female answered the call but was able to put ‘Joseph’ on the phone. The scene was secured after Sgt Small was contacted by the Secret Service and told that Robert Biden was secure/well. The keys to the vehicle were turned back over to Hertz.”

Detective Brazell then explains some more key details from his investigation.

“On Monday, October 31, 2016, I called the phone number REDACTED [the number that ‘McGee’ had called Hertz from], to speak again with McGee about what took place the previous week and see if he could put me in touch with Biden,” Detective Brazell wrote. “The call was answered by a female and when I asked if I could speak with Joseph she noted that he had just went into a store. I then identified myself and advised the female I was looking into some suspicious circumstances surrounding a vehicle that had been left at the Prescott Airport. The female stated ‘Oh yeah, You know they left the keys in the gas cap because they didn’t know there was a drop box.’ I then noted that the female obviously had some information as well she might be able to provide and asked for her name. The female said that her name was ‘Puma’ and when I asked her if that was her first name or last name she noted that she did not wish to provide me any additional information, stated that she would tell Joseph to call me and then hung up the phone.”

Detective Brazell then sought and received a subpoena from the county attorney for the phone records associated with the phone number.

“I contacted the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office and spoke with Carrol Kennedy,” Detective Brazell wrote. “I confirmed with YCAO that they did not want any of the items released in the case that had been seized from the vehicle and she said yes. I requested a GJ Subpoena to Verizon for the phone number belonging to ‘Puma’ and it was granted. I faxed the subpoena after it had been stamped by the clerks office a short time later.”

Verizon’s compliance with the subpoena provided interesting information about whose phone number the “Joseph McGee” phone call came from.

“On November 2, 2016, I received a reply from Verizon about the phone number [REDACTED],” Detective Brazell wrote. “I found that the phone number belonged to a Shauna Stangl out of Comville or Cottonwood, AZ. The address on the Verizon account appears to be a UPS box location in Cottonwood. I found Stangl had a listed address according to AZ DMV in Comville, AZ. I also found that Stangl is the Co-Founder or Owner of Grace Grove out of Sedona, AZ, and according to the website her name at the Grace Grove Center is ‘Puma St. Angel.’ I attempted to call Stangl again and my call went unanswered and I found that the voice mail box had not been set up. I have not been able to make contact with Stangl or McGee at this time.”

The organization’s website described Stangl, also known as “Puma,” as a leading “Colon Hydrotherapist.” Through such treatment, the website says, she helps with “guiding individuals through physical purification for mental clarity” something she “considers one of the greatest journeys a human can experience.” She also runs Colon Hydrotherapy retreats.

“For 14 years, Puma has been studying, researching, and facilitating cleansing and rejuvenation retreats, with many of the originators of the Living Food movement,” the Grace Grove Lifestyle Center website reads when describing her. “The saying, ‘follow your gut instincts’ significantly impacted Puma’s early adult life. She discovered that the healing of all ailments is focused in the digestive system. As an independent, certified colon hydrotherapist, Puma began her career in Tucson, Arizona. While at Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona, she became a consistently sought-after healer and medical intuitive. She uses her unique training and abilities to empower others to trust the innate wisdom of their own bodies. Working as a certified Colon Hydro therapist in Tucson and the Tree of Life in Patagonia, she has transformed hundreds of people through physical, emotional and mental detoxing. Puma’s work as a Colon Hydrotherapist has given her a unique understanding and deep intuitive insight into the health of fellow humans. She earned her degree in Chemistry and Spanish at the University Of Arizona. As the co-founder of Grace Grove Lifestyle Center, Puma is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after ‘medical intuitives’ on the planet. She uses her unique abilities to empower others to trust the innate wisdom of their own body.”

In another part of the organization’s website describing her services, the Grace Grove Lifestyle Center explains Colon Hydrotherapy.

“A colonic also known as colon hydrotherapy is the process of gently infusing water (we only use the highest quality structured water) into the colon through a disposable speculum,” the website reads. “The speculum which is inserted into your rectum has 2 tubes attached to it. One tube is the water hose which allows the water to enter your colon and the 2nd tube is the waste evacuation hose allowing all the bodies waste material to leave the body. The process takes approximately 30-40 minutes and during this time the client will experience several fills and releases.”

Accompanying the police report documents from Officers Crawford and Jennison and Detective Brazell are two pages of documents from the crime lab which conducted forensic examination of the drug paraphernalia found in the car that Hunter Biden rented. Again, Hunter Biden’s legal name “Robert Biden” appears at the top of both documents from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. One, with a stamped date of Dec. 13, 2016 and signed by Jason O’Donnell—a forensic scientist for the Northern Regional Crime Laboratory for the state—says that the pipe found in the car “contained cocaine residue.” The second, with a stamped date of Jan. 26, 2017, and signed by a different forensic scientist Richard W. MacLean III in the same office of the state crime lab found regarding the cocaine pipe that it “was processed with no latent prints of value for comparison developed.” In other words, the crime lab was attempting to find fingerprints on the cocaine pipe but did not find any “of value for comparison” off the pipe.

Another document obtained by Breitbart News is a Yavapai County Attorney document date stamped on Nov. 21, 2016. In it, the County Attorney’s office says it is declining to prosecute the named suspect “Robert Hunter Biden” and explains why.

“Carol D. Kennedy has reviewed the report and prosecution is declined for the following reasons,” the document reads. It then lists the recommended charge that Detective Brazell had brought to the County Attorney for Hunter Biden: “Drug Paraphernalia-Possess/Use.” and notes that it was “Declined, Referred to City Prosecutor.”

“Does not warrant felony prosecution on these facts at this time,” the County Attorney document reads. “The highest possible charge is a class six felony. That charge would likely be designated a misdemeanor even if D convicted at a jury trial. D has no prior felonies. This charge can be appropriately handled in the Prescott City Court. Please forward to the Prescott City Prosecutor for misdemeanor review.”

So, next, Detective Brazell reached out to the city prosecutors regarding potential charges—but the city attorney declined to prosecute as well, according to a later supplemental police report Detective Brazell filed on Feb. 28, 2017.

“This case was reviewed by the city prosecutor’s office and YCAO and both declined charges for (S) Robert Biden,” Detective Brazell wrote. “DPS advised that there was Cocaine residue in the pipe but they further noted that no latent fingerprints were developed or found on the pipe. At this time the case will be complete.”

The Biden campaign did not reply to a request for comment on behalf of the former vice president or his son Hunter Biden. The Prescott Police Department did not reply to a request for comment. The county and city attorneys’ offices did not reply to a request for comment. Stangl, and her organization the Grace Grove Lifestyle Center, did not reply to a request for comment, nor did Hertz rental car’s corporate communications officials. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service also did not reply to a request for comment.

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