In October 2023, a gang of affluent teenagers attacked and fatally beat 16-year-old Preston Lord, one of a string of assaults by a loosely affiliated group dubbed the Gilbert Goons. Lord’s killing set off a firestorm of negative attention for Gilbert, whose police department had largely ignored a pattern of Goons attacks until an Arizona Republic investigation put the pieces together.
A year and a half later, the Arizona House passed “Preston’s Law,” a bill that would impose harsher penalties for group assaults. Backed by GOP state Rep. Matt Gress and supported by Lord’s family, the bill earned bipartisan support, passing by a 37-21 vote. It also earned bipartisan opposition.
But only one lawmaker expressed his disdain for the bill strongly enough to earn an internet slap from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell…