Mesa PD sergeant charged with felony for tipping off suspect about SWAT raid

MESA, AZ — A Mesa Police Department sergeant with 18 years of service has been charged with hindering prosecution after allegedly warning a drug dealer about an impending SWAT raid, allowing the suspect to hide significant quantities of drugs and an illegal firearm.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has filed a Direct Complaint against Sgt. Edward Fire, 50, charging him with hindering prosecution in the first degree, a Class 5 felony, in connection with a March 10th, 2026 incident where he allegedly warned a “drinking buddy” of a Chandler Police SWAT operation targeting a Mesa apartment.

According to court documents, Fire was on duty when his police terminal received a message at 4:05 p.m. warning patrol units to stay away from an upcoming Chandler Police SWAT raid at their apartment complex.

Minutes later, at 4:17 p.m., Fire allegedly texted Rawlings.

“Are you home?” court documents say Fire said.

After Rawlings replied that he was, Fire allegedly called him for 58 seconds. Court records note this was their first voice call after five months of daily text messages as “drinking buddies.”

Following the call, court documents show Rawlings warned his girlfriend and another suspect about the raid.

By 4:27 p.m., drone video captured Rawlings leaving his apartment and stashing a backpack in a visitor’s truck.

Police later stopped the truck and recovered the backpack, which contained a Polymer80 semi-automatic handgun, 31 rounds of ammunition, nearly 30 grams of methamphetamine, and about three grams of cocaine. Court records state Rawlings was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.

The SWAT team moved in for the raid at 5:10 p.m. and arrested Rawlings.

“I got a friend that works for PD and he told me about the (expletive) – the search warrant,” Rawlings said.

In recorded jail calls, court records show Rawlings also claimed Fire was the one who sold him the untraceable handgun, though Fire has not been charged for that.

The day after the raid, records show Fire’s personal phone went offline. Court records say he later texted his estranged wife from his work phone, claiming he left his personal phone on the roof of his car.

“It was probably run over,” Fire allegedly said.

Investigators also noted Fire was living with a woman who had a 2022 conviction for selling dangerous drugs.

Fire was previously honored in 2024 for his role in a drug bust. Court records also show Fire was arrested for DUI in a Kentucky national park in 2025.

Mesa PD

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told ABC15 that fire will be added to the Rule 15 list or Brady list as a result of the Direct Complaint.

The Mesa Police Department provided the following statement to ABC15 regarding the incident:

The Mesa Police Department has been made aware of a criminal investigation involving one of its members, Edward Fire. The Chandler Police Department is leading the criminal investigation.

The department is fully cooperating with the Chandler Police Department and will continue to provide any assistance necessary to support a thorough and objective investigation. In addition to the ongoing criminal investigation, the Mesa Police Department has initiated its own internal investigation.

The Mesa Police Department holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability and does not tolerate or condone criminal conduct under any circumstances. Upon learning of the investigation, the department took immediate administrative action and placed Edward Fire on administrative suspension. He is currently on unpaid leave pending the outcome of both the criminal and administrative reviews.

Because this is an active investigation, the Mesa Police Department is limited in the amount of information it can release at this time. Additional details will be shared as they become available and as doing so will not compromise the integrity of the criminal and administrative process.

The Chandler Police Department provided its own statement to ABC15, which states:

On March 10, 2026, officers with the Chandler Police Department attempted to execute a search warrant related to a narcotics investigation.

An initial investigation revealed that the target of the narcotics investigation was warned in advance about law enforcement’s presence and impending search warrant.

Through further investigation, officers developed probable cause to charge 50-year old Edward Fire with 1st degree Hindering, a Class 5 felony for his role in alerting the target.

This individual’s deliberate and intentional actions directly placed officers at significant risk. Such actions created a serious and unnecessary threat to officer safety and will not be tolerated by the Chandler Police Department.

—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.