On March 7, at approximately 10 a.m., Camp Verde Marshal’s Office deputies conducted a high-risk traffic stop on a dark-colored Nissan Maxima travelling north on I-17 near milepost 289 in Camp Verde.
The driver, identified as 50-year-old Steve Gerald Barger, was found to have a felony warrant.
Barger was out on parole with an official release date of May 18, 2025.
Barger had been found guilty on Aug. 13, 2010, of one count of second-degree murder, a class 1 dangerous felony, and one count of abandonment or concealment of a dead body, a class 5 felony, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Nov. 9, 2010.
Barger and another man allegedly had an altercation with the victim inside a trailer in Phoenix. The other man’s wife eventually contacted Phoenix police to report the victim’s death.
Barger was placed under arrest without incident and transported to the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde where he was booked on the warrant. He was returned to state custody on March 7.
