Arpaio's enemy list (Trump reminds me of Arpaio as an Arizona resident)
That’s because under Rick Romley, the County Attorney’s Office served as a voice of reason to, and occasional brake on, Arpaio. Under Romley’s successor, Andrew Thomas, the office has become a willing partner in political shenanigans.
No potential rival is immune from the pair’s “investigations.” No conflict of interest is ever acknowledged.
And no case is too petty to pursue, so long as the TV cameras are rolling.
Longtime readers of this newspaper are familiar with Joe Arpaio’s history. Court records, signed affidavits, interviews, and archive searches reveal a long list of vengeful actions Arpaio has taken against political opponents:
• Sheriff’s Office employees who’ve spoken out have endured slanted investigations from the sheriff’s internal affairs unit, been transferred or fired, and sometimes been harassed at their new jobs.
• At least two men, Tom Bearup and Ernest Hancock, were tailed after they announced their interest in Arpaio’s job. Arpaio’s second-in-command, David Hendershott, targeted Bearup as a threat to the sheriff. Hendershott even ordered an underling to write a memo that painted Bearup, the sheriff’s former top deputy, as a security risk.
Deputies tapped the phone of Bearup’s campaign aide, Jim Cozzolino. Deputies also rifled through his trash. Cozzolino was later arrested under dubious circumstances and served four months in jail. Cozzolino sued, claiming that Arpaio violated his constitutional rights. The sheriff was forced to settle.
• Republican activists say they’ve been penalized for backing candidates other than Arpaio. After Lee Watkins backed another candidate, deputies raided his business and home and launched a public investigation. Three years later, no charges have been filed.
• Arpaio’s most recent foe, Dan Saban, was painted as a sexual deviant when Arpaio’s people slipped a damaging report from a questionable source to a TV reporter. After Saban sued, the sheriff’s lawyer wrote letters attempting to get Saban fired from his current job.
• Dan Pochoda, the Arizona ACLU’s legal director, publicly fought with Arpaio about immigration and Arpaio’s treatment of a jailed tuberculosis patient. At an immigration rally, sheriff’s deputies hauled Pochoda to jail rather than issue him a citation. They claimed that Pochoda refused to leave the rally, held on private property.
Justice in Maricopa County has gotten only more warped since Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas formed an alliance.
They even formed a task force created to fight corruption, called Operation MACE. The task force has had questionable results:
• Its first indictment was of Russ Jones, a state legislator from Yuma. The charges were petty, at best, and were quickly dismissed by a judge.
• Seven months ago, the pair made much ado about their investigation of Attorney General Terry Goddard — one of Thomas’ top political rivals. Thomas and Arpaio have issued numerous press releases, but the investigation has yet to yield a single indictment.
• A top Thomas aide worked closely with sheriff’s deputies to investigate a campaign mailer from Democrat Jackie Thrasher, who was running for the Arizona House. Despite three search warrants, and the seizure of four computers belonging to a Democratic operative just weeks before the 2006 election, the case boiled down to a questionable decal shown in a photo on a campaign brochure. No charges have been filed. Thrasher’s opponent, Jim Weiers, is the father of a Maricopa County sheriff’s deputy.
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/enemies-list-6445731