Sheriff Joe Arpaio Indicts Political Opponents While Feds Investigate Arpaio

[amb123]

PHOENIX, AZ -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio, famous for his aggressive prosecution of illegal immigrants, has become mired this week in a whirlwind of back-and-forth accusations, investigations, indictments, arrests, and general animosity between warring factions of local politicos in Maricopa County, the fifth largest county in the country. Disputes have become so overheated that Sheriff Arpaio has been barred by one judge from searching the home of another judge.

--snip--

This week, Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas indicted Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley for the third time. They also indicted Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. Both Stapley (R) and Wilcox (D) have been vocal opponents of Arpaio's hardline immigration enforcement policies. Stapley has been charged with fraud, theft, perjury, forgery, and false swearing. Wilcox has been charged with conflict of interest, perjury, forgery, and false swearing. The merit of the charges, though, are lost on a public who is becoming increasingly cynical of the persecution of political foes in Maricopa County even for a local folk hero like Arpaio.

Last week, Thomas and Arpaio alleged in a RICO (racketeering) suit that Stapley, Wilcox, Judge Gary Donahoe, Judge Barbara Mundell, another judge, attorney Tom Irvine, and attorney Ed Novak have engaged in "a pattern of using their offices to benefit themselves" and have conspired to hinder the investigation and block the prosecution of conflicts of interest related to a new $347 million court tower. Then on Wednesday, after Judge Donahoe refused to recuse himself and just hours before Donahoe was set to hear a case that could have resulted in Thomas being barred from prosecuting county officials (i.e., Stapley and Wilcox), Thomas and Arpaio filed criminal charges against Donahoe for bribery, obstructing a criminal investigation, and hindering prosecution.

--snip--

Reportedly, the FBI is investigating Arpaio, who works hand-in-hand with Thomas on these corruption cases, for alleged abuses of power. Besides Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley, other local political opponents of Arpaio have also found themselves subjects of investigations by Arpaio and Thomas, including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, former Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, former candidate Dan Saban, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Maricopa County Manager David Smith, Superior Court Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell, ACLU attorney Dan Pochoda, and Phoenix New Times reporter John Dougherty.

--snip--

Donahoe is also the same judge who suffered the retaliation of an entire cadre of Arpaio's deputies last week after he held Deputy Adam Stoddard in contempt of court for taking an attorney's privileged papers out of her briefcase and make copies of them in the middle of a court session (a stunt so outrageous that it made national headlines). After Stoddard was ordered to serve jail time, Arpaio called Stoddard a "political prisoner" while other deputies disrupted court proceedings by holding a "sick out." The same day, the courthouse was evacuated because of a bomb threat, and deputies held a candlelight vigil outside of the courthouse that evening. Stoddard was released this week pending an appeal.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/sheriff-arpaio-indicts-po_b_385086.html

ALL HAIL KING JOE THE FIRST, KING OF MARICOPA AND HIS GRINNING LACKEY ANDREW THOMAS! "I'M THE LAW IN MARICOPA COUNTY!":sarcasm:

Here's hoping the County Board of Supervisors and the County Courts stand up to this Dictator wannabe.

[Ken Burch]

1. Is there any sign that Arpaio's personal popularity is finally dropping?

The man has always been reelected in a landslide, from what I've heard.

[amb123]

3. It's dropped a little

but he's still popular. He got reelected last year with 55% of the vote, which was the lowest % since the first time he ran in 1992.

[Ken Burch]

5. How good has he actually been at fighting crime?

I know he's made a shtick out of his practice of humiliating jail inmates, but is Maricopa County really any safer since he became sheriff?

Also, has he even had any success at reducing the numbers of undocumented people in the county?

[JoeyT]

6. Depends on what sort of crime you want fought.

If you mean graft, corruption, and abuse of power on a grand scale, he's been pretty counterproductive.
If you mean anyone that looks like they might be "Mexican" being allowed to walk down the streets like real people, which is what his supporters mean by "crime", then he's been remarkably effective.

[bergie321]

10. He clears a lot of cases

Of course he doesn't even investigate most of the ones he clears.
Including the rape of a 15 year old girl which he marked "exceptionally cleared" (meaning he doesn't think they will ever solve it) without ever investigating.

[Ken Burch]

11. So "cleared" doesn't mean "solved"?

I'm guessing then, that he's latched onto the "bash the 'meskins'" theme as his political lifeline, then.

[amb123]

13. Pretty much bashes anyone not WASP.

:grr:

[Ken Burch]

14. Which is weird, given that Arpaio himself isn't WASP.

Isn't "Arpaio" a Hispanic name?

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Many years ago I had personal dealings with Andrew Thomas

Within 120 seconds, I knew this guy was a weasel of the first magnitude. Nothing I've ever seen of him since has done anything to improve that impression.

May he and Arpaio both rot together in the hell of their own making.


TG

[midnight]

4. I grew up in that Co. So sad to read about this constant black cloud in a beautiful

place...

[Froward69]

7. I have always thought of Arpaio as an over the top cop

but this stuff takes tha cake. He is proving himself to be a two bit dictator.

Fuck him. I hope the Feds tear him apart. he is a classic example of why GOOD cops get shot.

[MisterP]

8. Judge Cal!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Cal

[winyanstaz]

9. He needs to be kicked out of office ....

He chained a woman giving birth. She was not trying to escape..he just wanted to teach the woman a lesson.

[niyad]

12. it's early--I haven't had caffeine--but I thought DA's indicted--NOT cops??

[sabrina 1]

15. So anyone who disagrees with Joe, gets indicted

in that county. Sounds like it's time for someone else to come in and deal with this renegade, corrupt neanderthal.

It is a third world dictatorship he's running and he has been accused of being responsible for the deaths of inmates in his medieval prison also.

Looks like maybe he's gone too far this time. I would not want to go that county as long as he's there.

Maybe a boycott from the rest of the country would diminish his popularity. I cannot understand his popularity there. What kind of people could support the tactics he's engaged in over the years?