Sheriff Gangbanger

Wagner recently blew the dust off a profile of former AZ attorney general Grant Woods, which jumped from the front page to a full page in the daily's Sunday, January 7, edition. The story had the far-from-stirring header: "Defined by principles, paradox." Nothing much of note in the takeout, 'cept for a line high up in the story stating that Woods is "prosecuting the 'Baseline Killer' case."

Flip Fantasia, talk about a scoop!

Fred Harper

Related Content

• Joe Arpaio/MCSO Lawyer Explains Some Actual Objections to Justice Department Monitor
  May 14, 2012
• Joe Arpaio and MCSO Officially Sued by the Justice Department for Racial Discrimination
  May 10, 2012
• Joe Arpaio on Blast by Tom Perez, Courtesy of Dennis Gilman
  May 11, 2012
• Justice Department Lets MCSO Know It's Suin', While Joe Arpaio Releases Booklet Detailing How His Office Ought to Operate
  May 9, 2012
• Bill Montgomery Rushes to Arpaio's Aid — Just As Disbarred Predecessor Andy Thomas Used to Do
  April 12, 2012

More About

• Joe Arpaio
• Pete Ahr
• Grant Woods
• Prisons
• Criminal Sentencing and Punishment

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

But hold on there, Portnoy. We know from New Times éminence grise Paul Rubin's exposé about James Mullins, the Kentucky inmate who falsely confessed to murdering 19-year-old Georgia Thompson in September 2005, that Woods was going to prosecute Mullins ("I Dunnit," September 21, 2006). But that case wilted under the solar rays of further scrutiny. Tempe's police investigation was revealed to be shoddier than warped balsa wood, and Mullins' confession turned out more fake than some hottie's bolt-ons at the Hi-Liter.

For a while, it appeared Woods might win a role in the ongoing case against accused BLK Mark Goudeau. But, no, Woods' good buddy Candy Thomas backed off his initial desire to have Woods onboard the BLK prosecution team. (Politics sure do make for wacky mattress-mates, what with Woods being an outgoing and open-minded sort, and Candy being a nerdy, wing-nutty Mexican basher from way back.)

Instead, the prosecutin' will be handled by two of Candy's veteran homicide attorneys. Not to be denied, Woods accepted an assignment as lead prosecutor on another murder case for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, though not a high-profile one. Woods says he's doing it gratis, just to keep his hand in.

Hey, maybe Wagner read Rubin's piece and never followed up to see if stuff had changed. Or maybe the Rep scribe's copy had been sitting around the office gathering cobwebs and no editor thought to recheck the facts. Either way, someone's getting paid too much at the snoozy fishwrap.