Former Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy Timothy Abrahamson will serve 180 days in jail in North Dakota for a brutal and cowardly attack last year on his wife's lover.
Abrahamson was sentenced to one year, to serve 180 days, plus two years' probation, restitution, and to undergo an assessment, says Tristan Van de Streek, Cass County prosecutor. He's also prohibited from any contact with the victim during his probation.
See also:
Tim Abrahamson, Former Maricopa Deputy, Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Wife's Lover in North Dakota
The former deputy worked for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for seven years before resigning in November over the incident. He'd been considered a model employee before his November 7 arrest and had played a key investigative role in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's now-discredited anti-corruption task force.
But after learning that his wife had had an affair in 2011 with an old flame, he made a terrible decision that led to the end of both his career and that of his buddy's, former deputy Steve Carpenter.
Though Abrahamson's anger at being cuckolded may be understandable, the way he attacked victim Jason Swart isn't.
Records show that the Abrahamson and Carpenter drove about 1,600 miles from the Valley to North Dakota on September 16, then apparently waited for Swart to get home.
Swart eventually pulled up in his driveway, returning home from a meal with family members. He noticed two men sitting in a sedan, and one of the men got out and approached him, holding out an envelope.
The man, later identified as Abrahamson, told Swart he'd been receiving Swart's mail. The victim looked at the envelope. The next thing he remembers is waking up in a pool of his own blood. One of his ears had been nearly severed in the attack.
After Abrahamson was pegged as the culprit, Cass County authorities cut an immunity deal with Carpenter in return for giving up info on Abrahamson.
Arpaio's office served a search warrant on Carpenter's phone records on November 1 at the request of Cass County officials. Lisa Allen, Arpaio's spokeswoman, told us previously that the agency first learned of Carpenter's involvement in the crime on November 7, the day Abrahamson was arrested. Carpenter was put on paid leave the very next day, and he resigned on April 26, Allen said.
As we reported last week, a local lawyer also says in a lawsuit that Carpenter held him down as another deputy beat him in an alleged assault that took place three months before the North Dakota incident.
We put in a request Thursday night with Cass County officials for more information about Abrahamson's sentence, such as whether he'll be held in isolation, and how much he's supposed to pay in restitution. We'll let you know what we find out.
