Joe Arpaio

Joe Arpaio Says MCSO Doesn't Do "Raids," but Arpaio Touts Today's "Raid" of a Supermarket

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office does not conduct "raids," according to Sheriff Joe Arpaio.Although we've provided evidence to the contrary of Arpaio's new claim, the Sheriff's public-relations staff sent out an e-mail this afternoon, with a press release touting MCSO's 70th "employer sanctions ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's High School "Murder/Suicide Plot" Suspect Released to Her Parents

The 16-year-old girl who had a plan that Sheriff Joe Arpaio declared "almost meets the profile of what happened in [Newtown], Connecticut" has been released from custody. Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman Vincent Funari tells New Times that a judge ordered the girl to be released on an electr ... More >>

Andy Kunasek, Maricopa County Supervisor, to be Paid $123,000 by County Because of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas

Another day, another six-digit award by Maricopa County to a victim of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. This time it's the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Andy Kunasek, who was framed for a crime he didn't commit as part of an apparent plan to usurp power ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Fugitive Nabbed by U.S. Marshals

Talk about a broken record. The U.S. Marshals Service has once more done Sheriff Joe Arpaio's job for him, this time by nabbing an escapee from Joe's jails, who basically exchanged identities with another inmate, and walked out. See also: -Joe Arpaio Won't Do His Job, So Marshal David Gonzales Does ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Denies Justice Department Allegations, but Offers Up Some Strange Claims

Lawyers for Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed a response to the Justice Department's racial-discrimination lawsuit, which mostly just denies each of the 188 allegations in the DoJ's suit.The denial also contains some very interesting claims from Arpaio, including repeated claims that the Maricopa County Sher ... More >>

Tent City Inmate on How to Stay Warm: "Hold on and Pray Nothing Bad Happens"

One of the inmates who called B.S. on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's announcement that he was taking steps to keep Tent City inmates warm is still calling B.S. after spending the weekend in below-freezing temperatures.Arpaio issued the press release last week, saying he "would like families and friends of inm ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Now Has a Plan for Keeping Tent City Inmates Warm

Despite claiming that his Tent City jail is a "concentration camp," Sheriff Joe Arpaio sure seems accommodating.Not only do we get press releases from the Sheriff's Office letting us know that Arpaio's cooling off the inmates when it's hot, but we now have a press release from MCSO letting us know t ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Tent City Heating a "Patent Lie," According to Another Inmate

According to a Tent City inmate, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's claim that his office is taking steps to keep the inmates warm in the jail is a "patent lie."If you've been paying attention today, you'll notice this is the second inmate in just a couple of hours to tell New Times that they haven't had access t ... More >>

New Times Rolls With Joe Arpaio's School-Patrol Posse; Nobody Dies

"You play golf?" we ask 69-year-old John van Steinburg, as we roll past the entrance to Anthem's country club, riding in a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office patrol car.He doesn't, but since Sheriff Joe Arpaio's PR staff let us hop in the car with Steinburg -- one of Arpaio's posse members now on arme ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Lies, Insults His Deputies, Promises School-Posses with "Automatic and Semi-Automatic" Weapons

Arpaio, howlin' at the moon in his appearance on the Thom Hartmann radio show: The fun begins about 16:18 in Hat tip to Phoenix videographer Dennis Gilman for letting me know about Sheriff Joe Arpaio's appearance Thursday on the uber-lefty Thom Hartmann show, where he howled at the moon, boasted ab ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Releases List of Posse-Patrolled Schools, Talks Publicity Stunts

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today released a list of schools that are going to be patrolled by armed, volunteer members of his posse -- two days after those patrols started.Arpaio repeated a claim that the "only difference" between a sworn deputy and a posse member is that the posse members a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Releases List of Posse-Patrolled Schools, Talks Publicity Stunts

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today released a list of schools that are going to be patrolled by armed, volunteer members of his posse -- two days after those patrols started.Arpaio repeated a claim that the "only difference" between a sworn deputy and a posse member is that the posse members a ... More >>

Would You Want One of Joe Arpaio's Armed Posse-People at Your Child's School?

Starting this week, members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's posse will be armed and patrolling the area of some Valley schools.In response to the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school massacre, Arpaio's dispatching his volunteer deputies to schools on unincorporated county land, although MCSO won't yet tel ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's School-Patrolling Posse Not POST Certified; I.E., They Ain't Cops

Kudos to Sheriff Joe Arpaio for successfully monopolizing the paranoia surrounding the mass killings in Sandy Hook by sending his army of Depends-wearin', gun-totin' grumpy geezers out to patrol the perimeters of some schools in the Valley. See also: -Would You Want One of Joe Arpaio's Armed Posse- ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Posse: The COPS Episode (Kind of)

As Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio plans to dispatch volunteer members of his "posse" to go fiddle-fart around public schools with guns, our colleague Stephen Lemons points out that the posse members sure aren't cops.However, as is usually the case when the day's news-of-the-dumb comes from Arizo ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Plans to Make Publicity Stunt Out of Swearing-In Ceremony, Promises "Hollywood Celebrities"

This may be incredibly hard to believe, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has planned a publicity stunt.Yes, the man who dresses inmates in pink underwear, has provided those inmates with an Elvis impersonator, has allowed female inmates to throw panties in the jail, holds inmate coloring conte ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Posse People Starting Armed School Patrols; Which Schools Yet Unknown

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's program to put armed members of his posse on patrol of Valley schools started today, according to one of Arpaio's spokesmen.In response to the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school massacre, Arpaio's dispatching his volunteer deputies to schools on unincorporated county land, a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Upset That a "Coyote" Brought Her 3-Year-Old Along for Smuggling Trip

Here's yet another way to end up in one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's press releases: bring along your 3-year-old daughter while you're getting paid to smuggle people into the United States.Better yet, MCSO says the 3-year-old girl was "seated between two unknown males and not properly restrained by a sea ... More >>

Arizona's Top Ten News Stories of 2012

All in all, 2012 hasn't been that bad of a year. Some good stuff transpired, and some of it happened because New Times' scribes made it happen. Usually to some very deserving recipients. The great H.L. Mencken said it long ago, and it still holds true today: "Journalism is to politician as dog is t ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Top Ten Reasons for Wanting to Be a Neo-Confederate

Sheriff Joe Arpaio thinks it's an honor to be called KKK, remember? So why is anyone surprised that in 2011 he accepted the Sons of Confederate Veterans' J. Edgar Hoover Law and Order Award, apparently for all that hard work he did in ignoring hundreds of sex crimes cases around the county. See a ... More >>

Morning Poll: Sheriff Arpaio Plans to Put Armed Posse Members in Schools

Totally upstaged by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio went ahead late Thursday with an announcement for his own anti-Newtown idea: armed posse members at schools. The posse will "safeguard schools from violent predators," Arpaio claims. He's not asking for perm ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Accepted Award From Confederate Group With "History of White Supremacy," Salon Says

Besides the announcement of plans to deploy armed posse members at schools, another Sheriff Joe Arpaio story making the rounds concerns his acceptance last year of an award by a confederate group. Salon, an online magazine with a national presence, published an article yesterday about the mini awar ... More >>

Valley Fever's 12 Most Popular Arizona News Stories of 2012

It seems like every year there's one local story that defines the news more than others. Last year, it was the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson (which we got a horrific reminder of with the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary). This year, as far as actual readership g ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Orders a Christmas Tree for Tent City; "Holiday" Music Will Play 12 Hours a Day

Question: What is the only place on earth that has provided an Elvis impersonator, ice cream and cake, women throwing panties, coloring contests, a large Christmas tree, and an old man who likes to dress men in pink underwear?Answer: The jails of self-proclaimed tough-guy Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In fact ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Issues Press Release to Point Out People From Other Countries Work at MCSO

After a review of MCSO's hiring practices, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has issued a press release to assure the public that not everyone working for the Sheriff's Office is a white-skinned American.See also:-Joe Arpaio's Office Commits Worst Racial Profiling in U.S. History, Concludes DOJ-Joe Arpaio Looks Li ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Lawyers Fail to Get Sheriff Off the Hook in Justice Department Lawsuit

Lawyers for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have failed in their attempt to get the Justice Department's racial-discrimination lawsuit tossed.Chief U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver made a ruling this week on the June motion to throw out the suit against Arpaio, the Sheriff's Office, and the coun ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Dinner in San Francisco Crashed by "Queer Nuns"

Our comrades in the Bay Area, S.F. Weekly, found Sheriff Joe Arpaio at a restaurant in San Francisco's Union Square last night, (unintentionally) having dinner with folks who call themselves an "order of queer nuns."See also:-Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Crash Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Dinner ... More >>

After Election Day, AZ's Far Right Now Has a Fight on Its Hands

Joe Arpaio Still Trying to Invite Himself to the White House to Drink Obama's Alcohol

For the second time, Sheriff Joe Arpaio had publicly attempted to invite himself to the White House and consume President Obama's alcohol.We can't remember the last time Arpaio actually succeeded in inviting himself to meet someone (examples: George Lopez, Puente, the Mayor of Columbus, the CEO of C ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Recall Fever Meets Two Americans at Harkins

So Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to make nice with Latinos now? Pardon me while I laugh till I spit. Though Arpaio's won re-election for an unprecedented sixth term in office, so far, as of Friday, his two opponents together garnered 47.98 percent of the vote. See also: -Joe Arpaio Doc Two Americans ... More >>

David Hendershott, Lisa Aubuchon and Lawyer Ed Moriarity Ordered to Pay Six-Digit Fees for Filing Garbage Lawsuit Vs. County Foes

David Hendershott, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's former trusted chief deputy, and Lisa Aubuchon, the stooge of disbarred former County Attorney Andy Thomas, probably will pay a steep price for doing the bidding of their bosses. A judge has ordered Hendershott, Aubuchon, her husband, their la ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Defeats Paul Penzone With Ease, and the Sheriff's Reign Continues

Last night at the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix, 80-year-old Sheriff Joe Arpaio recycled the same ol' Joe speech he gives all the time -- a speech that apparently resonates with the voters who opted for Arpaio over his opponent, Paul Penzone, by a healthy margin.All we could really do was stand in front ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Triumphant and More Wreckage from Election Night

Last night was 2008 all over again: Obama wins, while those of us who must live in still deeply red Maricopa County lose. That is, those who want justice, racial and ethnic harmony, and competent, effective law enforcement. As in 2008, we are in the minority. Though percentage-wise, we may have g ... More >>

Maricopa County's Number of Remaining Ballots Unknown; Activists Urge Penzone, Carmona, to Retract Concessions

The Maricopa County Elections Department has given a straight answer about the number of ballots that still haven't been counted as of noon on the day after the election: they don't know.Citizens for a Better Arizona activists went to the elections office today to get a clear number, as media report ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio: The 25 Most Read Stories of His Previous Term

The numbers are in and somehow Joe Arpaio, our 80-year-old codger of a sheriff, has secured another four-year term as the county's top lawman. If that wasn't enough to get your blood boiling, the self-professed "America's toughest sheriff" is promising to run for Maricopa County Sheriff again in 201 ... More >>

Ken Bennett Says 602,334 Votes Left to Be Counted Statewide

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett has just announced that as of late this afternoon, "an estimated 602,334 early and provisional ballots statewide" have not been counted. "State law gives the counties 10 calendar days to verify and process the remaining early and provisional ballots," the rele ... More >>

Joe Arpaio All-but-Declares Victory, and Immediately Declares 2016 Candidacy

Sheriff Joe Arpaio apparently wants to remain Maricopa County Sheriff until he's dead, as he declared his candidacy for the 2016 race immediately after all-but-declaring victory over Democratic candidate Paul Penzone.

Joe Arpaio's Wackadoodle Supporters Freak Out

The above video posted in early October by YouTuber BlessedONE333returnz is freaking hi-larious, and offers a window into the cracked minds of these human PayDay bars who think Joe Arpaio walks on water. This crazy lady is kvetching off-camera about an anti-Arpaio mailer in the form of a faux newsp ... More >>

Arpaio Awaits Justice as Election Looms

Top Ten Arizona Political Ads of 2012 (So Far)

I don't think anyone will bemoan the end of the 2012 election cycle, except perhaps the TV execs and political consultants who're making a killing off the political ads bombarding us through the boob tube. Still, quite a few are memorable, and there is nothing more American than reducing your oppo ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Doc Two Americans Rocks Harkins for One Week Only

Word is, Sheriff Joe is freaking out. Republicans who have supported him for years are jumping ship to back his Democratic rival Paul Penzone. As a result, his poll numbers are consistently in the doldrums, under 50 percent. He's been forced to buy up a load of local TV time to run a creepy, disho ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Still Too Chicken to Debate Paul Penzone? Looks Like It

Based on the new decor outside of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office, it would appear that the Sheriff is still too chicken to debate his opponent, former Phoenix police Sergeant Paul Penzone.See also:-Joe Arpaio Too Chicken to Debate Paul Penzone? Ask the People Who Brought Live Chickens to Sheriff's Offi ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's U.S. Veteran Victim Marty Atencio: Family Files Suit in Superior Court

The family of U.S. Army veteran Marty Atencio is filing suit today in Maricopa County Superior Court over his brutal death late last year in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Fourth Avenue Jail. Atencio, who suffered from mental illness, was off his meds and wandering the streets in a daze on December 15, when ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Paid, Campaign Computer Guy Also a Maricopa County Employee

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's financial disclosure forms for his re-election campaign show an ocean of greenbacks flowing into the coffers of Summit Consulting, the firm owned by local Republican consultant Chad Willems. Willems is one of the political geniuses who ran former state Senate President Russell ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's "Birther" Chief Mike Zullo Strikes Back at Orly Taitz, Says He Doesn't Want "Circus Show" Involved

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his "birther" chief Mike Zullo are balking at their chance to talk about their super official "investigation" of President Obama's birth certificate in court, and Zullo tells New Times why -- Orly Taitz.Taitz told us yesterday that she's very upset with Arpaio and Zullo, since ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Balking at His Chance to Present "Birther" Info in Court, and Orly Taitz Is Mad

If, for some reason, anyone needs further evidence of how bogus Sheriff Joe Arpaio's "birther" investigation is, here you go.Orly Taitz, perhaps one of the most well-known challengers to the eligibility of President Obama, is still trying to contest the issue in court, and tells New Times that Arpai ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Obliterated in New TV Ads by Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement

Elected on pink boxers? This ain't 2008, Joe. The independent expenditure committee Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement has a couple of killer new anti-Sheriff Joe Arpaio ads running on local cable and broadcast Television. See also: -Penzone Benefits from Arpaio's Latest Attack Ad -Paul Pe ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Victim Deborah Braillard: Family Agrees to $3.2 Million Settlement, ABC15 Reports

ABC 15 and star reporter Dave Biscobing have the scoop again on the civil trial in Pinal County regarding the 2005 wrongful death of diabetic mom Deborah Braillard, who was denied medical treatment while in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's gulags and later died because of that lack of treatment. Earlier this m ... More >>

Joe Arpaio "Helps" Childhelp: Nonprofit Takes Blood Money Despite 501c3 Status

What do you do when you're Sheriff Joe Arpaio and your name is practically a byword for the neglect of sex crime cases involving women and children? You use your political fundraising machine to shill for a national nonprofit that benefits abused kids, sort of like a petroleum company donating to l ... More >>

Is Joe Arpaio's Fantasy Anti-Paul Penzone Ad a Sign of Sheriff's Desperation?

In case you missed it, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has finally acknowledged his election opponent, Paul Penzone, by creating a fantasy account of what happened between Penzone and his wife in a 2003 altercation.Arpaio won't debate Penzone, nor has he made any mention of him, until this ad was released, ... More >>