Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

Princess Drennan's Mugshot Defeats the Purpose of Mugshots

Believe it or not, there's a purpose to taking someone's picture when they're booked into jail.The preceding sentence appears to have been left out of the training manual for the jail guards at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Exclusive: MCSO Sex Crimes Internal Investigation Reports Online

Portions of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's 10,000-page sex-crimes internal investigation are now available online following a New Times records request. When the massive report was released to the news media and public on February 8, the agency at first refused New Times' request to put it ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Makes Moolah Off Botched Sex Crimes Investigations, and More Sex Crimes May Be Outstanding

Protecting the kids? Tell it to those who suffered because the MCSO botched hundreds of sex crime investigations Wanna find out how Sheriff Joe Arpaio's boys in beige botched investigations into hundreds of sex crime cases in Maricopa County? It'll cost ya. Five grand, to be exact. And make the ch ... More >>

Three Arrested in Murder of Man Found Bound and Face-Down on Roadway Near PIR

Three people have been arrested -- two of them on murder charges -- in the death of a Phoenix man whose body was found in December, just a couple miles from Phoenix International Raceway. Hector Sanchez Duque, 43, had "no known ties" to the Tolleson farm near where he was found, face-down, with his ... More >>

Nine Arrested in Raid of Lam's Supermarket by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

Shoppers at Lam's Supermarket, the Asian grocery store on the Phoenix's west side, may have been a bit surprised to see the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in the aisles last week. And they weren't on the hunt for prawn-flavored chips or chocolate-stuffed egg rolls. See also: Joe Arpaio Says MCSO ... More >>

MCSO: "Serious Murder/Suicide Plot" Uncovered at Mesa's Red Mountain High School

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office claims it has ended a 16-year-old girl's "serious murder/suicide plot" at Mesa's Red Mountain High School.Sheriff Joe Arpaio's heading up the press conference later today to answer questions, but according to information provided by MCSO, the girl posted threats ... More >>

How Would You Rate the Difficulty of Escaping From MCSO Custody, on a Scale of 1-10?

Keep this in mind: an overwhelming majority of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office inmates never escape from jail.Also, keep this in mind: some guy dressed up milk cartons in his jail uniform, climbed through the ceiling, and apparently jumped over a fence in his underwear at 9 a.m. on Sunday.See also: ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Boys Go After Another Small Business in "Employer Sanctions Operation" 68

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's latest "employer sanctions operation"/illegal-immigrant roundup resulted in the arrest of about one-quarter of a Glendale small business' employees yesterday.Sonoran Concrete was the small business raided in operation number 68, and 18 people were arrested for allegedly using fa ... More >>

Jesse Noriega the Latest Person Arrested in MCSO's Horse-Abuse Investigations

A Phoenix man was Wednesday on felony animal-cruelty charges for the mistreatment and neglect of his two horses, marking the second time in just over a week that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest over abused horses. MCSO deputies arrested Jesse Noriega, 33, for alleged neglect ... More >>

Should Joe Arpaio Use Donations to Repay Taxpayer Funds Used on "Birther" Crap?

Yesterday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors came to a vote on whether to let the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office repay the taxpayer money Sheriff Arpaio wasted to send a deputy to Hawaii.Supervisor Fulton Brock didn't show up, so by a vote of 2-2, the supervisors voted to not allow MCSO to ... More >>

Lee Lubonne, Self-Described "Sex Pig," Pleads Not Guilty to Rape and Other Charges

Lee Charles Lubonne, the self-described "sex pig" charged in two sexual assaults, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment this morning.Judging from what sex-crime detectives found in his house, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is thought there was a "possibility" there may have be more victims, an ... More >>

Lee Lubonne, Self-Described "Sex Pig," Arrested in Two Sexual Assaults; Detectives Thinking There May Be More

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested Lee Charles Lubonne after two alleged sexual-assault suspects described his house, vehicle, and identified him from a photo lineup.Judging from what sex-crime detectives found in his house, the Sheriff's Office is thinking there's a "possibility" there m ... More >>

Joe Arpaio/MCSO Lawyer Explains Some Actual Objections to Justice Department Monitor

If you've heard Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's explanations for why negotiations with the Justice Department broke down, he makes it sound as if Attorney General Eric Holder himself wants to be the new sheriff.It's the proposed Justice Department "monitor" that people in the MCSO's corner are ... More >>

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Would Like to Know Who These Gentlemen Are

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is looking for two unrelated dudes who may or may not have done illegal things with guns.Dude number one allegedly robbed a Circle K early yesterday morning at Gilbert Road and Chandler Boulevard, flashing a pistol with black grips in his waistband.Dude number on ... More >>

Joe Arpaio and MCSO Had Literally Nothing to Do With Arrest of Escaped Jail Inmate Jairo Contreras

​Remember yesterday when the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office put out a press release saying how it used its "cell phone technology" to track down an inmate who escaped from an MCSO jail? Well, that was bullshit.We spoke to U.S. Marshal for Arizona David Gonzales this morning, and he tells us the ... More >>

Inmate Found Dead at Durango Jail; MCSO Goon-Squad Thuggery Not Suspected in Death...This Time

​An inmate at the Durango Jail died last night -- and it wasn't at the hands of a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer, according to the MCSO.MCSO Officer Chris Hegstrom tells New Times the death is being investigated as a "natural causes death."Hegstrom says he won't identify the de ... More >>

Feds Respond to Joe Arpaio's Demands, Say Sheriff Already Has Information Requested in Racial-Profiling Investigation

​The Department of Justice this afternoon sent a letter to attorneys representing the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in response to demands Sheriff Joe Arpaio made earlier this month regarding evidence the feds claim to have that shows the MCSO is guilty of the worst racial-profiling practices i ... More >>

Sheriff Arpaio's Office, in Seeming Defiance of Judge, Arrests Five Suspected Illegal Immigrants on Human-Smuggling Charges

​   The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested five men last night on suspicion of human smuggling and conspiracy, days after a federal judge's ruling on such investigations. Looks like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, under more pressure than ever to reform his ways, is sticking to his state ... More >>

Is There ANY Reason MCSO Detention Officers Needed to Use a Taser On Marty Atencio?

By now, most of you have seen the video of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officers using a Taser on Marty Atencio, an assault suspect who died after getting zapped while already in jail (see our story on Atencio's death here).However, some of you might have missed it -- you see, the MCSO ... More >>

Is MCSO Detention Officer to Blame For Getting His Toe Shot Off By Handcuffed DUI Suspect?

...didn't make it to the market -- he got shot on the side of a highway by a handcuffed DUI suspect.​As we reported yesterday, a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer is currently sans-one toe after getting shot in the foot by a DUI suspect -- who was in handcuffs at the time -- while ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Latest Victim Rushed to Hospital (w/Updates, Including Victim's Name and Mugshot)

More bad news for Arpaio, coming at the most inopportune time...Note: For Updates, including the name and mugshot of the victim, see below.Following on the heels of a report by the U.S. Department of Justice condemning the MCSO for engaging in "discriminatory policing" and blasting its treatment of ... More >>

Where was ICE? Feds Supervised 287(g) Program in Jails, Touted Numerous "Success Stories" This Year

John Morton, director of ICE.​ The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau isn't ready to comment this morning on the impact of severing ties with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.Which is a shame, because we have some good questions for them. Like, why was ICE supervising operatio ... More >>

Feds Demand Reform of Sheriff's Office; Arpaio's Immigration Sweeps Involve "Egregious" Racial Profiling, Feds Say

Sheriff Joe Arpaio​It was the most egregious case of racial profiling federal experts have ever seen. Findings into a long running investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office found that Sheriff Arpaio's department has an "ingrained culture" of abusing the rights of Latinos. Assistan ... More >>

Winner of Best Reader Caption For Sleeping Inmate Ramon Cardone's Best Mugshot Ever: wherewasi

MCSO"...and they BETTER NOT wake me up until that friggin coloring contest is OVER!"​Congratulations to the New Times reader who goes by the handle wherewasi, you are the proud winner of this week's New Times You Write the Caption contest. On Friday, we asked readers to provide what they think wo ... More >>

Best Reader Caption For Sleeping Inmate Ramon Corrales' Best Mugshot Ever?

MCSOYour caption here.​Last week, we asked our readers to offer suggestions for a caption for the actual mugshot taken by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer of assault suspect Ramon Corrales for this week's New Times' You Write the Caption contest..As you can see, he's apparentl ... More >>

Sleeping Inmate Ramon Corrales' Best Mugshot Ever in You Write the Caption

MCSOYour caption here.​The above photo is the actual mugshot taken by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer of assault suspect Ramon Corrales.As you can see, he's apparently resorted to our current favorite way to stick it to the man: not even showing law enforcement the common cour ... More >>

Moreno's Mexican Grill Target of Joe Arpaio's Latest Illegal Immigrant Roundup

​Maricopa County is now safe from six illegal immigrants who are allegedly using stolen identities to work at a Mexican restaurant in Chandler.That's right, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office conducted its latest illegal immigrant roundup at Moreno's Mexican grill in Chandler this morning. It ne ... More >>

Best Mugshot Ever: Sleeping Assault Suspect Ramon Corrales

MCSORamon Corrales' mugshot should double as his Christmas card.​Of all the ways to stick it to the man, not even showing law enforcement the courtesy of waking up to have your mugshot photo taken is our current favorite.The above photo is not a picture of Ramon Corrales passed out next to a toile ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Challenges DOJ to Publicly Say He Doesn't Racially Profile -- Even Though Investigation's Still Wide Open

Joe Arpaio claims he's finally cooperating with the Department of Justice's investigation of alleged racial profiling practices within the MCSO. ​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today challenged the Department of Justice "be fair" and publicly say his office doesn't practice racial profiling."A ... More >>

Morning Poll: Are Cross-Gender Jail Pat-Downs Unconstitutional?

www.news.cnet.com​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office experienced another newspaper to the nose yesterday when the United States Supreme Court declined to hear a case where a lower court ruled against it in a lawsuit regarding cross-gender jail pat-downs.For many heterosexual, male inmates, a fem ... More >>

Drug Cartel Infiltration of MCSO: Four of Seven Officers Cleared of Criminal Wrongdoing; Face Internal Investigation

Four employees have been cleared, but drug cartels have still infiltrated the office of America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff."​Four of the seven Maricopa County Sheriff's Office employees suspected of having ties to a drug-and human-smuggling operation have been cleared of any criminal cond ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Serving Warrants on MCSO Employees Allegedly Involved in Drug and Human Smuggling, County Sources Say *UPDATED*: MCSO Confirms Arrests

​UPDATE: the MCSO confirms to New Times that three sheriff's deputies have been arrested. Click here for details.The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office served search warrants at three west Valley locations this morning, and county sources tell New Times the boys in beige are investigating some of th ... More >>

MCSO Confirms Arrests of Three Sheriff's Deputies With Ties to Drug and Human Smuggling

Another apparent black eye for Joe Arpaio and the MCSO.​Our sources, it appears, were correct.The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office just confirmed that three sheriff's deputies have been arrested in connection with a drug and human smuggling operation.Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County A ... More >>

Federal Judge to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office: DWB (Driving While Brown) Isn't Actually a Crime

fromtheleft.wordpress.com​Apparently it takes a federal judge to tell the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office that being Hispanic isn't actually illegal. More than two years after a Hispanic father-son combo was arrested by MCSO deputies near the site of one of their infamous worksite raids, a feder ... More >>

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Pulls the Plug on Inmates' Tampon Drug-Smuggling Scheme

​It's that time of the month for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail staff, who uncovered an inmate scheme of smuggling drugs into the jails through tampon deliveries. The Sheriff's Office is happy to report  that they "dashed the plans of some inmates to get high on heroin ... More >>

Two Suspected Illegal Immigrants -- Both Children -- Feared Drowned in Canal Near Gila Bend After Running From MCSO Deputy

​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office fears that two suspected illegal immigrants -- both under the age of 18 -- drowned in a canal near Gila Bend after fleeing a car pulled over by a sheriff's deputy last night.MCSO spokesman Jeff Sprong says the sheriff's dive team is headed to an area of the ca ... More >>

Joe Arpaio in Non-Compliance, U.S. Department of Justice Threatens To Sue MCSO

The feds are nippin' at Arpaio's heels, finallyAssistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez has sent a letter to Sheriff Joe's legal counsel, threatening to sue the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office if it does not comply with the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into allegations of civil ri ... More >>

Two More Law Enforcement Agencies Announce Arrests From Protest; Total: 71

www.viralpolitics.comThis sign is NOT from yesterday's rally.​Since our earlier post about the number of arrests made during yesterday's SB 1070 protests in downtown Phoenix, other law enforcement agencies that were slappin' cuffs on protesters checked in and bumped up the total number of arrests ... More >>

MCSO Cruiser Crashes into Dude's Yard

​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office seems to have a little egg on its face after one of its deputies crashed a police cruiser into a guy's yard for -- as far as we can tell -- no reason other than he was driving recklessly. The officer and a passenger -- in the car for a ... More >>

Hot Links: Arizona State Parks, Shawn Hawkins, and AZ Rattlers

​The Arizona State Parks Board voted to close 13 parks last month, but cost estimates show that closing the parks might be more expensive than keeping them open. Closing Fort Verde Historic State Park, for example, will cost taxpayers $141,000 -- about $46,000 more than it would cost to keep t ... More >>

Arpaio's Office's Latest Crack at Reality Television: Police Women of Maricopa County Coming in February on TLC

www.icanhascheezburger.com​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, though it's a taxpayer-funded law enforcement agency and not a network studio, is no stranger to flaky reality television, and its latest venture into the world of docu-drama promises to be as tacky as they come.Starting next m ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Deputies Admit Destroying Evidence in Racial Profiling Lawsuit

Nixon redux: Document shredding, deleted e-mails. What's next, secret tapes?In a stunning revelation recently made public as part of the ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an MCSO sergeant has admitted that the departmen ... More >>

MCSO Releases Photos of "Persons of Interest" in Cave Creek Homicide Investigation

MCSO​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has released surveillance photos of "persons of interest" in the death of Cave Creek resident Douglas Charles Engstler. The unidentified man and woman  were taped entering an unnamed convenience store in metropolitan Phoenix. Police want to spea ... More >>

The Kids Put Joe Arpaio on Blast: Video of Friday's Children's Walk to Wells Fargo

Above is Phoenix pro-immigration activist Dennis Gilman's video of this past Friday's successful Children's Walk for Family Unity, organized by Sal Reza's organization Puente. Despite the fake outrage over the demonstration from radio lunkheads like Mac and Gaydos on local wing-nut stati ... More >>

After Local Rapper's Studio Raided by MCSO, He Records "Eff Sheriff Joe"

You're probably going to be hearing a lot more about this from us: We got a call from a local rapper, Mickey Swift, about his new video "Eff Sheriff Joe," inspired by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office raid on his recording studio.Apparently the MCSO received reports of a lot of people coming and g ... More >>

Arpaio's Office Stonewalls on MCSO Deputies Used for Fox Reality Show

  As I noted back on December 12, and as you can see from the photo above, numerous sheriff's deputies were involved in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's star turn on the three episode Fox Reality pilot, Smile...You're Under Arrest! So on December 12, I sent a formal public records request to the MCSO ... More >>

This Time, Joe Arpaio's Office Wants to Talk to New Times About What it Didn't Write

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is knocking on New Times’ door again. Investigators from the MCSO’s Special Victims Unit contacted staff writer Stephen Lemons following Thursday's arrest of activist Jarrett Maupin II. The detectives asked that Lemons come to MCSO offices for questionin ... More >>

Dan Saban Town Hall

AZ ADL calls on U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio's bogus "crime suppression sweeps."

The Bird pummels the MSCO, Scottsdale PD, and saves some licks for both Anonymous and Scientology