Abuse of power. Embezzlement. Misuse of funds. Inappropriate sexual encounters. Another day. Another political scandal in Arizona. Most recently, Arizona Democratic lawmaker Cecilia “Ceci” Velasquez, 42, was indicted for allegedly defrauding the federal government out of $1,726 worth of food stamps. If convicted of a felony, Velasquez, who was elected…
The monitor appointed by a federal judge to make sure that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office complies with court orders to stop racial profiling of Latinos says the office has a lot more work to do. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow appointed Robert Warshaw, a retired police chief, to ensure…
Whether online or in person, an angry mob bent on vengeance is not easily placated. Particularly when dead pets are involved. So it goes for some in the Twitterverse, who erupted in rage at Thursday’s news that Gilbert resident Todd Hughes and his mother, MaLeisa Hughes, had copped a plea…
Outside Phoenix’s Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, opponents of Sheriff Joe Arpaio serenaded passersby with live mariachi music, chanted “Arrest Arpaio, not the people,” and unveiled a giant balloon depicting their nemesis in handcuffs and stripes. But inside the courthouse, by the the end of a five-hour session,…
Today, in a preview of a high-stakes hearing on Tuesday, May 31, in the contempt case of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and three of his subordinates, the ACLU filed a memorandum asking U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to make a referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, asking for an investigation…
In a 162-page ruling issued, ominously, on Friday the 13th, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow found Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty on three counts of civil contempt and left the door open to criminal prosecution. Snow also found Arpaio’s chief deputy, Jerry Sheridan, guilty on two counts of civil contempt…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is taking some heat this afternoon by social-media users who think he went way too far in mentioning drug use by musician Prince, who died on Thursday at age 57. Arpaio’s known for making politically incorrect remarks and discriminating against Latinos, but he’s even ticked…
If the news releases posted on Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website are supposed to represent what Joe Arpaio’s shop is doing lately, these must be the agency’s dog days. After 20 years of dog-and-pony shows from Arpaio, the intense focus on dogs has gotten to a ridiculous point. Something has…
Rob McElwain has a system. He scours his neighborhood for materials, delivers them home, paints, and finally, he protests. On most weekdays, the tall, lanky 61-year-old — in jeans, his hair sun-bleached white and pulled back into a ponytail — stands on First Avenue in front of the Wells Fargo…
Gilbert Police have filed aggravated-assault charges against a veteran who announced intentions in March to sue the department for using excessive force while attempting to calm him down during a post-traumatic stress disorder breakdown. Police are accusing Kyle Cardenas, seeking $20 million to settle his lawsuit, of “intentionally, knowingly, or…
Paul Penzone, a former cop who came closer to dethroning Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio than any candidate before him, will be taking the sheriff on again this year. Penzone announced his fresh bid for the sheriff’s spot in an email to the news media today headed, “It’s time.” And…
Like a lumpy wad of flavorless, chewed gum, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s recently “retired” top flack, Lisa Allen, continues to cling to Arpaio’s weathered boot-heel, working as a public-relations “vendor” on a contract basis for her old boss, from her new home in Boise, Idaho. Allen resigned effective February 2, after…
The city of Surprise will pay $40,000 to a battered woman who was pushed out of her home for calling 911 too many times, according to a settlement agreemen. City officials also agreed to repeal the ordinance that nearly got Nancy Markham, a single mother of two, evicted in August…
After Bernie Sanders’ wife took a tour of Maricopa County’s Tent City Jail with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, critics today accused her of acting as a “prop” in the spread of racist propaganda. Among the naysayers was U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego, who, in a Facebook post, advised Jane Sanders “to take…
Jane Sanders, wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, dropped by Maricopa County’s infamous Tent City Jail on Monday with lots of questions. But even though Sheriff Joe Arpaio himself came down to run the tour (he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to parade in front of TV cameras), the only…
The scamsters behind a sophisticated solar-power fraud scheme exposed by Phoenix New Times finally have been held accountable in a U.S. court. Last month, Arizona U.S. District Judge David Bury handed down a $3.1 million judgment against the men behind Matinee Energy — a group of swindlers who include a former…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office released gritty body-camera footage showing a deputy shooting and killing a dog. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who’s made public-relations hay over the years with his animal-protection antics, told reporters that the video proves the shooting was “justified.” The dog was “in the wrong place at the wrong…
Despite admitting to sexual intercourse with three victims of crimes he investigated for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s favorite detective, Brian Mackiewicz avoided dismissal during recent disciplinary proceedings, and was hit with an 80 hour suspension instead. A voluminous internal investigation file recently released to New Times…
Those familiar with the history of the Vietnam War may recall that infamous line reputedly uttered by a U.S. Army major about the bombed-out South Vietnamese city of Ben Tre, to the effect that American forces had to “destroy the town in order to save it.” Same could be said…
Dannie Kramer says she still doesn’t know why her son Anthony Singleton died in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s notorious Fourth Avenue Jail. Singleton, 27, was picked up by Phoenix police at his mother’s home on October 21 on a bench warrant, after his failure to appear for a court date related…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s favorite deputy, Brian Mackiewicz, has returned to work, dogged by allegations of spiking his overtime and, according to sources, sleeping with a crime victim during an MCSO investigation. Formerly assigned to Arpaio’s threats management unit, the detective was on paid administrative leave for several months last year…
About four months too late, Dotty the wild Salt River horse, left to rot headless on a sandy bank by Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s crack team of animal investigators, will finally be buried this weekend by a group of spade-wielding volunteers. Simone Netherlands, president of the non-profit Salt River Wild Horse…
