Jabba the Hendershott, Arpaio's portly Dick Cheney...
What I can never figure out about Maricopa County is that the public officials who by all rights should be under the freakin' magnifying glass are in fact the ones pursuing bogus charges against their enemies. Take Joe Arpaio's Chief Deputy David Hendershott, aka, "Jabba the Hendershott," the nefarious Newman-esque (think Seinfeld, people) power behind the Joe throne. Guess what the extra-husky hatchetman and double-chinned double-dipper is up to now? According to a recent report in the Arizona Capitol Times by Christian Palmer, the State Bar of Arizona has bitchslapped a complaint directed at former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley by Hendershott, asking "the bar association to look into complaints that Romley had overcharged Pinal County for his work as a contracted special prosecutor in 2006 - and to refer the case to an 'appropriate' prosecutorial agency."
The complaint involved a Romley-led investigation and prosecution of Pinal County Manager Stanley Griffis regarding missing money from a transportation fund. Acording to the Capitol Times article, Hendershott's complaint accused Romley of false billing, and of lounging around, desk-jockeying.
Lounging around? Rick Romley? I think you got the wrong guy there, pardner.
Fortunately, the bar kicked this cheap rumormongering to the curb quicker than Randy Moss can sprint 40 yards.
“Without supporting facts or evidence, such allegations are insufficient to start an investigation,” the bar wrote Hendershott.
Romley's quoted in the piece speculating that the complaint may have come because Arpaio's pissed Romley's endorsed Dan Saban in his challenge to Arpaio this year. I gave Saban a call, and he told me he believed that anyone supporting him could potentially become the victim of some sort of Arpaio retaliation.
"I think this demonstrates a certain pattern," said Saban. "We're all aware of Joe's history. He targets anyone who doesn't support him."
Saban mentioned that Romley and others would be present January 19 at the Wyndham Hotel downtown for Saban's Campaign Kick-Off Event. Asked if he thought the threat of Arpaio's retribution might keep people from openly supporting him, Saban admitted it's been a topic of conversation, but that the voters have to become fed-up with Apaio.
"This is the start of the next 11 months," said the Buckeye police chief. "These kind of scare tactics, this is what we have to be ready for."
