U.S. Marshals raided Joe Arpaio’s Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, in search of evidence that the department was unlawfully withholding from a U.S. District Judge. Judge G. Murray Snow ordered the raid, after it became apparent that the Sheriff’s Department was not cooperating with a February order, that had asked Arpaio to turn over identification cards, hard drives and other documents.
A court-appointed monitor alleged that Arpaio’s Department had withheld hundreds of documents and dozens of hard drives in clear violation of the judge’s orders, prompting the judge’s decision to order the raid.
Arpaio’s defense attorney, John Masterson, attempted to argue that the undisclosed evidence was irrelevant but an irritated Judge Snow retorted:
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I’ll tell you this. They may not be relevant, but they may also be very relevant.
Defending his decision to order the raid, the judge added:
Somebody has to be held responsible sometime. … And it’s going to be now.
The raid is the latest twist in a seven year old lawsuit against Arpaio’s Department for racial profiling against Latino motorists. Arpaio has stonewalled repeatedly by withholding evidence and by directing his staff not to cooperate with investigators or with court orders.
The case took an especially bizarre turn in May 2014 when a former Maricopa County Deputy Sheriff committed suicide after a series of standoffs with law enforcement officials. In the ex- deputy’s home, authorities found illegal drugs as well as hundreds of drivers’ licenses, ID cards, passports, and wallets that were apparently confiscated illegally.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is supposed to uphold the law, but he has consistently shown contempt for the law when he asked to obey it himself. His unwillingness to obey legal orders from a judge prompted U.S. Marshals to raid the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department on Friday. Sheriff Joe’s days of flouting the law may soon come to an end.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
