'Stunning about-face' for Sheriff Joe
WND
In what is being called a stunning about-face, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio admitted Wednesday he had violated several federal court orders resulting from a long-running racial profiling case.
Arpaio and Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan consented to a finding of civil contempt and agreed to confess in a “public forum” to violating the court’s order by continuing to allow deputies to use suspicion of immigration status as a basis for conducting traffic stops, reported the Arizona Republic.
Their attorneys’ offer avoids a four-day evidentiary hearing planned for next month to examine whether Arpaio had violated the court order.
“Defendants acknowledge and appreciate that they have violated the Court’s orders and that there are consequences for these violations,” Arpaio’s attorneys said in their court filing.
“There is nothing Defendants can do to change what has already been done, but through the entry of an order finding them in civil contempt and by implementing remedies discussed herein, Defendants can express sincere remorse to the Court and to Plaintiffs, begin to make amends to those who have been injured and take affirmative steps to ensure nothing like this occurs in the future.”
Arpaio and Sheridan admitted to the following:
- Evidence the Maricopa County Sheriff failed to abide by Judge G. Murray Snow’s December 2011 preliminary injunction to stop enforcing federal immigration law.
- Evidence sheriff’s officials did not disclose all required information in pretrial proceedings, including deputies’ audio-recording devices.
- Evidence Arpaio’s aides failed to follow Snow’s May 2014 order to collect audio and video recording devices from deputies.
Judge Snow ruled in May 2013 that Arpaio and the department had broken the law by racially profiling Hispanic drivers and issued orders to end the practice. The contempt charge against Arpaio stemmed from that ruling.
Arpaio, 82, has announced his intention to seek a sixth term next year.
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