Update: Maricopa County Fiasco

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Before I begin, David Safier's complaint that the Arizona Daily Star is AWOL again is applicable here. The editors' recent announcement that the Star will focus more on local content (read petty crime stories) means that the Arizona Daily Star is failing to report on the biggest political scandal in Arizona since the days of the Keating Five, AZScam, and the bookend impeachments of Evan Mecham and J. Fife Symington III. Rhonda, I know you're reading this, so tell your editors to pull their heads out of their asses and get you up to Phoenix where you can do your usual good job of reporting. And Jim Nintzel at the Tucson Weekly (I didn't forget you), you should be all over this story like white on rice. It didn't even make The Skinny this week.

Maricopa County politicians tend to look down upon the rest of the state and deem to tell the rest of us how we should manage our local governments. Well, the fiasco of county government in Maricopa County, not to mention the abject failure that is the Arizona Legislature, means that these Maricopa County politicians should STFU. This is a golden opportunity for Southern Arizona media to mock and ridicule these Maricopa County politicians – your favorite pastime.

Now for an update to yesterday's post Update: When law enforcement crosses the line into lawlessness in Maricopa County.

After spending ten days in jail for civil contempt of a lawful court order, Maricopa county dentention officer Adam Stoddard was released from jail following a ruling from the Arizona Court of Appeals yesterday. Stoddard freed pending appeal The Appeals Court ruling noted that granting the stay should not be interpreted as any ruling on the merits of the appeal. The court will consider the appeal petition on Jan. 5. (Stoddard could be back in jail if the court decides to uphold the decision by the lower-court judge.)

Sheriff Joe Arpaio praised Stoddard for his decision to report to custody (after previously suggesting that the officer not comply with the Court Order). "I hate to call our officer a political prisoner, but that's the way I feel because of the conduct of the judge in this matter," Arpaio said. "I have a feeling the judge may not like the sheriff."

Arpaio said Stoddard received special treatment afforded to any law enforcement officer while he was in the Lower Buckeye Jail, including being held in closed custody, and that he was not forced to wear the sheriff's trademark pink underwear because Stoddard had not committed a crime.

Well of course Stoddard received special treatment, he was willing to be held in contempt of court and go to jail to do crazy uncle Joe's bidding. Stoddard read a brief statement Thursday afternoon thanking his fellow officers for their support.

"I want to particularly thank Sheriff Joe (Arpaio). It was my decision, and my decision alone, to take the stand I did," Stoddard said.

That's his story and he's sticking to it.

The editors of the local newspapers have had enough of the recent outrageous shenanigans by the dynamic duo of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas. In the second editorial this week, the Arizona Republic calls them "petty tyrants" Conflict is now out of control and says:

They do not, however, have the right to criminalize political events. They do not have the right to make honest citizens cower in terror at the awesome power of their guns and badges.

They do not have the right to use their police powers to indict, prosecute and, potentially, incarcerate their political enemies.

On Dec. 1, Thomas filed a federal racketeering complaint naming nearly all his political opponents as co-conspirators. Earlier this week, he brought felony criminal charges against two supervisors. Most of those charges are related to issues regarding financial-disclosure filings that, in saner days, rarely had been prosecuted, even as misdemeanors.

Finally (so far, at least), Thomas has filed criminal charges against the county's chief criminal judge, Gary Donahoe. Thomas has accused the judge of hindering prosecution, obstructing a criminal investigation and bribery. In short, the county attorney seeks to punish Donahoe for the "crime" of finding against his interests in a court of law.

Thomas has indicated more criminal complaints, more indictments – in sum, more grotesque abuses of his police power – may be in the works. Against as-yet-unindicted supervisors. Against Smith and his top aides. Against the supervisors' private lawyers. And against other Superior Court officials.

Nearly all, no doubt, have obtained lawyers of their own. All, certainly, dread just how far this abuse of power will go. In point of fact, it has gone too far already.

The conflict between county government factions over dwindling budgets and the cost of a new court tower now has spiraled genuinely – and frighteningly – out of control. It no longer is possible to discern the honesty of an Andrew Thomas criminal complaint. Has he found criminal abuse? Or is he paying back his political opponents?

A higher, saner power must step in. This chaos has spread too far.

"Higher power"? Divine intervention? No, the editors can't bring themselves to publicly call for the Feds to intervene, as they should, because the Republic is a conservative newspaper and well, the editor's ideological knee-jerk impulse is to always hate the Feds, no matter what. A similar ideological position is taken by the editor of the Libertarian East Valley Tribune today State must address Maricopa County fiasco:

Thomas and Arpaio are in the process of exposing a massive nest of political corruption that has taken hold at the highest echelons of the county and imperils the sanctity of our democratic representation. Or, the county’s top prosecutor and top lawman are waging an earth-scorching, unwarranted assault on legislative and judicial branches that refuse to cater to their ego-driven, vindictive ways.

There’s even the possibility that both views contain elements of the truth — a prospect so frightening that it practically begs for outside intervention to get to the bottom of matters before the eruption of a constitutional crisis that could threaten basic services such as transportation, public safety and flood prevention.

Some observers want this intervention to come from the federal government through the Justice Department, which already has been investigating Arpaio and his office at the request of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and others. But it would be an abrogation of their duty as elected state leaders if this situation continues to be ignored by Gov. Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature. Brewer has a number of administrative and investigative tools at her disposal, and lawmakers have independent subpoena powers to compel cooperation from the county officials involved.

At this point, the public is rightfully skeptical about the claims of just about everyone directly connected to the mess at the county courthouse. As distasteful and as difficult as it might be, the state must take responsibility for its biggest subdivision and take steps to restore public trust and confidence.

Seriously? Do you even read the reporting by your own reporters on the Arizona Legislature? This grossly incompetent abject failure of a legislature and governor are going "to restore public trust and confidence"? The public wants to kick out their sorry asses as well.

The U.S. Justice Department has a long and successful record of prosecuting political corruption cases. The Arizona Legislature does not. And do you really want this legislature embroiled in the all-consuming carnival sideshow of a political corruption case of this magnitude when these incompetent clowns are supposed to be working on the state's budget meltdown? Get serious.