Tweet
Ducey taking wait-and-see approach on Arpaio contempt case
Arizona Capitol Times
Howard Fischer
4/28/2015
Excerpt:
Gov. Doug Ducey is not ready to put any distance between himself and Joe Arpaio.
“Let’s see how the court hearing plays out,” the governor said in response to a question of whether he still supports the sheriff.
The comments came at the end of a week of testimony by the sheriff and some of his top deputies at a federal court hearing to determine if Arpaio should be found in contempt of court. That included the bombshell admission by Arpaio that his attorney hired a private detective to investigate the wife of the judge hearing the case.
Arpaio and his top aides already have admitted they did not carry out the judge’s orders in a racial profiling case. That essentially leaves Judge Murray Snow with only one question: Whether there will be a financial penalty against the sheriff, and whether he will have to pay it out of his own pocket.
But there also is the possibility of criminal contempt charges.
Testimony resumes next month.
“Let’s see what the verdict is,” said the governor who was endorsed in his 2014 Republican primary campaign by the sheriff. “I’m watching this with the same interest you are.”
But Ducey showed no regret about accepting the sheriff’s endorsement, saying Arpaio deserves some praise.
“I think that Maricopa County is a very safe place to live,” the governor said.
“I think we have a very good public safety system,” Ducey continued. “And I think Sheriff Joe has been a big part of that.”
Still, the governor is keeping open his option to change his mind.
“Let’s see how the court hearings play out and then I’ll have further comment,” he said.
The case stems from a ruling by Snow that Arpaio and his deputies were guilty of racial profiling.
...................................
View the complete article at:
http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/...contempt-case/
Arizona Capitol Times
Howard Fischer
4/28/2015
Excerpt:
Gov. Doug Ducey is not ready to put any distance between himself and Joe Arpaio.
“Let’s see how the court hearing plays out,” the governor said in response to a question of whether he still supports the sheriff.
The comments came at the end of a week of testimony by the sheriff and some of his top deputies at a federal court hearing to determine if Arpaio should be found in contempt of court. That included the bombshell admission by Arpaio that his attorney hired a private detective to investigate the wife of the judge hearing the case.
Arpaio and his top aides already have admitted they did not carry out the judge’s orders in a racial profiling case. That essentially leaves Judge Murray Snow with only one question: Whether there will be a financial penalty against the sheriff, and whether he will have to pay it out of his own pocket.
But there also is the possibility of criminal contempt charges.
Testimony resumes next month.
“Let’s see what the verdict is,” said the governor who was endorsed in his 2014 Republican primary campaign by the sheriff. “I’m watching this with the same interest you are.”
But Ducey showed no regret about accepting the sheriff’s endorsement, saying Arpaio deserves some praise.
“I think that Maricopa County is a very safe place to live,” the governor said.
“I think we have a very good public safety system,” Ducey continued. “And I think Sheriff Joe has been a big part of that.”
Still, the governor is keeping open his option to change his mind.
“Let’s see how the court hearings play out and then I’ll have further comment,” he said.
The case stems from a ruling by Snow that Arpaio and his deputies were guilty of racial profiling.
...................................
View the complete article at:
http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/...contempt-case/