Joe Arpaio, former sheriff in Arizona, is found guilty of criminal contempt
Joe Arpaio, the Arizona lawman who once proclaimed himself âAmericaâs toughest sheriffâ and was largely praised by conservatives for his hard-line policing tactics, was found guilty Monday of criminal contempt, bringing his tenure as a relentless crusader against illegal immigration to an end.
More than a month after lawyers wrapped up closing arguments, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton found Arpaio guilty for defying a judgeâs 2011 court order to refrain from racially profiling Latinos during patrols and turning them over to federal immigration authorities.
The 85-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5 and could face up to six months in jail.
During the trial, which took place in a federal court in Phoenix, prosecutors argued that Arpaio intentionally violated the court order, which demanded hi s officers stop detaining people simply on the suspicion that they were in the country illegally â" a practice that had led to the detention of some Latinos who were citizens or legal residents.
Prosecutors used Arpaioâs own words against him, pointing to several media appearances throughout the years, including a Univision interview in March 2012 in which he admitted that he was still targeting people based on immigration status.
âIf they donât like what Iâm doing,â he said, addressing his opponents, âget the laws changed in Washington.â
In an interview with Fox News two months later, Arpaio said he was going to continue arresting immigrants in the country illegally: âIâm not going to give it up. Iâm going to continue to enforce state laws and federal laws.â
Arpaioâs lawyer, Jack Wilenchik, argued that the court order from U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow was not clear and that the sheriff was simply carrying out state and federal laws without intentionally profiling anybody or asking his department to do so.
Wilenchik said Monday that Arpaio planned to appeal Boltonâs verdict and get a trial by jury. Arpaio lost his bid for a jury trial in early May after Bolton rejected it on the grounds that the law did not require juries in cases in which the potential jail term was so short.
âBolton violated the U.S. Constitution by issuing her verdict without even reading it to the defendant in public court,â Wilenchik said in a statement. âArpaio believes that a jury would have found in his favor, and that it will. He is in this for the long haul.â
In her written opinion, Bolton said the evidence showed âflagrant disregardâ for the court order and that Arpaio had âwillfully violatedâ it. She also said Arpaio had failed to ensure his department complied with the order by directing his deputies to âcontinue to detainâ people.
Bolton said evidence showed that Arpaio understood the order.
âDespite this knowledge, the defendant broadc ast to the world and to his subordinates that he would and they should continue âwhat he had always been doing,ââ Bolton said.
Arpaio was elected sheriff of Arizonaâs Maricopa County in 1992 and served six terms before losing reelection in November.
He was known for crackdowns on illegal immigration and tough incarceration policies. He forced inmates to wear pink underwear and housed them in canvas tents under the hot Arizona sun.
Such practices drew sharp criticism from advocates for civil and immigrant rights but made him popular with many Arizonans and turned him into a national icon for opponents of illegal immigration. He campaigned for Donald Trump during last yearâs presidential race and continued to be a leading proponent of the lie that President Obama was not born in the United States after Trump dropped it.
He continued to boast about cracking down on illegal immigration even after his department received profiling complaints.
Immigrant advocate groups welcomed the judgeâs ruling and said the decision provided lessons other departments should follow.
âLocal sheriffs pursuing undocumented immigrants leads to unconstitutional policing, racial profiling and illegal stops,â Cecillia Wang, the American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director, wrote on Twitter.
âSheriffs and police chiefs who decline to do immigration enforcement and focus on public safety have it right.â
Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad
ALSO
'It's not what policing is about today.' LAPD officials react to Trump's comments about arrestees
Ex-Compton Mayor Omar Bradley guilty in public corruption case
Two aspiring cops: One was suspected of arson, the other helped catch him
UPDATES:
5:55 p.m.: The story was updated with details about the judgeâs decision and background about the case.
The story was originally published at 11:45 a.m.
0 Response to "Joe Arpaio, former sheriff in Arizona, is found guilty of criminal contempt"
Posting Komentar