Joe Arpaio: From Respected Arizona Sheriff to Convicted Criminal

By Jenn Jacques

From beloved sheriff to convicted criminal, Joe Arpaio has become the latest victim of jurisprudence run amok.

AZ Central reports:

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton found Arpaio, the former Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff, guilty of criminal contempt of court, finding that he willfully violated a federal judge’s order.

Arpaio issued a statement Monday saying he will appeal the ruling and will continue to press for a jury trial.

The sentencing phase will begin Oct. 5. Arpaio faces up to six months in confinement, a sentence equivalent to that of a misdemeanor.

The decision came after Department of Justice prosecutors successfully argued Arpaio intentionally ignored a federal judge’s order to halt his famed immigration round-ups.

“He didn’t care about the federal court injunction,” said Federal trial attorney John Keller. “That wasn’t going to stop him from running his office the way he saw fit.”

Arpaio’s defense argued the order, issued by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow in December 2011, left room for interpretation. For an individual to be found in criminal contempt, the judge’s order but be “clear and definite.”

“The only one who understood what Judge Snow meant was Judge Snow himself,” said attorney Dennis Wilenchik, who told the …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms