Judge seeks criminal contempt charges against Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Tough-talking Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio could soon be facing criminal charges himself.
Federal Judge G. Murray Snow has asked the US Attorney’s Office to file criminal contempt charges against Arpaio and some of his subordinates over failure to follow the court’s instructions in a racial profiling case.
In May, Snow found Arpaio and three members of his office to be in civil contempt because they allegedly violated court orders designed to keep the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office from racially profiling Latinos.
Continued failure to follow the directions of the court, along with false statements and attempts to obstruct further inquiry, justified the filing of criminal contempt charges now, Snow wrote Friday.
So far, Arpaio hasn’t commented on Snow’s latest order. But after the judge’s decision in May, Arpaio tweeted, “I never hide from media, but my policy has been I don’t talk about ongoing litigation.”