Tuesday, December 1st, 2009...12:01 pm
I Didn’t Say It, He Did…
Maricopa County Justice of the Peace C. Steven McMurry when ruling on attorney’s fees for five activists who were acquitted weeks ago of disturbing the peace charges on one defendant’s assertion that Joe Arpaio’s deputy was “fascist:”
Moreover, it is important to note the message being telegraphed by Deputy Acritelli by his words and manner at both the Supervisor’s meeting and his courtroom appearance. Deputy Acritelli communicates that he believes it is his role to make uncomfortable anyone who expresses views that disagree with the sheriff. Were he to be candid, he would probably acknowledge being somewhat proud of it. This is not a very significant factor for purposes of the decision this Court must make. It does, however, tend to justify Ms. Theilen’s epithet.
The case, by the way, involved Acritelli arresting people for “disrupting” a Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Meeting. Disruption defined as, apparently, being recognized to speak by the Board Chairman or even going to far as -gasp- to applaud other speakers.
By the way, the fees won’t come out of Acritelli’s, Joe Arpaio’s or Andrew Thomas’s (who pursued this ridiculous prosecution) pockets. They’ll come from the taxpayers of Maricopa County. Hey, you guys keep re-electing these bozos.
4 Comments
December 1st, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I am starting to wonder how bad things are going to get up here in Maricopa county in the next year. Arpaio and Thomas think they are basically untouchable because of Arpaio’s popularity. I can’t even imagine what they are going to do next since they have just accused the BOS and the Judiciary of being racketeers. Do you think they decided to try and set up their own court system? Seriously, it would not surprise me.
Mix this in with the cliff the state is about to go over with the budget and I think we have the makings of a nasty (well nastier) situation up here in Maricopa County.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
The conventional wisdom used to be that in any given year, 50% of the Republican primary electorate in Maricopa County didn’t live there at the time of the last election. Do you think this might have something to do with this situation?
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 am
Todd:
Do you think they decided to try and set up their own court system?
Why not? The Taliban did it!
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Thomas will have to resign as CA to run for AG and the BOS will appoint a replacement. That appointee will serve until a replacement is elected in the 2010 general (the appointee would have a clear advantage as the candidate here), who will serve a 2-year term. Dems need to be thinking about this race NOW and have someone who is ready to hit the ground running once Thomas resigns. Tim Nelson????