PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s criminal trial (all times local):
2:45 p.m.
Lawyers have concluded closing arguments at the contempt of court trial of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio involving a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton didn’t make a decision Thursday over whether Arpaio was guilty of the misdemeanor count for prolonging his patrols for 17 months after a judge ordered him to halt the tactic.
Bolton ordered attorneys to submit legal briefs and will deliver a verdict at an unknown point in the future.
Prosecutors say Arpaio continued his patrols to keep his name in the news and raise campaign money during a tough re-election year.
Arpaio’s attorney blamed sheriff’s employees and a lawyer who once defended the sheriff in a racial-profiling case for not following the order to stop the patrols.
___
1:10 p.m.
An attorney defending former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio against a contempt of court charge involving immigration patrols blamed sheriff’s employees and a lawyer who once defended the lawman in a racial-profiling case for not following a court order to stop the strategy.
Attorney Dennis Wilenchik also said during closing arguments Thursday at Arpaio’s trial that the judge’s order to stop the patrols was vague.
Arpaio is facing a misdemeanor charge for prolonging the patrols.
Wilenchik contended that attorney Tim Casey didn’t approve training materials aimed at helping deputies comply with the order.
Casey previously testified the materials contained problematic legal instructions.
Wilenchik says Casey and other sheriff’s employees failed Arpaio by not making sure the training reached deputies.
Federal prosecutors said in their closing argument that Arpaio continued the patrols for political gain.
___
11:20 a.m.
A prosecutor says former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of metro Phoenix intentionally violated a court order to stop patrols that targeted immigrants to keep his name in the news during a tough re-election year.
Prosecutor John Keller said during closing arguments in Arpaio’s criminal trial Thursday that the former six-term sheriff knew a judge barred the patrols but kept them up for nearly a year and half for political reasons.
Arpaio is charged with misdemeanor contempt-of-court for defying the 2011 court order.
Keller says Arpaio cast himself as an anti-government figure and had used the patrols to help raise money during his 2012 campaign.
Arpaio’s immigration crackdowns and other tactics made him a national figure. He’s acknowledged prolonging the patrols but insists it wasn’t intentional.
Defense attorneys will present their closing arguments later.
___
3 a.m.
Lawyers are scheduled to make closing arguments Thursday at the criminal trial of the former six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix.
Joe Arpaio is charged with misdemeanor contempt-of-court for defying a judge’s 2011 order to stop traffic patrols targeting immigrants.
Prosecutors will get their first crack at playing TV interview footage in court during which Arpaio bragged that he was still doing immigration enforcement, even as he was defying the order.
The lawman has acknowledged prolonging the patrols, but insists his disobedience was unintentional.
Arpaio’s lawyers discount the importance of the videos.
The footage is believed to be important in helping prosecutors prove that Arpaio knew about the order but defied it on purpose.
Arpaio’s legal woes are believed to have contributed to his crushing election defeat in November.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.