The Latest: Judge reluctantly delays Arpaio’s contempt tria

The Latest on a pretrial hearing Wednesday in former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s criminal contempt-of-court case (all times local):

1:22 p.m.

Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio has succeeded in delaying his April 25 trial on a criminal contempt-of-court charge.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton reluctantly agreed Wednesday to the delay after Arpaio’s lead attorney quit the case last week and other lawyers who had recently joined his legal team said they didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for trial.

The new trial date hasn’t yet been set.

Bolton says it wouldn’t be fair for Arpaio to have attorneys at trial who had been representing him for only a few weeks.

Arpaio faces the misdemeanor charge for prolonging his immigration patrols for 17 months after a judge in a racial profiling case had ordered them stopped.

He has acknowledged prolonging the patrols, but said his defiance wasn’t intentional.

2 a.m.

A judge will hear arguments Wednesday over former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s latest attempt to delay his upcoming trial on a criminal contempt-of-court charge.

His attorneys say the criminal case should be put on hold until another court rules on Arpaio’s appeal of an earlier civil contempt finding against Arpaio.

In recent weeks, the judge presiding over the criminal case has declined two other requests by Arpaio to postpone the April 25 trial. Arpaio faces the misdemeanor charge for ignoring a court order to stop his immigration patrols.

He acknowledged prolonging his patrols, but he says his defiance wasn’t intentional.

Prosecutors say Arpaio hasn’t offered a good reason for putting the case on hold and that the appeal will have no bearing on the criminal case.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.