Court documents: Arpaio managers disregarded court order

A court-appointed investigator says high-ranking deputies within Joe Arpaio’s sheriff’s office ignored a federal judge’s order to stop immigration sweeps targeting Latinos. His report also accuses someone of covered up their actions.

The investigator’s statements come from court documents recently obtained by The Associated Press.

The inquiry covered allegations of misconduct within the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office between 2011 and 2016. A federal judge ordered the probe to learn more about misconduct allegations within the sheriff’s office during that time.

The investigator found not only did top-level deputies refuse to stop racial profiling practices, an internal investigation whitewashed their actions.

The report pointed fingers at some of Arpaio’s top lieutenants, including Jerry Sheridan. Sheridan was the sheriff’s second-in-command. He’s currently running against his former boss in the 2020 primary.

A federal judge convicted Arpaio of criminal contempt in 2017 for failing to call off immigration sweeps. President Donald Trump pardoned him the following year. The former sheriff is currently waging a legal battle to have his criminal record cleared.