Tweet
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...suits0512.html
Judi Villa
The Arizona Republic
May. 12, 2007 12:00 AM
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are not liable in the death of a jail inmate in 2003 or in the beating of a woman after she was released from jail in 2002, two juries decided this week.
Arpaio and his attorneys hailed the back-to-back verdicts on Thursday and Friday as testament to the public's support of how the jails are run and vindication after years of criticism and lawsuits.
"This is a great victory today for this Sheriff's Office, not just the sheriff," Arpaio said Friday. "We won. You can't deny that."
But Joel Robbins, an attorney for the beaten woman, scoffed at that, saying, "Only Sheriff Arpaio could consider it a victory for the safety of the jails that one person was killed and another was beaten."
Phillip Wilson, 36, was being held in Tent City on a probation violation when he was beaten into a coma by several inmates in July 2003. He died four months later.
Wilson reportedly owed money to a drug dealer whose associates also were inmates in Tent City, and the beating may have been a planned hit. Dan Struck, an attorney for Arpaio, said Wilson had been threatened in the days before his attack but didn't tell jail officials that he needed to be protected.
"If Mr. Wilson advised us of any danger, we would have moved him," Arpaio said.
Michael Manning, who represented Wilson's family, said Arpaio had been warned before Wilson's death that the tents were dangerous and was "very fortunate to escape liability here."
In the other case, Christina Jimenez claimed she was badly beaten in December 2002, after she left the Madison Street Jail wearing only the panties and T-shirt she had on when she was arrested. Robbins said the area around the jail was poorly lit and wasn't monitored by surveillance cameras. Sheriff's officials have said the woman left on her own accord before her ride came to pick her up and that she was beaten in an area that was not on or near the jail premises.
Robbins countered that such lawsuits are important "to make sure the Sheriff's Office is running the right way."
Arpaio said he plans to go back to court to recover attorney's costs for both cases, and he vowed to take future cases all the way to trial instead of letting insurance firms settle.
"We're going to fight, and we're going to let the public decide," Arpaio said.
"I'm getting frustrated. I'm getting tired when we do run the most efficient jails in the country."
Judi Villa
The Arizona Republic
May. 12, 2007 12:00 AM
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are not liable in the death of a jail inmate in 2003 or in the beating of a woman after she was released from jail in 2002, two juries decided this week.
Arpaio and his attorneys hailed the back-to-back verdicts on Thursday and Friday as testament to the public's support of how the jails are run and vindication after years of criticism and lawsuits.
"This is a great victory today for this Sheriff's Office, not just the sheriff," Arpaio said Friday. "We won. You can't deny that."
But Joel Robbins, an attorney for the beaten woman, scoffed at that, saying, "Only Sheriff Arpaio could consider it a victory for the safety of the jails that one person was killed and another was beaten."
Phillip Wilson, 36, was being held in Tent City on a probation violation when he was beaten into a coma by several inmates in July 2003. He died four months later.
Wilson reportedly owed money to a drug dealer whose associates also were inmates in Tent City, and the beating may have been a planned hit. Dan Struck, an attorney for Arpaio, said Wilson had been threatened in the days before his attack but didn't tell jail officials that he needed to be protected.
"If Mr. Wilson advised us of any danger, we would have moved him," Arpaio said.
Michael Manning, who represented Wilson's family, said Arpaio had been warned before Wilson's death that the tents were dangerous and was "very fortunate to escape liability here."
In the other case, Christina Jimenez claimed she was badly beaten in December 2002, after she left the Madison Street Jail wearing only the panties and T-shirt she had on when she was arrested. Robbins said the area around the jail was poorly lit and wasn't monitored by surveillance cameras. Sheriff's officials have said the woman left on her own accord before her ride came to pick her up and that she was beaten in an area that was not on or near the jail premises.
Robbins countered that such lawsuits are important "to make sure the Sheriff's Office is running the right way."
Arpaio said he plans to go back to court to recover attorney's costs for both cases, and he vowed to take future cases all the way to trial instead of letting insurance firms settle.
"We're going to fight, and we're going to let the public decide," Arpaio said.
"I'm getting frustrated. I'm getting tired when we do run the most efficient jails in the country."
would tell you to wait if your not decently dressed. (oh I forget common sense) Do you expect me as a taxpayer and PO to buy her clothes? If that starts happening everyone we arrest will be half naked just to get new clothes.
Comment