Sheriff Arpaio Petitions For Emails

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed a petition for special action this week with the Arizona Court of Appeals in the hopes that the court would force Maricopa County Superior Court administrators to turn over a series of e-mail sheriff's investigators requested more than a year ago.

The sheriff's original request for e-mail, memos and notes from Judge Barbara Mundell, Adult Probation Administrator Barbara Broderick and Superior Court employee Jessica Funkhouser came in December 2007, as the Sheriff's Office was at odds with the court system over Arpaio's decision to curtail inmate-visitation hours.

That decision was overturned in Superior Court but ultimately upheld in the Court of Appeals.

Arpaio said he hoped the appeals court would force the Superior Court to turn over the documents requested under the Arizona Public Records Law.

"It looks like this court wants to put itself above the law instead of doing their job, which is enforcing the law," Arpaio said after his attorney filed the petition on Monday.

A series of letters between Sheriff's Office employees and court administrator Marcus Reinkensmeyer shows the two sides negotiating over the records, and which ones investigators would have legal access to.

Reinkensmeyer offered to meet with sheriff's officials to discuss the requests last April, but the requests were ignored until December, according to Reinkensmeyer's letters, when MCSO Deputy Chief David Hendershott phoned and began discussing the sheriff's investigation of County Supervisor Don Stapley.

Sheriff's officials expect a decision within the next two weeks.

Via AZcentral