Judge recommends criminal contempt charges for Sheriff Joe Arpaio

A federal judge said Friday that he would ask prosecutors to charge Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio with criminal contempt of court, bumping the issue up from the civil level, according to multiple reports.

{mosads}U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow had previously ruled that the controversial Maricopa County sheriff and ardent Donald Trump supporter had ignored orders from the court to work to remedy racial profiling by his officers.

The judge decided on Friday, after delaying the decision in May, that he would refer Arpaio to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to be charged with criminal contempt.  

Snow had ruled earlier that Arpaio and top aides had a “persistent disregard” for court-ordered reforms after an investigation found systematic discrimination against Latinos at traffic stops. 

On Friday the judge ruled that the issue should be taken up at the criminal level and also implicated Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan, Arpaio’s former defense attorney Michele Iafrate and Capt. Steve Bailey.

“Sheriff Arpaio and Chief Deputy Sheridan have a history of obfuscation and subversion of this Court’s orders that is as old as this case and did not stop after they themselves became the subjects of civil contempt,” Judge Snow wrote.

Arpaio has become a strong ally of Trump in his mission to crack down on illegal immigration. 

The sheriff, who has served six terms, is up for reelection and will likely again face off against his 2012 challenger, whom he beat out by 3 percentage points, after a primary later this month.