Thread: Bomb addressed to "toughest sheriff in America" Joe Arpaio defused

April 12, 2013, 9:44 AM

Bomb addressed to "toughest sheriff in America" Joe Arpaio defused

PHOENIX Authorities are investigating an explosive device addressed to Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" known for his tough treatment of jail inmates and cracking down on illegal immigrants.

The device intercepted in Flagstaff late Thursday was in a package addressed to Arpaio at his downtown Phoenix office, Arpaio's office said in a statement.

It appeared suspicious, so it was X-rayed and the device was detected. A bomb squad team neutralized the explosive, the statement said.

Arpaio's chief deputy, Jerry Sheridan, told The Arizona Republic that investigators believe the package was picked up on Thursday at a rural Post Office box. Flagstaff is about 140 miles north of Phoenix.

Following the killing of a West Virginia sheriff last week, Arpaio said elected law enforcement officials across the nation seem to be targeted.

A national hero to conservatives on immigration issues, Arpaio himself has been the target of numerous threats. That prompted the need for a security detail for the lawman also known for dressing jail inmates in pink underwear and making them sleep in tents in the heat of the Arizona desert.

A campaign to recall Arpaio began just weeks after he started his sixth term in January.

Critics contend Arpaio should be ousted because his office failed to adequately investigate more than 400 sex-crimes cases, allegedly racially profiled Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols and has cost the county $25 million in legal settlements over treatment in county jails.


Arpaio has denied that his deputies racially profiled Latinos in traffic patrols targeting illegal immigration. He has said his office has moved to clear up the sex-crime cases and moved to prevent the problem from happening again.


In February, CBS affiliate KPHO reported that Arpaio was criticized for tactics he used to raise money and thwart a potential election recall.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...BS+News+Polls)

Added to Homepage earlier today:
http://www.alipac.us/content/bomb-ad...-defused-1658/

Package sent to Arpaio could have injured, killed

Posted: Apr 11, 2013 11:41 PM CDT
By BOB CHRISTIE and FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona authorities say a package addressed to Sheriff Joe Arpaio discovered in a northern Arizona mailbox would have exploded if opened, leading to serious injuries or death.

Maricopa County Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan made the comment Friday at a news conference in Phoenix.

He said investigators are trying to locate one person who may have been involved in mailing the package addressed to his boss.

The package intercepted late Thursday was addressed to Arpaio at his downtown Phoenix office. It had been left in a parcel locker that was part of a multiple address mailbox in a rural part of Coconino County, outside Flagstaff city limits.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Keith Moore said a courier called his supervisor after noting it was suspicious, and the package was eventually brought into the main Post Office in Flagstaff. An X-Ray showed what appeared to be bomb-like components, including wires and a container, and authorities used a water cannon to neutralize the package, Sheridan said.

Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," said this isn't the first time he's been threatened. Arpaio is known nationally for his strict treatment of jail inmates and cracking down on illegal immigration.
"Of course you worry. I'm a victim, I'm a witness. When you convict people, the victim has to be somewhat concerned. I'm a little concerned about my family," Arpaio said at the news conference. "I didn't ask for all these threats."

Postal Inspector Patricia Armstrong said authorities were alerted by a "very astute" carrier who observed "something suspicious" about the package.

Armstrong didn't elaborate on what raised suspicion, but Tom Mangan, a spokesman in Phoenix for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said initial reports indicated that the package was a box that might have been damaged in transit and leaked gunpowder.

Sheridan said the package contained black powder and an ignition device, although he wasn't sure if it was packed into a container and would have exploded or simply ignited in a flash fire. Either way, he said, it was very dangerous.

"Had someone opened that package, it would have caused a major explosion and caused serious physical injury, burns and maybe death," Sheridan said. "That is a very, very serious threat."

Authorities in Flagstaff, which is about 140 miles north of Phoenix, said they are pursuing leads in the case.
Arpaio said he receives lots of packages, including ones with cookies recently as he recuperated from a broken shoulder suffered when he fell crossing a street on his way to lunch. He said he opens some of the packages personally.

"Hey, they send me cookies, now they send me bombs," he said Friday. "It's a little different."
Arpaio said the mailing of an explosive device addressed to him comes with his line of work. He cited the recent killings of a West Virginia sheriff, Colorado's corrections director and two prosecutors in Texas.

"That's the nature of the business," he said.

Arpaio said whoever is responsible for mailing the package, if found, would be brought to justice.
"I'm not going to be intimidated by anyone, that's a promise," he said.

Following the killing of a West Virginia sheriff last week, Arpaio said elected law enforcement officials across the nation seem to be targeted.

Arpaio has had a security detail for years, and regularly receives threats. This week, the sheriff's office said he had received threats from Mexican drug cartels which put a $4 million bounty on him and possibly dispatched a hit man to attack him.

The office distributed a list of 10 cases since mid-2011 where people threatened the sheriff, who is known for housing inmates in tents and forcing the men to wear pink underwear. Most involved people posting threats on the Internet or following routine arrests. Several suffered from a mental illness, and several people reportedly were prompted by Arpaio's stance against illegal immigrations.

Sheridan said there's no evidence linking the package found Thursday with a specific threat or cartels.
A campaign to recall Arpaio began just weeks after he started his sixth term in January.

Critics contend that Arpaio should be ousted because his office failed to adequately investigate more than 400 sex-crimes cases, allegedly racially profiled Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols and has cost the county $25 million in legal settlements over treatment in county jails.

Arpaio has denied that his deputies racially profiled Latinos in traffic patrols targeting illegal immigration. His office has moved to clear up the sex-crime cases and moved to prevent the problem from happening again, he said.

Sheridan and Arpaio both lashed out at the Department of Justice and immigrant activists who criticize him, saying they rile up people who are unstable and end up threatening Arpaio.

"I'm saying the tempo out there, about this sheriff, does cause people to do bad things," Arpaio said.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/21...mb-in-the-mail

Posted: 7:45 PM

By: Associated Press By: Associated Press

PHOENIX - Forensic experts are examining evidence gathered from a package that was addressed to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and contained an explosive.

Investigators are expected to use the examination to try to determine the source of the materials used in the package discovered in a mailbox Thursday.

The package was intercepted after it had been left in a parcel locker in a rural part of Coconino County and was flagged by a mail carrier as suspicious.

Authorities used a water cannon to neutralized the package.

An Arpaio aide has said the package contained black powder and an ignition device, although he wasn't sure if it was packed into a container and would have exploded or simply ignited in a flash fire.

No arrests have been made.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region...sent-to-arpaio

Man gets 7 years for hoax bomb addressed to Arpaio

Jim Walsh, The Republic | azcentral.com12:28 p.m. MST December 16, 2014

Prosecutors said Gregory Shrader bore no ill will toward Sheriff Joe Arpaio but he was trying to exact revenge on a former business partner when he mailed the suspicious package in April 2013.


(Photo: Republic file photo)

Gregory Shrader, the man convicted of addressing a suspicious package to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday morning, following a hearing in U.S. District Court.

Shrader had attempted to send the device to the sheriff's headquarters from a post-office box outside Flagstaff while on an arranged road trip to the Grand Canyon in April 2013.

Postal workers flagged the suspicious-looking package, and investigators later used an X-ray robot to screen the parcel. Inside the box were wires, a battery, a pressure-release switch and a bottle that was later found to contain smokeless powder, according to court documents.

Shrader had pleaded not guilty to the charges of making a threat by means of explosive material, transportation of explosive material, mailing an injurious item and possession of explosive materials by a felon.

Prosecutors said that although Shrader addressed the package to Arpaio, the defendant's real target was a former business partner whom Shrader was trying to frame for the crime. The U.S. Attorney's Office presented no evidence to suggest Shrader harbored any animosity toward the sheriff.


U.S. Post Office finds black powder in a package addressed to Sheriff Arpaio.

Items of physical evidence linking Shrader to the crimes, although present, often did not necessarily eliminate the public at large, a factor prosecutors attributed to Shrader's painstaking efforts to cover his tracks and point the blame at his former partner.

Fingerprints were not found on the package, but the woman with whom Shrader drove to the Grand Canyon said Shrader wore gloves when he placed the parcel in the mailbox.

Genetic evidence discovered on the inner flap of the package was consistent with Shrader's DNA, with a probability that one in 8,300 U.S. Caucasians would share the same profile. Shrader's defense attorney argued that there could be several people just in Arizona who would match.

A handwriting expert was called to explain her findings regarding the handwritten return address on the package addressed to Arpaio. The return label, she said, matched one found in Shrader's home. This copy, the witness pointed out, revealed a faint-yellow mark behind the lettering — evidence that it had been used to trace handwriting over it.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...ence/20482093/

Thank you for this update JohnDoe2.