Pinal Sheriff Fires Deputy Louie Puroll
Babeu Calls Puroll's Actions "Totally Unacceptable"
Elias Johnson
Reporter, KPHO.com

POSTED: 11:03 am MST January 5, 2011
UPDATED: 6:55 pm MST January 5, 2011

PHOENIX -- The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said it has fired a deputy who claims he was wounded in confrontation with drug smugglers for statements he made to a weekly Phoenix newspaper.

Deputy Louis Puroll was terminated Wednesday after an internal affairs investigation determined he made false statements to Phoenix New Times reporter Paul Rubin.

Puroll told Rubin he had been previously approached by Mexican drug cartel members, statements he did not disclose to his superiors.

"In terms of the stories he told me about meeting up with the Mexican cartels and death threats and that kind of stuff, I took him seriously," Rubin said. "I didn't know if he was telling the truth of not, but he sure sounds good when he says this stuff. He's very believable."

"I stood by my deputy after he was shot by drug smugglers in April because his statements to both criminal and internal investigators were consistent, supported by physical evidence, radio transmissions, GPS coordinates, other victims/witnesses and later through gunshot residue testing conducted on the shirt he was wearing," said Sheriff Paul Babeu.

"The manner in which Deputy Puroll conducted himself following the shooting investigation when interviewed by Reporter Paul Rubin brought great discredit to himself and the men and women representing our sworn law enforcement profession." Deputy Puroll has formally appealed his termination.

Puroll came under scrutiny after he was slightly wounded in what he described as an ambush by marijuana smugglers in the desert about 50 miles south of Phoenix in April.

Puroll made the statements to the Phoenix New Times after the investigation was closed in October. He reportedly said he had previously been approached by drug cartel members but did not tell his superiors.

"Great story teller, loves being the center of attention, loves having the stage. "(Puroll would) be a great a great guy to sit around a campfire with and hear about his wild yarns. That's a good thing if you're telling the truth," Rubin said.

Puroll was suspended after the New Times story was published for what Sheriff Paul Babeu said appeared to be unprofessional conduct.

Sheriff's spokesman Tim Gaffney on Wednesday said that the probe is complete.

http://www.kpho.com/news/26377116/detail.html