Thread: AZ-Mayor critical of sheriff gets pulled over for broken hea

May 14, 8:55 PM EDT


Mayor critical of sheriff gets pulled over for broken headlight


GUADALUPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The mayor who has accused sheriff's deputies of racially profiling Hispanics in her town was pulled over by an officer for having a broken headlight, officials said Wednesday.

The sheriff's office says Mayor Rebecca Jimenez was cited for the broken headlight and for not having proof of insurance and registration on Tuesday night.

According to a police report, the mayor told the deputy that she was wrong in thinking that Sheriff Joe Arpaio wouldn't retaliate against her for opposing his early April crackdowns in her town.

The report said the mayor asked the deputy how he liked working for a guy who racially profiles people of color and that she refused to sign the ticket and told the officer that he didn't need to explain the citation to her.

"I'll just have to go to Judge Melton and take care of it, I don't need you to explain it," the report quoted Jimenez as saying.

Calls to Jimenez's office Wednesday afternoon weren't immediately returned.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that when the deputy spotted the car with a broken headlight, he had no idea the driver was the town's mayor. "Was he supposed to let her go because she was the mayor? No way," Arpaio said.

Jimenez wasn't arrested because she was accused of committing only civil traffic violations.

Guadalupe, a community of about 6,000 people that relies on the sheriff's office for police protection, is taking steps to find another department to patrol its streets.

Arpaio said he was disgusted by the racial profiling allegations made by the mayor. "This is another reason why I want nothing to do with her and the little town of Guadalupe," Arpaio said.

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Knew she would play the race card. I guess the officer was wearing night vision goggles to make sure it was her in the car, no? What a biatch!

I hope the officer asked her about her legal status!

Earlier Post at
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-115460-0.html