Thread: Pinal sheriff balks at rehiring deputy who Tasered a frog

Pinal sheriff balks at rehiring deputy who allegedly used Taser on frog

74 commentsby Lindsey Collom - Oct. 28, 2010 01:04 PM
The Arizona Republic
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The Pinal County Sheriff's Office plans to fight an order that it rehire a deputy fired earlier this year after using a Taser on a frog.

Internal investigation records show Deputy Raul Alverado, 34, told witnesses he kicked the frog multiple times, painted it with White Out and stunned it with a Taser because he was "bored" at work in August 2009.


Alverado allegedly said the frog was "taking it like a champ."

The deputy was terminated April 30 after sheriff's investigators determined he lied about the incident, violated codes of conduct, and misused county equipment.

The county's Merit System Commission overturned Alverado's dismissal. Tim Gaffney, a Sheriff's Office spokesman, said his department got the order last week.

"There's absolutely no doubt that deputy Alvarado lied in this case," Gaffney said. "As far as bringing him back, the sheriff has no intentions and is in the process of appealing the merit board's decision."

An animal cruelty charge against Alvarado was dropped Aug. 1 in a Florence-Coolidge justice court.

Internal investigation records show another deputy found Alverado sitting in a cubicle, the frog lying in a box top early Aug. 2, 2009, at department headquarters in Florence. Alverado told him he found the frog in the parking lot and decided to bring it inside.

The deputy told investigators he watched Alverado apply the Taser at least once, causing the frog's legs to shoot out.

An internal investigation was launched after a female dispatcher filed a complaint with her supervisor.

Alverado denied the accusations but said he told the dispatcher he was going to take the frog into the desert to perform a sex act on it, just to rile her. Alverado also admitting to firing the Taser 10 to 15 times that morning, but said he was only testing the unit because it hadn't been working properly.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/pina ... z13hgtqrhv

I only posted this as there are some interesting comments left by readers regarding this incident and I would bet that if the sheriff doesn't hire him back he will hear from groups like La Raza and such.

This guy sounds disturbed to say the least! Was this an AA hire because I’m wondering how the hell this psycho was ever allowed to become a cop in the first place!