Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will appeal guilty ruling

PHOENIX — Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he will appeal a judge’s Monday ruling that he was guilty of misdemeanor contempt of court.

“Joe Arpaio is in this for the long haul and he will continue his fight to vindicate himself, to prove his innocence and to protect the public,” his attorneys said in a statement.

The statement said he would demand a trial by jury.

“Arpaio believes that a jury would have found in his favor and that it will,” the statement read.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for a trial by jury in June.

Arpaio, 85, was scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5. He could face up to six months in jail, but most legal experts don’t believe that will be the case.

The statement also alleged that U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton violated the Constitution by not reading her ruling in front of Arpaio and that her ruling was based on an argument that was not made in court.

“Judge Bolton found that an order by her fellow Judge G. Murray Snow, who is in the same building and sits on the same Arizona court, clearly said something that it did not even say: that the MCSO was prohibited from turning illegal aliens over to Border Patrol or ICE,” the statement said.

“Every witness in the case testified that the order was not clear, even though Judge Bolton and her fellow judge say so.”

Bolton said Arpaio was guilty of misdemeanor contempt after prolonging his controversial immigration sweeps for 17 months after being directed to stop them by Snow.

The lawman had acknowledged extending the patrols, but insisted his disobedience was unintentional. He blamed one of his lawyers for not properly explaining the injunction to him.

Arpaio’s two-decadeslong tenure as the head of the sheriff’s office came to an end in November, when he was defeated by Paul Penzone in the general election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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