Longest-Running Arizona Sheriff Loses Election
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
PHOENIX (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Voters have booted Joe Arpaio from office in his bid for a seventh term as the Sheriff of Maricopa County. Arpaio lost to Democrat Paul Penzone.
Arpaio was first elected in 1993 making him the longest-running sheriff in the county's history.
The 84-year-old Republican became a national figure by cracking down on illegal immigration and forcing jail inmates to wear pink underwear and serve them moldy bologna.
Two weeks before the election, Apraio's legal troubles came to a head. Federal prosecutors brought a contempt-of-court charge stemming from his defiance of a judge's order to stop carrying out patrols targeting Latinos.
Arpaio has faced criminal investigations in the past without being charged or losing his seat. That changed Tuesday despite a devoted base of supporters and strong fundraising, mainly from out-of-state donors.
He still faces the possibility of jail time.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)