Laughing boy: yet another lawsuit Joe will be sending us the bill for...
by Stephen Lemons
Phoenix New Times
The son of U.S. Senator Jeff Flake has filed suit in federal court against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County, claiming that the sheriff's investigation into the deaths of 23 dogs last year at Gilbert's Green Acre dog boarding facility was motivated by politics, spite and Arpaio's insatiable hunger for publicity.
The complaint, which was filed late Friday, alleges that Arpaio directed his deputies to target Flake's son Austin and Austin's now estranged wife Logan because of the media-value of their last name. The sheriff also hounded his investigators to establish a link between the Senator and the animal cruelty case involving his son.
As a result, the complaint states that the MCSO conducted surveillance on the U.S. Senator's Mesa residence.
The complaint cites notes made by Deputy Chief David Trombi, indicating that the MCSO was watching the Senator's house on June 27, 2014, though Austin and Logan Flake actually were in Utah at the time.
The filing also alleges that the sheriff's office went through the phone records of Austin and Logan Flake, "specifically searching for any calls to or from Senator Flake or his wife during the time of the incident," but found none.
Arpaio knew "the Flake name would garner publicity" for his office, according to the complaint, so Arpaio "publicized the criminal case against the Flakes heavily."
U.S. Senator Jeff Flake's Mesa home was under
surveillance by the MCSO, according to the lawsuit
Ultimately, Arpaio illegally sought and obtained an indictment against the Flakes, who were taking care of the facility for Logan's mother Maleisa Hughes and Maleisa's husband Todd, while they were away. More
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