Sandra Dowling Loses Lawsuit Vs. Sheriff Arpaio and Maricopa County Alleging Bad Motives in Prosecution

By Ray Stern Fri., Mar. 16 2012 at 4:42 PM

Sandra Dowling

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County won a lawsuit this week filed by former County Schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling over the 2005 raid of her home and subsequent prosecution.

Dowling launched the lawsuit in 2009, alleging she'd been the target of a conspiracy by Arpaio and members of the Board of Supervisors. We recently detailed aspects of the convoluted case in our feature story on the sex crimes uninvestigated by the Sheriff's Office.

As court records show, (see below), U.S. District Judge James Teilborg ruled that Dowling and her attorney, Mike Manning, failed to present enough evidence of their claims. They didn't show evidence that Arpaio didn't have probable cause to run the investigation and submit charges against her, Teilborg wrote.

The original case can't be considered much a victory for Arpaio: His office helped get Dowling charged with 25 felonies, but she later pleaded guilty to only one misdemeanor.

Manning says he'll likely appeal portions of the ruling.

Click here for a copy of Teilborg's ruling.

Sandra Dowling

Tags:

sandra dowling

We Recommend

Rebel Diaz

She was an easy prey. Like a pack hyenas on a zebra. Had she followed ethic guidelines. This would never had happened. Hope others in such positions learn this lesson. If you think you're gonna get away with corruption. Take a peep at all the latest politicos going down.

Yourproductsucks

This is what happens to lawsuits when they aren't immediately settled.

Native Guns

But sadly to say, the F.F. still won this case---technically. But what is this? His first victory since.....the 90's? He's still a loser in most law books.

Not Surprised, Again

What I find ironic is Joe's number 1 go to guy, David Hendershott, hired a friend and he hasn't faced any charges at all. What's with this Arpaio?From the MCSO's internal investigation report:"Garcia Lou Willard was paid for working more than 6,800 hours in a three-year period from 2007 to 2010, though investigators found fewer than 500 hours of work that the stay-at-home transcriptionist actually completed. Investigators estimated Willard was paid about $68,000 for work they could not account for...Hendershott blamed Willard's superiors for failing to supervise her or bring the issue to his attention. Willard was on the payroll for more than three years without taking a single sick day or any vacation time, according to investigators. She signed just two of 83 timesheets during the listed period. "I don't think it was fair for her to be, you know, hired on and able to work at home to a certain extent and not producing as much as a normal transcriptionist should," Sgt. Brianna Armstrong, a member of the Sheriff's Internal Affairs division, told investigators. "But considering her age and supposedly, she was one of the, you know, the people you just didn't mess with." Willard, investigators learned, was hired at Hendershott's request following a job posting for a transcriptionist in 2007."Hendershott's actions in regards to Ms. Willard's "employment" are heads and tails more illegal than Dowling giving her kid a summer job.So again, what's with this Arpaio? You have "the evidence," why haven't you charged Hendershott?