(AZCENTRAL) — The U.S. Department of Justice officials have opted to charge Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio with criminal contempt for violating a federal court’s orders in a racial-profiling case.
Arpaio has not yet officially been charged. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton asked the federal government to write an order to show cause, by Wednesday, for her to sign. That will serve as a charging document for the case to go forward against Arpaio only.
The announcement came Tuesday at the case’s first criminal hearing in downtown Phoenix’s federal court.
