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Arizona sheriff campaign shaken up by GOP candidate
PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. - The Republican candidate for sheriff, as well as a deputy, have been placed on leave from the Pima County Sheriff's Department following an investigation into campaign activities while on duty.
According to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, which is led by Democratic Sheriff Chris Nanos who's running for re-election, the series of events started on Saturday, Oct. 12.
"On Saturday, October 12, 2024, members of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department received multiple reports of deputies standing at the intersection of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon, displaying a sign that read, ‘Deputies don’t want Nanos,'" the department said in an Oct. 14 news release.
That is not allowed under department policy when wearing department-issued attire.
"It was made clear to Sgt. [Aaron] Cross to not look like a deputy and Cross said that he understood," the department said.
Sgt. Cross was seen days later, on Oct. 14, allegedly campaigning again "while wearing tan BDU cargo pants, tan boots, a gray t-shirt, a weapon in a holster, and his magazine pouch with handcuffs," holding the same "Deputies don’t want Nanos" sign.
"This activity raised a number of concerns regarding specific regulations in the Sheriff’s Department, Pima County, and both state and federal law that prohibit political campaigning while representing yourself as a department member under the color of authority. We recognized that Cross’s activity represented several potential violations, all of which would be very serious. As a result of these concerns, Sergeant Cross has been placed on paid administrative leave for the time required to fully investigate these matters," the department said.
Investigation leads to further findings
Since it was known that the deputy, Sgt. Cross, was working for Lt. Heather Lappin's campaign to replace Nanos, she was asked about the sign.
"She admitted that she was aware of signs being made and that Sgt. Cross would be positioned near Udall Park and later on Thornydale Road but was not aware of when this was supposed to happen. Lt. Lappin expressed the belief that these activities were protected under first amendment rights and there is no violations of department rules and regulations nor merit system rules," the news release read.
The sheriff's office says that further investigation led to them finding out Lt. Lappin helped a local reporter pay an inmate in exchange for a story.
"Lt. Lappin granted the journalist access to inmates for interviews and provided him with access to deposit funds into the inmates' accounts. These actions raise several policy and ethical concerns regarding appropriate conduct of jail business by command staff," the department said.
The sheriff's office says Lt. Lappin is on paid leave while the investigation continues.
Lt. Lappin confirmed she was placed on leave via a statement where she accused the current sheriff of attempting to "suppress the opinions of herself and others."
The sheriff's department ended the news release by saying, "Holding staff accountable for their actions is not retaliation, and while I have previously overlooked certain behaviors due to the ongoing campaign, this new information is serious and simply cannot be ignored."