By Megan Cassidy | The Republic
Two sworn employees from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office testified Wednesday that deputies continued targeting Latinos under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s leadership even after a federal judge ordered the practice to stop.
The testimony came on the third day of Arpaio’s criminal contempt trial in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, as prosecutors wrapped up their case and Arpaio’s attorneys began presenting their case. His lawyers kept up what has been a spirited offensive, maintaining the judge’s order was unclear and invalidated by pre-existing laws.
The court order at issue came during the course of a racial-profiling case against the Sheriff’s Office. U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow issued a preliminary order against the agency in December 2011.
Related: Sheriff Paul Penzone expresses desire to ‘move on’ from predecessor Arpaio
