By Arizona Agenda
Navajo County Recorder Timothy Jordan will likely get to stay in office even though he pleaded guilty to a felony related to a road rage incident involving a firearm.
You may remember the blip of news coverage of Jordan, who was arrested in October 2024 for pulling a gun on two 18-year-olds who he said were tailgating his truck, then lying to police, saying they pulled a gun on him.
The whole thing went down outside of a private Christian school in Show Low and was captured on surveillance footage that contradicted Jordan’s story, leading to charges of disorderly conduct with a weapon and three other misdemeanors, including lying to police.
A few days after his arrest, Jordan, a Republican, went on to defeat the incumbent Democratic recorder in the Republican-leaning county. He had campaigned on a platform of election skepticism.
Jordan was supposed to go to trial earlier this month, but he pleaded guilty on Dec. 31 to a felony count of disorderly conduct with a weapon and a misdemeanor count of misconduct involving weapons. He’ll be sentenced Feb. 13.
Normally, a felony conviction would mean the loss of the right to vote, serve as a juror, and possess a firearm. And he could have served as much as two years in prison.
Not to mention it would have meant he would be kicked out of public office.
But thanks to a 2022 law change designed for rehabilitation, Jordan will likely be able to continue on as the Navajo County recorder.
The offense he pleaded guilty to is an “undesignated Class 6 felony,” which is now treated as a hybrid felony and misdemeanor, meaning the “offense shall be treated as a misdemeanor for all purposes until such time as the court may actually enter an order designating the offense a misdemeanor or a felony.”
Under the new law, Jordan must still give up his right to possess a firearm and he still has to provide DNA. But he gets to keep his rights to vote, serve as a juror and hold public office.
