SanTanValley.com

On Thursday, May 9, Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles received the honor of speaking at the 2013 Pinal County Fallen Officer Dedication Ceremony, remembering the lives of the brave men and women in uniform killed in the line of duty and recognizing the families of those individuals.

Serving as the Pinal County Attorney and working directly with federal and state officials, Sheriff Babeu and his deputies, local police chiefs and their officers, Voyles knows the hard work and dedication the trained men and women in law enforcement encounter on a daily basis.  At the Ceremony, he shared instances where the dedication of law enforcement positively impacted lives and signified their willingness to sacrifice for the betterment and safety of those in our community.  

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office will be the first law enforcement agency in Arizona to begin using a new technology in their jail that will enable inmates to receive visitors through computer terminals. Inmates at the Pinal County Adult Detention Center will be able to visit with their friends, family and attorneys without the visitor having to travel to the facility. iWebVisit.com is the inventor of this third generation technology which allows visitation via the “cloud” from any home, office or other remote location with a high speed internet connection. Using their sophisticated and secure patent pending technology, iWebVisit.com will have a number of Video Visitation Stations in the detention center which will allow inmates to participate in pre-scheduled visits. iWebVisit.com debuted the technology at a facility in Washoe County, Nevada in 2010. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office will be the first Arizona law enforcement agency to use the new technology. Since the technology unveiled in on April 15th, 2013, there have been more than 60 remote visits. The cost for iWebVisit.com is $15 per 30-minute remote video visitation session.

Arizona is one of 29 states in the nation where it is still legal to fire someone because they are homosexual. While the cities of Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff and Bisbee have incorporated inclusive nondiscrimination policies toward gays and transgendered, now is the time for the whole state to be inclusive and equally protect all of our citizenry.

On April 13th, 2013 at 5:27 a.m., the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office working the Country Thunder event in Florence received reports of a verbal argument that was escalating between two groups.

As Pinal County Sheriff deputies arrived on scene they found a 36-year-old male with stab wounds to the upper back and rib cage. He was treated and airlifted to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn where he underwent surgery and is in critical condition.

Victim’s family threatens $4 million lawsuit against Pinal County— DPS investigators recommended manslaughter charge in ‘reckless’ 97 mph wreck— County Attorney Voyles claims political ties with Sheriff not a factor in declining prosecution

The family of Jeffrey Sorenson, 57, a retired Army officer and former Department of Defense executive who was killed in a car accident last year, has filed a $4-million notice of claim with Pinal County as the first step in a wrongful death lawsuit.

The corruptive politicization of our county’s legal system was in full and ugly display this past week, as the public learned no charges are being pursued against a Sheriff’s Deputy who recklessly drove at 97 mph into the side of a Gold Canyon area resident’s truck, killing the driver who was turning into his subdivision from U.S. 60.

Displaying total subservience to the county’s virtual Republican boss, and ignoring the Department of Public Safety’s recommendation that manslaughter charges be pursued, County Attorney Lando Voyles, leaves no doubt that political loyalty trumps justice.

During taxpaying season and county budget preparation time, taxpayers are understandably concerned about possible misuse of public resources.  Especially when those resources are misused in pursuit of obvious political objectives.

This county taxpayer, as I suspect others more discreet about sharing their views, is not surprised that our County Sheriff, no longer content with politicizing law enforcement, now ventures into politicizing basic county governance.   

County Manager discovers that jail is losing millions on federal contract

Early last year, Pinal County Manager Fritz Behring directed county finance staff to look into why the Pinal County Jail seemed to be loosing revenue. The audit revealed that the county had been losing money on it’s biggest contract— housing immigration detainees for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The amount of potential revenue lost runs in the millions.

Last year, I was re-elected overwhelmingly to my second term as Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. The citizens of Pinal County have placed their sacred trust into my hands and the hands of my office to keep them and their families safe.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that, even though less than a month has passed since Paul Babeu started his second term as Sheriff of Pinal County, he is now in Phoenix (Maricopa County) hanging out and lobbying with Senator Crandell.  In short, Babeu and Crandall are asking that Clean Elections money be discontinued and reallocated to cover School Resource Officers state wide. On paper, what they are asking may look OK.  Unfortunately, Babeu is asking for money that he already has. He is cheating the citizens of Arizona. Surprise.