Sheriff Mark Napier has asked the Pima County Attorneyβs Office to investigate claims that he and members of his command staff committed perjury during a merit commission investigation involving the suspension of one of his lieutenants.
Napier said Friday that he made the request, which came after both the sheriffβs deputy and commanders unions issued statements asking for the investigation. He said he canβt comment further but βI will in the future.β
The perjury allegations stem from comments made by merit commission member Mike Hellon during an early-January hearing for sheriffβs Lt. Joe Cameron, who was appealing a May 2019 three-day suspension for βunprofessional behavior and insubordination.β
Cameron had been suspended by Napier for hanging a framed copy of a letter of reprimand in his office and refusing orders to not display it, and recording his disciplinary meetings, according to a copy of the suspension letter obtained by the Star.
During the appeal hearing in front of the Pima County Law Enforcement Merit System Council, Hellon said he believed there were βmultiple cases of perjury committed by the sheriffβs command staffβ during the merit commission process.
The councilβs investigation included interviews with witnesses and a review of evidence. Those interviewed included Napier, Chief Deputy Byron Gwaltney, and Chief John Stuckey, while Chief Karl Woolridge did not adhere to a subpoena to testify.
βWeβre obligated to consider the credibility of the witnesses and the credibility of the evidence. Here, for the record, I want to state that I consider Captain (Chief) Woolridge to be in contempt of this commission and Sheriff Napier to be complicit in that contempt by totally, willfully refusing to be here when ordered to do so,β Hellon said, according to a recording obtained by the Arizona Daily Star.
βI also believe that what we heard in the totality of these hearings was multiple cases of perjury committed by the sheriffβs command staff,β he continued. βI donβt believe any of them. I think they lied to us. β¦ I thought the sheriffβs command staff in total displayed complete contempt for the process of this commission and Iβm offended by it.β
The merit board voted 2-1 to uphold the appeal and overturn the suspension, saying the βappointing authority failed to establish that there was just cause for the suspension,β according to a decision letter obtained by the Star. Cameron was also awarded back pay.
The comments from Hellon led to immediate backlash from within the department, including from the leaders of the Pima County Deputy Sheriffβs Association and the Pima County Sheriffβs Commandersβ Association. Both organizations called on Napier to launch the investigation.
βI am very concerned with the verdict from the (merit) board regarding multiple high ranking commanders involved in perjury. This type of behavior deserves to be further investigated and not ignored by our sheriff or the County Attorneyβs Office,β Eric Cervantez, deputy sheriffβs association president, said in a prepared statement.
Commandersβ association chairman Gerard Moretz echoed those concerns to the Star, saying the organizationβs long-term concern is to βsort through allegations and get some sort of clarity on what occurred so that can be dealt with head-on.β
βI believe one of the key strengths of the Pima County Sheriffβs Department has been the trust given to us by the public,β he further said in a prepared statement. βThis trust is built on earned legitimacy, which is generated by transparency and integrity. That is all jeopardized without an objective clearing of the air. That can be accomplished by an unbiased investigation conducted by an agency for whom there is no conflict.β
In an interview with the Star on Friday, Napier said nobody has been disciplined as a result of Hellonβs comments, despite suggestions that Woolridge was on leave as a result; Napier said Woolridge is on medical leave for a life-threatening medical condition, and that he notified the department of that in an email.
βItβs under investigation,β Napier said. βNobody gets disciplined for an accusation. Anybody can allege anything. It doesnβt mean that thereβs any merit to it. So no, I requested that the County Attorneyβs Office investigate that. Weβre conducting a review of this stuff internally. But that said, I canβt comment.β
The Pima County Attorneyβs Office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment Friday afternoon.
It was not immediately known if the county would have to recuse itself from an investigation.
Cameron has long feuded with Napier, including when he released recorded audio that prompted Napier to ask the Attorney Generalβs Office to conduct a criminal investigation into the alleged misuse of federal funds by department leaders.
He said he wasnβt surprised by Hellonβs comments.
βIβve been asking for an investigation for years,β said Cameron, who is also a treasurer for the commandersβ union. βWhat I want is for these people to be held accountable.β
He said he hung the letter of reprimand on his wall βbecause that was a reminder for me to always do the right thing and even when you do the right thing, itβs going to be painful.β
βThat was for me,β Cameron said. βThatβs how serious I take this.β
Napier said he stands by the suspension.
βIt was a violation of department policies. Itβs insubordination,β he said.