Three former Tucson-area law enforcement officers have been stripped of their state license to perform police work.
In a Wednesday meeting, the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board voted to revoke the peace officer certifications of Warren L. Croft, Joseph H. Arnason and Princeton T. Calabaza, said Sandy Sierra, a board spokeswoman.
Croft was formerly employed by the Pima County Sheriffโs Department, Arnason by Sierra Vista Police Department, and Calabaza worked for the Tohono Oโodham Police Department.
The board also rejected an agreement with ex-Tucson police Officer Daniel M. Santa Cruz for a two-year suspension of his peace officer certification, and voted to deny certification to Reza Vafaie, a former Tucson police recruit, Sierra said.
The Star reported Sunday that the board voted to initiate proceedings against two former Tucson police officers and two recruits โ one from Marana Police Department and the other from the Pima County Sheriffโs Department. Those cases will be heard in upcoming months.
Certification revoked
Croft, 51, resigned from the Sheriffโs Department in July 2014 after investigators learned heโd filed a false police report that led to a manโs arrest on domestic-violence charges, AZPOST documents show.
In January 2014, Croft began a relationship with a woman who was in the process of divorcing her husband. In February, Croft created a false department report of a domestic dispute between the woman and her estranged husband, which led to charges being filed against the man, according to the documents.
A few months later, the husband filed a complaint against Croft with the department, saying he had acted in an โunauthorized and biased manner โ because of the relationship, the documents state.
At the conclusion of the departmentโs investigation, Croft was voluntarily demoted to corrections officer in lieu of termination, but resigned before working at the jail, the document said. He had been employed with the department for 13 years.
Certification revoked
Arnason, 26, was fired from the Sierra Vista Police Department in December 2014 after being involved in a DUI crash while on duty, AZPOST documents show.
Shortly before his 7 a.m. shift began on Dec. 19, Arnason rear-ended a truck while driving his marked patrol car, which in turn hit the vehicle in front of it. No one was injured, but Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were called to investigate because Arnason was on duty and driving his department vehicle, documents show.
While Arnason was being driven back the police station, the driver noticed โan odor of an intoxicating beverageโ coming from Arnason, and asked another officer to conduct a DUI investigation.
A Breathalyzer test revealed that Arnasonโs blood-alcohol content was 0.09 โ just above the legal limit for being drunk โ and a blood test was ordered. Arnason was terminated immediately.
He pleaded guilty to DUI charges in March, according to court records.
Certification revoked
Calabaza, 30, was fired from the Tohono Oโodham Police Department in February after investigators discovered he had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl, AZPOST documents show.
Calabaza began communicating with the girl, who is the younger sister of a former high school classmate, in July 2015, documents show.
The girlโs mother was aware the two were talking but assumed it was innocent, until she found her daughter missing from their home one morning and became concerned โthat something more was going on,โ the documents show.
Shortly after, the girlโs mother filed a complaint with the Police Department, saying she believed the relationship had become inappropriate. Police pulled text messages off the girlโs cellphone that were indicative of a relationship, documents show.
Calabaza initially denied any wrongdoing, before admitting he and the girl had kissed on at least two occasions.
Certification denied
Vafaie, 43, was hired by Tucson police in September 2015 and dismissed from the academy three days later, when it was learned he had lied on his application.
During a 2008 application to TPD, Vafaie listed multiple uses of cocaine, opium and steroids, all within the last two years, AZPOST documents say. The day after he applied, TPDโs background unit recommended he be permanently disqualified.
Between 2011 and 2014, Vafaie applied several times to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Sheriffโs Department, never listing illegal drug use .
After Vafaie had been hired by TPD and started the academy in September 2015, a department audit discovered that his previous application had been misfiled and the disqualification had not initially been discovered.
Agreement rejected
Santa Cruz, 44, was one of five TPD employees fired last year in the wake of an investigation into the By Spanish prostitution ring, documents show.
Last December, the AZPOST initiated proceedings against Santa Cruz to revoke his peace officer certification. In Wednesdayโs meeting, the board rejected his proposed consent agreement for a two-year suspension of his certification, Sierra said.
AZPOST will notify Santa Cruzโs attorney of the boardโs decision, and a new hearing will be scheduled .
