SanTanValley.com

Dear Mr. Walsh,

I write to you today not as a Pinal County law enforcement officer and not as a political attack, but as a victim of a serious crime in Pinal County.  I wish to address this criminal case (PCSO DR# 110409017) that has gone unprosecuted in Pinal County for political purposes. Sheriff Paul Babeu has overlooked it and has defended the incompetence and outright cronyism of his employees. This effort has been encouraged by the agents of the county who investigate claims and who appear to not work for the county, but have aligned themselves with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy undermining the competence and authority of the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.

On October 11th, 2012 Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Calhoun was selected as the 2012 MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) “DUI Enforcement Officer of the Year” at their annual awards dinner held at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites.

The annual event, hosted by Southern Arizona MADD, recognizes the commitment made by individuals to make the streets of our communities safer through aggressive impaired driving enforcement and continued education.

The transformation of Paul Babeu from politician to policeman reveals flaws neither inherent in politicians nor police, but reflect character of the person.  Let’s review the record.

Today, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu held a press conference at 10 a.m along with State Senator Sylvia Allen, Chief Deputy Steve Henry and SWAT Commander Lieutenant Matt Thomas to announce the creation of an armed Anti-Smuggling Posse (ASP) to assist in fighting the rampant drug smuggling in Pinal County.  The posse will be comprised of unpaid volunteers.

Sheriff Babeu recently honored two Arizona City teenagers for helping to save a woman who was discovered lying unconscious in front of a residential home.

On April 27th, Salvador Morreno, 11, found the woman near South Huntington Road and Benito Drive in Arizona City. As Morreno tended to her, he flagged down Antonio Ramirez, 15, who called 911.

As you may have already heard or been told, Sheriff Babeu has decided to run for re-election as Sheriff of Pinal County. I can tell you personally the level of partisanship and media hypocrisy has been disheartening over the last few months.

Poston Butte High School coaches, parents and staff celebrated athletic scholarships earned by four seniors in a commitment signing ceremony held in the main gym on Monday April 30th. The students are: Eric Augustine, Joel Lynde, Shane Gereg and Steve Henry.

As members of the first graduating class, these students have been breaking ground on new traditions for three years. “We’ve been leaders ever since we’ve been here,” stated Augustine. “There were no older students to help show us the way. We set the standard.”