6 Sept 19th-Sept 25th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Police Probes Ex-sheriff’s deputy investigated for cuffing elderly woman. BY TJ L’HEUREUX D uring an Aug. 21 meeting, Arizona’s law enforcement watchdog issued punish- ments for six law enforce- ment officers, including several who were the subject of drunk driving and domestic abuse allegations. The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, or AZPOST, licenses all law enforcement officers in the state and is one of the few agencies in Arizona with the power to discipline police. As of its August meeting, AZPOST has opened 43 investigations into officers and punished 29 this year. The 12-member board includes Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, two rural sheriffs, Phoenix City Councilmember Kevin Robinson and Ryan Thornell, director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Its principal task is certifying all officers across the state, but it also has the power to revoke or suspend the certifications of offi- cers who demonstrate troubling behavior. This year, the board has punished offi- cers for putting the muzzle of a gun to a woman’s head, asking two high school girls when they lost their virginity, driving while under the influence, domestic abuse and lying to superiors or investigators. In June, the board gave former Peoria officer Danielle Trouton her certification back after it had been taken from her months earlier. Trouton resigned from the Peoria Police Department last year after an internal investigation revealed that she made an arrest in a domestic violence inci- dent without enough probable cause. ‘I could have shot her’ The board also opened an investigation into Michael Uyehara of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, whose heavy- handed response to an 82-year-old woman using a cane was shown on video during the meeting. On Oct. 2, 2022, Uyehara responded to a call from a woman in Sun City who said her husband had shot himself. A para- medic told Uyehara that a neighbor was coming over, specifying that she used a cane. Uyehara denied her entry, according to the video played at the meeting. “She called me,” the woman responded, referencing the wife of the deceased man. “She needs me.” As she tried to get Uyehara to “listen for one second,” he threatened to arrest her and then handcuffed her. The woman later complained to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, claiming Uyehara bruised her wrists and arm. The office conducted an internal investigation that found Uyehara made at least seven inaccurate statements in his report of the incident — including that the woman tried to push past him to enter the house, which was directly contradicted by video evidence. When internal investigators asked Uyehara if he could have done anything differently, compliance specialist Tim Shay told the board the officer said, “Yeah, I could have shot her. I could have tased her. I could have kick-swept her foot and knocked her to the ground.” The internal investigation found Uyehara used excessive force, failed to provide accurate >> p 8 | NEWS | | NEWS | A Mesa police officer pleaded guilty to drunk driving and child endangerment after he was arrested for drunkenly doing doughnuts in his truck with his 2-year-old son in the vehicle. (Photo by Elias Weiss)
