Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says threats against him are part of his job but won’t keep him from doing it. Officials say if an explosive package addressed to him was opened, it could have caused deaths and injuries.
A suspicious package addressed to controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio contained a bomb that was powerful enough to maim or even kill the Sheriff of Maricopa County.
“Had someone opened that package, it would have caused a major explosion and caused serious physical injuries, burns and maybe death,”
–Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jerry Sheridan
A Flagstaff postal worker recognized possible gunpowder residue on the package on Thursday. The Flagstaff police department bomb squad responded to the scene and X-rayed the device and recognized a possible explosive device with wires and a container in the device.
The bomb squad disarmed the device with a water canon.
The mailing of the explosive device follows the killings of three other law enforcement officer and prosecutors. Two prosecutors have been gunned down in Kaufman County, Texas, since January. And last month, Tom Clements, chief of the Colorado prison system, was killed in his home.
