Officials: Package sent to sheriff could have killed

Associated Press

PHOENIX

Arizona authorities say a package addressed to Sheriff Joe Arpaio discovered in a northern Arizona mailbox would have exploded if opened, leading to serious injuries or death.

Maricopa County Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan made the comment Friday at a news conference in Phoenix. He said investigators are trying to locate one person who may have been involved in mailing the package addressed to his boss.

The package intercepted late Thursday was addressed to Arpaio at his Phoenix office. It had been left in a parcel locker that was part of a multiple-address mailbox in a rural part of Coconino County, outside Flagstaff.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Keith Moore said a courier called his supervisor after noting it was suspicious, and the package eventually was brought into the main post office in Flagstaff. An X-ray showed what appeared to be bomblike components, including wires and a container, and authorities used a water cannon to neutralize the package, Sheridan said.

Arpaio, the self- proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America,” is known for his strict treatment of jail inmates and cracking down on illegal immigration.