PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has agreed to pay out nearly $1 million to settle two cases that involved the Sheriff's Office, including a wrongful-death claim brought by the family of a man who suffered a fatal heart attack while in custody.
Rico Rossi, 28, was taken to Tent City overnight in April 2007 to serve a DUI sentence. On the morning he was being released, he died from a heart attack.
"Due to the possible exposure, we made a business decision to settle," said Peter Crowley, the county's risk manager.
In addition to the $800,000 settlement for Rossi's case, the county also will pay out $125,000 to Nick Tarr, who was arrested by sheriff's deputies in 2002 and charged with impersonating a police officer.
Tarr had been hired by horse- and dog-track owners as a pitchman for a proposition to allow slot machines at tracks. He portrayed Joe Arizona, a character in a series of campaign commercials.
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio opposed the proposition.
On Oct. 31, Tarr went to downtown Phoenix to campaign. He was spotted by Arpaio's chief deputy, David Hendershott, who ordered deputies to investigate Tarr and they arrested him.
Tarr was wearing a khaki shirt with Arizona Department of Public Safety patches on it.
He was accused of impersonating an officer. The citation was eventually dropped, but Tarr said the incident had hurt his ability to land work and he sued Arpaio.
