PHOENIX — A sheriff whose term in office has divided the communities of Apache County in Northeastern Arizona is scheduled to appear in court today to enter pleas on 11 felony charges that he used public money and vehicles for personal reasons.
Sheriff Brian Hounshell, 41, was indicted by a state grand jury July 2 on charges of conspiracy, misuse of public funds, fraud and theft. His arraignment is scheduled today in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.
An investigation by special prosecutor and former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods says that Hounshell may have used county resources and employees to bolster his re-election campaign, remodel his bathroom and to protect his father's home during the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire.
Hounshell did not return calls for comment Saturday.
The sheriff has become a divisive figure in recent years in Apache County, which has 71,000 residents and includes a large chunk of the Navajo Indian Reservation. While he experiences wide support in the Navajo community, he has clashed with a few members of the county Board of Supervisors and angered some of the people who worked with him.
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Hounshell was first indicted on the charges two years ago in the suspected theft and misuse of $8,000.
In October, a Maricopa County judge dismissed the charges on a technicality, saying the case should have been filed in Apache County. But the Arizona Court of Appeals recently reversed that decision, paving the way for the new indictment earlier this month.
The investigation into Hounshell upset county officials, and in July last year, the Board of Supervisors unsuccessfully tried to boot him from office.
Soon after, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. issued a written statement supporting the sheriff and calling him "a friend to the Navajo people."
"The voting populace, the electorate, selected Sheriff Hounshell to serve them," Shirley wrote. "He served them admirably, promptly and honorably, earning the support and respect throughout the northern portion of the county."
Hounshell was appointed to the sheriff's position in 1999 and was elected in 2000. In 2004, he won re-election and more than 80 percent of the Navajo vote. He would be up for re-election next year.
John Poe, who worked with Hounshell as an evidence technician and was one of several county employees who accused Hounshell of misusing public money, described how divided Apache County has become over the sheriff.
"We can't go anywhere without seeing people who are on all sides," he said. "Some people believe we were picking on the sheriff, or they're glad someone finally stood up to him."
