Tucson defense attorney Brad Roach, who left the County Attorney's Office in the wake of the Dr. David Brian Stidham homicide, is gearing up to run against his former boss in November.
Roach, who has already taken out campaign finance documents to challenge Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, plans to make a formal announcement at 10 a.m. Wednesday at La Placita Park, 110 S. Church Ave.
According to a news release, the Republican said he was encouraged to run by law enforcement officers and people in both the Republican and Democratic parties.
"The people of Pima County want a prosecution office that puts justice ahead of political considerations," Roach said in the statement.
As county attorney, Roach said his attorneys would pursue criminals responsible for the "unacceptably high crime rate," put victims first and "provide the leadership to end the mass exodus of attorneys who become qualified and then leave the office."
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"I feel that I can no longer let such an important function with our government head in the wrong direction," he said.
Roach was one of four deputy Pima County attorneys disciplined by LaWall in the aftermath of Bradley Schwartz's arrest for Stidham's October 2004 slaying.
According to LaWall, she suspended Roach, Nicki DiCampli and Janet Altschuler and fired Paul Skitzki because they failed to immediately tell authorities that Lourdes Lopez, their friend and former colleague, had identified Schwartz as a possible suspect.
Roach, DiCampli and Skitzki appealed to the Pima County Merit Commission. The commission voted unanimously to uphold Skitzki's firing but voted 2-1 to reduce Roach's discipline to a written reprimand and DiCampli's to a verbal reprimand, and give them back pay.
Roach told the Merit Commission he delayed reporting his suspicions of Schwartz because he didn't want Schwartz to be able to say the Pima County Attorney's Office was targeting him. Plus, he said, Lopez had already spoken to sheriff's deputies about Schwartz.
Roach, DiCampli and Altschuler all eventually left the office for private practice. Skitzki is now an assistant Pima County public defender.
After the Merit Commission hearings, Roach filed a complaint with the State Bar of Arizona alleging that LaWall lied during the hearings.
The complaint was dismissed, with a spokesman saying, "The State Bar did not find evidence that Barbara LaWall violated the rules of professional conduct."
Schwartz is serving a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder in the Stidham case.
Ronald Bruce Bigger is serving life without the possibility of parole for killing Stidham and life with the possibility of parole after 25 years for conspiring with Schwartz.
