Angry judge treats Sheriff Arpaio like a deadbeat dad

For 20 years Sheriff Joe Arpaio has sent out squads of deputies and volunteer posse members on Mother's Day and/or Father's Day to round up parents for ignoring court orders to pay child support.

U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow apparently likes Arpaio's idea of publicly humiliating deadbeats so much that last week he decided to us the tactic himself – against Arpaio.

Snow sent officers from the U.S. Marshals Service to the sheriff's office to collect evidence in the federal contempt case against Arpaio, saying that Aripaio and his staff are ignoring court orders to turn it over.

In June, on the sheriff's 20th anniversary raid against wayward parents, Arpaio told reporters, "This is something I want to take to the public and I want those deadbeats to listen to what I have to say, which is, 'Surrender.'"

In sending the marshals to raid Arpaio's office Snow issued a similar message, saying, "Somebody has to be held responsible sometime...And it's going to be now."

The annual deadbeat roundup is a public relations bonanza for the sheriff. It never fails to generate a lot of media exposure. And Arpaio invariably repeats the same theme. Last year, he conducted a raid on his 82nd birthday

"I work seven days a week," he said. "This one happens to be on my birthday and what's a better way to spend a birthday then try to send a message out there…Surrender."

Snow demanded the same thing. He wants Arpaio's office to surrender nearly 1,500 identification cards seized by sheriff's deputies that allegedly had been marked for destruction in direct violation of a court order.

Two years ago, Arpaio said during his deadbeat parent raid, "My message is be a man or woman and surrender to the Sheriff's office, but they're not gonna do it. We have to track them down, drag them outta their houses and take them to the tents with a free bus ride."

Likewise the marshals had to go looking for 50 hard drives supposedly tied to a confidential informant who was hired by Arpaio to gather information on Snow.

During one of his yearly deadbeat parent raids, which can feature images of parents being led away in handcuffs, Arpaio said, "If you think I'm embarrassing these guys, OK. Let them come in and surrender and pay support…We don't tolerate the deadbeats."

Neither does Judge Snow, it seems.

Arpaio and his Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan already have admitted to civil contempt. Snow is in the process of deciding if their case should be referred for criminal proceedings.

Attorney Dan Pochoda of Arizona American Civil Liberties Union, one of the plaintiffs in the original case against Arpaio's office, said that court orders were "in a wholesale manner ignored" by Arpaio.

The sheriff doesn't take kindly to moms and dads who ignore court orders.

Likewise, the judge doesn't take kindly to a sheriff who ignores court orders, and is giving Arpaio a taste of his own medicine.

Minus the handcuffs. For now.