The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was notified today by the state Attorney General’s Office that Jayme Valenzuela has been indicted for criminal charges as a result of their investigation into allegations of theft from the Town of Superior. After reviewing the indictment, Sheriff Babeu immediately notified Mr. Valenzuela his employment with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was terminated. Mr. Valenzuela served as an “at-will” employee, which carries no rights to appeal the decision.
In February 2016, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Town of Superior that they were looking into allegations that Valenzuela used the Town-issued credit card for personal expenses. He served as the town’s Mayor. They forwarded the allegations to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to conduct a criminal investigation.
In February, the Town of Superior gave us a courtesy notification of the allegations, as Valenzuela also worked in the Pinal County Jail as a commander. Upon learning of the criminal investigation, Sheriff Babeu placed Valenzuela on a paid administrative reassignment, pending the outcome of the Attorney General’s investigation. During this time, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office verified, while Valenzuela did have a Pinal County issued credit card, there were no inappropriate charges.