My opponent continues to spread lies and falsehoods regarding the Bryan Shaw case.Counting on the fact that I cannot, as the Pinal County Attorney, ethically comment on a pending investigation, my opponent continues to exploit this horrible tragedy to aid him in his political ambitions. Nonetheless, I can comment regarding the lies that deal with defendant Bryan Shaw’s previous criminal history in Pinal County.
Sadly, politicians like Mr. Voyles distort the facts, exploit tragedy, and attempt to exploit victims for political gain.Mr. Voyles even went as far as to approach grieving victims in the courthouse and ask them to join him in a press conference; however, when they refused his proposition, Mr. Voyles decided that the facts of the case were not sufficient for his political ambitions and simply created a new set of facts to aid his political assault.
Here are just a few of the lies Mr Voyles has been spreading about his prior in Pinal County:
· That Brian Shaw pulled a gun on his Uncle… (Mr. Shaw never pulled a gun on his uncle.)
· That my office charged Brian Shaw with a less serious crime than recommended by police… (My office charged Mr. Shaw with the EXACT crime recommended by the police agency.)
· That my office offered Brian Shaw probation as a plea.(Mr. Shaw was never offered probation as part of the plea agreement.My office refused to agree to probation and made Bryan Shaw plea to the charge while leaving the decision whether to send Mr. Shaw to prison up to the judge.)
The real message that should be taken from this horrible tragedy is that more needs to be done to protect victims.This is why my office has focused so much attention on victim outreach. Some of the hardest cases for any prosecutor are when the victims of Domestic Violence cannot escape their abusers, and the most heartbreaking is when those same victims end up in the hospital days, weeks, or years later—or worse, dead.
Sincerely,
/s/ James Walsh
To comment on this article and others visit the Copper Area News Facebook or send us an email at CBNSun@MinerSunBasin.com