The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place Assessor Paul Petersen on unpaid suspension for a period of 120 days pursuant to ARS 11-664. According to the motion approved by the Board, "Mr. Petersen's failure to meaningfully oversee the operations of his office for an extended period and repeated misuse of county resources to conduct his private law practice constitutes neglect of duty."
Petersen is currently in federal custody, accused of crimes in three states related to his private legal practice.
An internal audit, requested by Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates, found that Mr. Petersen had hundreds of private business documents on his county-issued desktop computer.
With Petersen suspended, the Board is now required to appoint a person to fill the position.