A Maricopa County sheriff’s candidate denied accusations that he sexually assaulted his adoptive mother 30 years ago, calling the allegations a political attack by his opponent, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
"This was a very desperate move on his part," said Dan Saban, a retired Mesa police commander. "This is about as evil as you can get."
Saban said he plans to hold a news conference regarding the issue on Tuesday.
The woman, not identified by the Tribune, filed a report on Wednesday with the sheriff’s office accusing her adopted son of raping her at their Mesa home in July 1973.
The woman, who lives in Apache Junction, recently emailed the sheriff’s office, the report states.
Saban said that the sheriff’s office took advantage of his mother, and called her another victim of Arpaio’s politics.
The woman told sheriff’s deputies that she finally came forward to bring closure.
She also contacted Saban several months ago in an attempt to force him to come forward, the report states.
After taking the woman’s statement, the case was forwarded to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office to avoid a conflict of interest, officials said.
"I have no comment except that the case has been turned over to another agency for whatever action is deemed appropriate," Arpaio said.
