Updated Aug 18, 2012 - 1:58 pm
Family of sex abuse victim may sue Arpaio's office
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PHOENIX — The family of a girl who was sexually abused by a relative is seeking $30 million from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for failing to investigate the case for nearly five years.
The Arizona Republic reports the girl told a school counselor in 2007 that she had been molested by an uncle. Sheriff's deputies were called and took the girl for a physical examination.
A state police lab report came back positive for semen two months later and deputies were advised to get a sample from the suspect.
But the family's pre-lawsuit claim says deputies instead labeled the case inactive. It wasn't reopened until 2011.
Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan said he was disheartened by the claim because the Sheriff's Office has worked to improve its abuse investigations.
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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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