He was supposed to accept a plea agreement today, but Pima County Sheriff Chief Deputy Chris Radtke’s attorney filed a request for a delay. Radtke’s attorney Sean Chapman asked the Court for an order continuing the plea deadline and trial for not less than 60 days.
Radtke was indicted in October for the misuse of RICO funds.
Upon learning of the request for a delay, Kevin Kubitskey, chairman of the Pima County Deputy Sheriff’s Association stated, “Christopher Radtke’s lawyer asking for a delay in regards to the plea agreement, it is more of the same and transparent. They are attempting to hide what is in the plea agreement until after the election in hopes of a victory for Sheriff Nanos.”
Radtke was charged on 7 counts related to the misuse of RICO funds. In the indictment, “known and unknown” conspirators are referred to in relation to a left of funds of approximately $500,000.
According to the indictment, the alleged misuse of funds began in 2011 while the Department was under the leadership of Clarence Dupnik. Sheriff Department sources say Dupnik has been addled the last few years he was in office. Although he had already left the Department in the care of Nanos and Richard Kastigar, Dupnik held onto the office long enough to avoid a special election for his replacement. As the ADI reported earlier, during the 2012 election, Dupnik denied the suspicions by his staff that he had no intention of completing his term.
In January 2014, Dupnik officially named Nanos as his Chief Deputy, Nanos had been responsible for the overall management of the Department. Dupnik argued that Nanos’s appointment would “ensure continuity and stability in the organization as we go through this period of leadership transition,” hinting at his retirement.
Dupnik said that he hoped the Pima County Supervisors would name Nanos as his replacement, and by a 4 to 1 vote, the supervisors did just that. Only Supervisor Ally Miller voted against the Nanos appointment. She did so because she questioned the entire process and the fact that it disenfranchised the voters.
At the time of his appointment, many believed that it was imperative that Nanos or some other Dupnik administration operative fill Dupnik’s shoes in order to ensure that the department’s notorious corruption not be exposed.
Related articles:
Pima County Sheriff Chief Deputy Radtke Pleads Not Guilty In RICO Abuse Case
Pima County Sheriff Personnel Shuffle Questions Persist
Nanos Interruption Of “Mansion Party” Costs Time, Evidence
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