On Monday, Judge Gus Aragon was advised by the attorney for former Grijalva staffer Daniel Zaroes Brito that his client could not longer afford his services and would need a public defender. Zaroes Brito was not in court, according to his attorney, because he lives out-of-state.
Zaroes Brito was also not in attendance for the March hearing in which Judge Aragon had suggested that a settlement conference before the April 29 hearing.
Zaroes Brito was arrested on robbery charges on November 3, 2018 after attacking a Tucson man, Jonathan Sparks, for urging people to vote Republican in the midterm election. According to both parties, Sparks was attacked from behind as he wore a Make America Great Again hat and held a pro-Republican sign, Vote Jobs not Mobs – Vote Republican, in downtown Tucson. The hat was grabbed from Sparks from behind and when he tried to retrieve it Sparks was thrown to the ground by Zaroes Brito.
Zaroes Brito is a former Legislative Assistant to U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva.
According to numerous reports, Brito jumped onto Sparks breaking his ankle in several places, requiring hospitalization and surgery. Brito, a Democrat, was heard shouting things about ‘Hitler’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘Trump’ at Sparks during the incident, making it clear he was attacking Sparks for his political beliefs.
The next court date is May 6th at 9:00 a.m. in which a new lawyer will be appointed to represent Brito.
Related article: Former Grijalva staffer misses court hearing, launched unprovoked attack on Trump supporter