PHOENIX — It is now up to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to determine if the seizure and sale of a disabled veteran’s home by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, was legal.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery must decide if disabled military veteran, Jim Boerner, was wronged when the Sheriff’s Office auctioned off his home.
Boerner’s home was auctioned off despite the fact that he paid a portion of his delinquent taxes, $405.70, a week before the auction.
Sheriff Paul Penzone claims his office was not aware of the payment until after the home was sold on June 20. Penzone also claimed that his office followed protocols when it auctioned off the property.
Penzone dismissed criticism at a press conference on Wednesday, “We recognize these circumstances affect real people. We don’t have the luxury to be arbitrary or partial.”
The Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office has been critical of Penzone’s handling of the matter and allege that Boerner’s payment was legally processed and his home should not have been auctioned.