MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A state board has revoked the certification of a former Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputy after he handcuffed an elderly woman who was attempting to check on her neighbor in Sun City.
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board voted Wednesday to revoke the peace officer certification of former Deputy Michael Uyehara following an incident he responded to in October 2022.
According to information presented to the AZPOST board, the deputy responded to a residence for a possible suicide call. As the scene was being processed, an 82-year-old neighbor walking with a cane came up to the home's front door.
In the body-worn camera footage, the deputy tells the neighbor to return to her home and she attempts to talk to him.
"I'm getting ready to arrest you, you need to leave," the deputy tells the neighbor as he pulls out handcuffs.
After handcuffing the neighbor's wrists, one of the home's residents comes out and attempts to intervene. The deputy then removes the handcuffs.
Two weeks later, the neighbor filed a complaint with MCSO, claiming she sustained bruises on her wrists from the deputy's actions. The neighbor claimed she was trying to support her friend and hadn't attempted to trespass anywhere.
MCSO determined the deputy allegedly wrote seven "inaccurate" statements in his report about the incident, according to AZPOST.
Uyehara resigned from the agency in 2024. He was not present to address the AZPOST board during Wednesday's meeting.
AZPOST serves as a watchdog agency over Arizona's law enforcement officials by investigating complaints of possible misconduct and taking action against an officer's certification.
