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Sheriff Penzone says MCSO is investigating threats made against elected officials

The sheriff said Monday some of the alleged threats made against local officials came from outside of Arizona.

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said Monday his agency is investigating alleged threats made against elected officials during the recent general election. 

Penzone, a Democrat, did not offer specifics on the investigations that are underway but indicated that some threats were made by individuals from outside of Arizona.

"A lot of these things came from folks out of state," Penzone said. "Arizona's doing just fine. Although we may have our differences...we do not need interference from people outside the state to tell us how to run our election."

The 2022 election has generated much vitriol after multiple Trump-endorsed candidates like Kari Lake and Blake Masters lost their races to Democratic candidates. 

Issues reported on Election Day in Maricopa County have contributed to the tense post-election climate, which has included demands for some elected officials to resign. 

County Supervisor Bill Gates, a Republican, and his family were temporarily relocated to another location on Election Day due to alleged threats, MCSO said. 

Masters, who lost the U.S. Senate race to Democrat Mark Kelly, said last week that Gates and all the supervisors should "lose their jobs" or "resign in disgrace." 

Penzone said MCSO had not arrested anyone for making threats toward the state's elected officials.

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