By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD — A former Graham County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was caught speeding in a marked patrol vehicle during a routine return trip from K-9 training in Phoenix has resigned and now faces three misdemeanor criminal traffic charges.
Teryn Michael David Shaw, 28, was identified as the driver of Graham County Sheriff’s Office Unit #1091 — a newer Chevy Tahoe with license plate MMA5BR — after a detailed citizen complaint was published as a Letter to the Editor in The Gila Herald on Jan. 2, 2026.
In the letter titled “Who polices the police?” Fort Thomas resident Sean Herbert described watching the patrol vehicle blow past him west of Florence Junction on Dec. 9, 2025, without emergency lights or sirens. Herbert, who was traveling at 73-75 mph in a 65 mph zone, said he paced the deputy up to 85 mph and was still being left behind. He later spotted the unit refueling at the Circle K in Superior, photographed it, and then saw it again east of Bylas traveling at a high rate of speed. Herbert reported the vehicle never visibly slowed for the posted 45 mph zone through Fort Thomas.
The letter, which quoted Arizona’s emergency vehicle statutes and questioned whether officers were exempt from traffic laws on non-emergency drives, prompted the Graham County Sheriff’s Office to open an internal investigation.
Internal Investigation Findings
Telemetry data from the assigned patrol vehicle confirmed Herbert’s account and showed even higher speeds than the motorist estimated:
- Speeds of Shaw’s patrol vehicle ranged from approximately 88 mph to 115 mph between the area before Florence Junction and Superior.
- A recorded speed of approximately 103 mph east of Bylas.
- A recorded speed of approximately 98 mph inside the posted 45 mph zone in Fort Thomas.
Investigators found no emergency call, call for service, or law enforcement necessity that would have justified the speeds. The deputy was returning to Safford after K-9 training in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The Graham County Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and filed three misdemeanor charges in Graham County Justice Court, including two separate charges of excessive speeding — exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 mph in a 45 mph zone, and exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 20 mph, and one count of reckless driving.
A special prosecutor is handling the case. Shaw was also cited in the Thatcher Municipal Court on a separate case of exceeding speed deemed reasonable and prudent; that case was resolved with a mandate to complete a defensive driving course.
The disclosure sent to the Graham County Defense Bar under Brady/Giglio guidelines noted that, even after being notified of the investigation, Shaw continued to drive the patrol vehicle at excessive speeds on other occasions. A second review of tracking data from February 2026 revealed additional instances of speeding with no emergency justification.
Another county agency is handling an internal investigation, and Shaw has since resigned from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.
When informed of the outcome of his letter, Mr. Herbert told the Gila Herald that if he had known how fast Shaw was traveling through Fort Thomas, he would have responded more quickly with a formal complaint.
“All I can say (is) I’m not trying to police anyone or be a ‘Karen’, I just want accountability,” Herbert wrote in a text to the Gila Herald. “I’m glad the process worked in this situation. Had I known how fast he was really going through Fort Thomas, I would have been in the Sheriff’s office making a formal complaint the next day.”
Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred told the Gila Herald that he holds his department accountable not only for vehicle use but for “all that we do.”
Impact on Credibility
The Graham County Attorney’s Office stated that the conduct reflects potential violations of departmental policy on safe vehicle operation and adherence to traffic laws. While not involving dishonesty, the sustained disregard for speed limits may be relevant to Shaw’s judgment and reliability as a witness in future court proceedings. Prosecutors were advised to review the material on a case-by-case basis for possible disclosure.
Herbert’s letter described the incident as part of a broader “cultural problem” of accountability, noting he had reported similar non-emergency speeding by officers from other agencies in the past and received what he called repeated excuses. He emphasized that the issue was not personal jealousy but one of setting a good example and respecting the law.
The Graham County Attorney’s Office said the disclosure was made “out of an abundance of caution” to comply with constitutional requirements, even though officials do not believe the information is clearly exculpatory or impeachment material in every case.
