By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD — A Graham County Sheriff’s Deputy has been terminated from the agency following his arrest on a charge of disorderly conduct stemming from an alleged domestic situation.
According to the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received a report on Nov. 1 regarding a sworn deputy allegedly involved in a domestic incident. The Sheriff’s Office immediately asked the Safford Police Department to handle the criminal investigation, while providing assistance.
Law enforcement found probable cause, and officers arrested the suspect later that day. The deputy, identified as Landyn Larrabee, was booked into the Graham County Detention Center on charges including assault, disorderly conduct/fighting, and use of electronic communication to threaten or intimidate. Larrabee has since been released from employment with the agency.
Reflecting on the department’s swift action, Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred stressed the agency’s unwavering commitment to accountability and public trust. Because Larrabee was still on probation at the time, standard administrative hurdles associated with longer reviews did not apply in the same way, allowing the agency to act decisively to protect the department’s and community’s integrity.
“When on probation, it’s a different deal,” Sheriff Allred told the Gila Herald. “As far as quick goes, I don’t know about quick. Like I said, he was on a probation thing… We’ve always taken our personnel issues seriously.”
Allred acknowledged that personnel decisions of this nature rarely satisfy everyone in the community—noting that while some critics push for immediate termination across the board, others advocate for leniency. However, he emphasized that the agency’s primary duty remains safeguarding public trust and ensuring that those who wear the badge are held to the highest standard.
“And we don’t want to see bad things happen to them. We don’t. We don’t hire people to fire people, right?” Allred said. “You know, we don’t get a kick out of doing that. And of course, there are some people out there in the community that’s going to, you know, they think that no matter what, you should keep everybody in the world, and others think that no matter what, you should fire everybody in the world… That part is not going to make nobody happy, you know.”
Larrabee previously served the department as a dispatcher before transitioning into a role as a sworn deputy. Reflecting on the unexpected turn of events, Allred noted that while internal developments are closely monitored, leadership ultimately cannot police the personal actions of grown adults.
“Things that are out of my control, up to the point of—yeah, I can deal with it eventually,” Allred said. “People can’t control their own kids. I’m not supposed to control a grown man.”
The criminal case is being handled by the Safford Police Department.
