By Jon Johnson
CLIFTON — A Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office supervisor has been stripped of his rank and suspended following an independent state investigation into an arrest that involved a clear conflict of interest with his own wife.
Greenlee County Sheriff Eric Ellison issued a formal disciplinary action on Feb. 11, 2026, demoting Sergeant Robert Carrasco to Patrol Deputy and imposing a suspension without pay. The disciplinary action stems from a Sept. 7, 2025, incident where Carrasco actively assisted in the arrest of a Clifton resident who was embroiled in a legal dispute with the sergeant’s wife.
The internal policy violations were uncovered during an independent administrative investigation conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Internal Affairs Division. The Gila Herald requested comment from the Sheriff’s Office, but due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the department’s insurance pool has instituted a gag order until the situation is fully resolved.
The Incident and Personal Connections
According to the DPS investigative narrative, the situation began on April 14, 2025, when Carrasco’s wife, Erika Carrasco, was granted an Injunction Against Harassment against Clifton resident Susan Breen. The injunction legally barred Breen from making contact with or going near the Carrasco residence.
On Sept. 7, 2025, a mutual acquaintance contacted Erika Carrasco to report that Breen had allegedly made a “revenge” statement regarding her. Sergeant Carrasco, who was at home off duty at the time, answered the phone and subsequently used his authority to contact the Clifton Police Department (CPD) leadership to initiate an official call for service.
CPD Officer Kaylyn Tredway was dispatched to handle the report. During initial interviews, witnesses explicitly noted to Officer Tredway that Carrasco’s involvement would pose a blatant “conflict of interest.”
Despite the acknowledged conflict, Carrasco met up with Officer Tredway in town. Claiming officer safety concerns because no other local units were immediately available, Carrasco accompanied the lone officer to Breen’s residence at 645 Turner Avenue. It is unknown what safety concerns Deputy Carrasco has with a Clifton Police officer questioning an elderly woman without backup.
Unwarranted Entry and Jailhouse Recording
Body-worn camera (BWC) footage analyzed by DPS investigators showed that while Carrasco initially stayed on the front porch, he entered Breen’s home when the interaction inside grew loud. Carrasco entered the frame, grabbed Breen by the forearm, and physically assisted with the arrest.
Following the arrest, Carrasco drove separately to the Greenlee County Jail and remained embedded throughout the entire booking process, despite the presence of multiple uninvolved jailers.
During the booking, Carrasco’s BWC recorded him using his personal cell phone inside the facility. When questioned by state investigators, Carrasco claimed he could not recall what he was doing on his phone but denied texting arrest data to his wife. However, investigators noted that statements made by Breen inside the jail were privileged information that only Carrasco, as a sworn officer, had access to.
Two days after her booking, Breen filed a formal written complaint with the Sheriff’s Office, alleging that the arrest violated her rights and was an abuse of authority meant to intimidate her. Realizing multiple departmental policies were compromised, Sheriff Ellison requested that the state step in to handle the investigation.
Internal Affairs Findings and Disciplinary Action
The DPS investigation and subsequent GCSO review sustained violations across six critical departmental policies:
- Policy 340.3: Conduct That May Result in Discipline (Acts bringing discredit to the department)
- Policy 340.3.5: Performance (Unbecoming conduct contrary to efficiency or morale)
- Policy 352.1.1: Assisting Outside Agencies (Failure to properly log and report an outside agency assist)
- Policy 1050: Nepotism and Conflicting Relationships
- Policy 1050.1.1 & 1050.2.1: Employee Responsibilities Regarding Conflicts of Interest
State investigators noted that under Policy 1050, Carrasco was strictly required to notify an uninvolved supervisor or direct dispatch to send a different officer. Carrasco admitted to investigators that his involvement was a clear conflict of interest, stating that waiting for an alternative deputy would have been better “in hindsight.”
In a written response submitted during the process, Carrasco maintained that he did not engage in intentional misconduct, writing:
“At the time of the incident, I did recognize the perceived conflict of interest my involvement in this incident could create. With that in mind, I limited my role to that of a support officer… That said, I should have made immediate notifications to my supervisor.”
In an emotional follow-up letter to investigators, Breen advocated for the sergeant’s complete dismissal, stating that Carrasco used his position of authority to humiliate her and protect his wife’s interests in an ongoing civil matter.
Ultimately, Sheriff Ellison determined that Carrasco’s conduct fell short of the higher standards of accountability expected of an agency supervisor. Effective Feb. 21, 2026, Carrasco was officially stripped of his sergeant rank, placed on six months of probation, and required to complete mandatory retraining. He is currently appealing his demotion.
