i wonder why arpaio wasnt braggind to these irish officils that he is the meanest sheriff in the universe? Arpaio offered to give Irish authorities a tour of the jail if they were concerned about it. Original Article Colleary avoids extradition Irish judge keeps priest from facing abuse charges By Gary Grado, Tribune July 28, 2005 Patrick Colleary An Irish judge denied the extradition Wednesday of a former Scottsdale priest accused of molesting an altar boy in 1978. Judge Phillip OSullivan of Irelands High Court based his decision not to extradite the Rev. Patrick Colleary on the age of the case and Arizonas law that allows judges to withhold bail for accused sex offenders, according to the written judgment. "Im extremely disappointed," said Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. "Its an arrogant decision. Its interesting because its the second time in a week that a foreign country has made clear that it intends to dictate to us how we may bring to justice their citizens when they come here and allegedly commit crimes." Mexico has indicated it wont extradite Rodrigo Cervantes Zavala to face trial on charges he killed the uncle and grandparents of his children July 11 near Queen Creek, unless Arizona drops the death penalty, Thomas said. Collearys friend, the Rev. David Myers of Guadalupe, said he spoke with Colleary early Wednesday and he was thankful to God and everyone who helped him. Myers, who also is an attorney, said OSullivans ruling was a "serious indictment" of Arizona law. Colleary moved to Ireland in early 2003 before a grand jury indicted him on charges he sexually abused a 10- or 11-year-old parishioner at Church of the Holy Spirit in Tempe. Colleary is one of eight priests indicted after a yearlong investigation into decades of sexual misconduct in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. He is one of three indicted priests living in other countries. Diocese attorney Mike Haran said the diocese was disappointed in the ruling and its Youth Protection Advocate would be offering continued support to those who say Colleary molested them. OSullivan wrote that he was prepared to deny the extradition April 22, but he postponed the decision until Wednesday to hold another hearing after learning that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio marched 700 inmates in only their flip-flops and pink underwear during an April 15 jail transfer. And while OSullivan said he finds Arpaio is sadistic and humiliates inmates, it had no bearing on his original findings. Arpaio offered to give Irish authorities a tour of the jail if they were concerned about it. Thomas said he will not dismiss the charges against Colleary unless there is some "fundamental change" in the case. Contact Gary Grado by email, or phone (602) 258-1746