A Buckeye police officer once held up as a standout in DUI enforcement is now fighting for her career and her freedom. Officer Carri Carrico was indicted by a grand jury this week on aggravated-assault charges tied to two separate use-of-force incidents involving people already in custody. She has been placed on unpaid suspension while the department finishes its internal review, a fast and very public fall for an officer recently celebrated in the community.
Grand Jury Returns Assault Charges
Buckeye Police Chief Robert Sanders confirmed the indictment and said he asked the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to take over the criminal investigation back in January, the department told FOX10 Phoenix. “When an officer betrays community trust, I have a duty to pursue the facts,” Sanders said, framing the move as an effort to keep the inquiry at arm's length from his own department. According to the department, the grand jury ultimately returned aggravated-assault indictments tied to two custody-related encounters.
Outside Probe Zeroes In On Two Incidents
The independent investigation focused on two separate use-of-force encounters involving individuals who were already in custody, and a grand jury issued aggravated-assault indictments in both cases, according to ABC15. At the same time, Buckeye's Professional Standards Unit is running its own administrative review. Officials say the identities of the people involved have not been released, and city leaders have signaled that more details will come out as both the criminal case and the internal review move forward.
From Award-Winning DUI Work To Discipline
Carrico's legal trouble lands against a complicated professional backdrop. In 2025, she was named a “MADD Hero” after leading her shift in DUI arrests, an honor highlighted in coverage of her MADD Hero recognition. Yet local reporting also shows she was disciplined last year over an on-duty kiss with a firefighter, a case that resulted in a written reprimand, according to InBuckeye. Taken together, the accolades and the reprimand paint a more complicated public record than a simple “hero cop” narrative.
Felony Stakes Under Arizona Law
Aggravated assault is a felony under Arizona law, and potential prison time depends on how the charge is classified and what prosecutors say happened. Key factors include whether a deadly weapon was involved or whether someone suffered serious physical injury, according to A.R.S. § 13-1204. The exact penalty Carrico could face will hinge on the specific classifications that prosecutors pursue and any aggravating circumstances that come up in court.
Case Heads Toward Arraignment
Prosecutors have not yet released the full charging documents, and no arraignment date was listed as of this week. Carrico remains on unpaid suspension while both the criminal case and the internal administrative process continue, officials told ABC15. The Buckeye Police Department has said it plans to release more information once the Professional Standards Unit wraps its review.
Chief Urges Public Not To Judge Whole Force
Chief Sanders has asked residents not to paint the entire department with the same brush over the allegations against one officer and publicly thanked the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for handling the criminal probe, the department said in a statement to FOX10 Phoenix. With the criminal case now in the courts and the administrative work still in progress, the department and the community are effectively in wait-and-see mode.
