PHOENIX (AP) — Maricopa County is narrowing down its search for a replacement for former County Assessor Paul Petersen.
The County Board of Supervisors will interview five of the 11 candidates vying to serve out the rest of Petersen's term next week.
The interviews will not be open to the public.
The current term runs thru Dec. 31.
Petersen, who has been charged with running a human smuggling operation involving pregnant women from the Marshall Islands, resigned last month amid pressure from the board.
He is accused of illegally paying women from the Pacific Island nation to come to the U.S. to give up their newborns in Arizona, Utah and Arkansas.
