One day after a sheriff's detention officer reported to sheriff's custody to serve a disputed sentence, nearly 20 of his colleagues called in sick for work at the Maricopa County Superior Court buildings in downtown Phoenix.

The courts were further unsettled when someone called in a bomb threat targeting public defenders Wednesday morning that led to the evacuations of the buildings for about three hours.

The absent deputies and detention officers disrupted hearings for hundreds of inmates who didn't make it to court, and the evacuation effectively scratched much of the morning calendar.

Neither the bomb threat nor the high absentee rate among sheriff's personnel were related to Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe's order to lock up Officer Adam Stoddard for removing documents from a public defender's file during a court hearing, according to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, deputies and detention officers. Arpaio said he encourages sick employees to stay home.

But the anger toward Donahoe was palpable throughout the day, with Arpaio's troops citing the sheriff's ongoing disputes with court officials as the cause of Stoddard's problems.

"I do have a political prisoner in jail who happens to be my detention officer," Arpaio said.

At least one deputy, Sean Pearce, a representative from the Deputies Law Enforcement Association, thought the high number of absences Wednesday showed how sheriff's personnel felt about Stoddard's situation.

"I think it sends out a message that this officer has integrity . . . Why should he apologize for doing his job?" Pearce asked.

There are typically 120 to 144 deputies and detention officers working in the courts, said Deputy Chief Dave Trombi. The busiest times are in the morning, and Wednesday morning's absences raised enough of a red flag to scramble additional resources, he said, adding that the average number of absences varies.

Criminal Court Administrator Bob James said that 140 defendants and one in-custody witness were not delivered to court because of the sick calls.

Many will spend another day in jail at a cost of $73 per inmate.

James also expressed concern for the jurors, who cost the court an average of $25 per day, witnesses and victims who had come to attend the hearings.

"Sentencing provides closure for everyone, and most importantly for victims," he said.

But to many Sheriff's Office employees, Stoddard is the victim.

Last month, Donahoe found Stoddard in contempt of court for taking documents from a public defender's file during an October sentencing hearing and gave Stoddard an ultimatum: Make a public apology by Monday or report to custody on Tuesday.

Stoddard said Monday he couldn't apologize because he wasn't in the wrong when he seized the documents, written by an inmate with the words "going to" "steal" and "money" grouped together.A group of more than 150 detention officers and deputies held a news conference Wednesday to support Stoddard and show their displeasure with Donahoe.

"Officer Stoddard was in the courtroom doing his job," Officer Luis Altamirano said. "For doing his job he was being ordered to publicly humiliate himself and say things he did not believe."

The officers were acting on their own volition and on free time or off days from work, according to a sheriff's spokesman. None of the assembled men and women said they had called in sick.

Tom Liddy, the attorney appointed as Stoddard's defense by the County Attorney's Office, said Stoddard had spent the night in jail, though he was not officially booked into custody because of a paperwork mix-up.

Liddy said Stoddard's case had implications for other officers.

"Everybody's going to be hesitant to act on security concerns," he said.

Donahoe's order requires that Stoddard stay in custody until he's purged himself of his contempt. Liddy said he plans to appeal.

As for what Thursday could hold, Trombi said he was prepared for anything.

"I don't know what to expect (Thursday)," he said. "Because we certainly didn't expect this today."