'Plagued By Scandal:' County Attorney Allister Adel Resigns

PHOENIX, AZ — Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel announced her resignation on Monday, in a news release. She plans to leave her position as of Friday.

Adel's tenure in the county attorney's office has been mired in controversy. Most recently, her office failed to file charges in a timely fashion for 180 misdemeanor cases that were then dropped because of the statute of limitations, The Arizona Republic reported.

Just last week Attorney General Mark Brnovich ordered the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to prepare a report on the failure to file charges in those cases.

"I am proud of the many accomplishments of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office during my tenure, including policies that seek justice in a fair and equitable manner, hold violent offenders accountable, protect the rights of crime victims, and keep families safe," Adel said in a statement.

Five prosecutors in Adel's office in February called for her resignation amid questions about her sobriety and ongoing frequent absences from the office. Adel received inpatient treatment for anxiety, alcoholism and an eating disorder for several weeks starting at the end of August last year and had since said she was continuing to work on her recovery. She's been adamant that she never conducted county business while under the influence, but some in her office, including the prosecutors who called for her resignation, have questioned that assertion.

Just over a month ago on Feb. 15, just after the prosecutors from her office called for her resignation, Adel said she had no plans to resign.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had also been investigating Adel's leadership of the office and had a closed meeting Monday morning to discuss the issue.

The county attorney's office faced a public backlash and ordered its own investigation after charging 15 protestors of police brutality as being part of a criminal street gang in October 2020. A prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, along with a Phoenix Police officer were found in an investigation by retired Judge Roland Steinle to have colluded to present false information to a Grand Jury, contributing to the indictment of the 15 protestors for being part of a nonexistent criminal street gang. The charges were later dropped in August 2021 after the investigation and public backlash.

After Adel announced her resignation on Monday, the Arizona House Democrats in a news release called on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to "conduct an open, public and thorough process to appoint her replacement."

The Board of Supervisors appointed Adel to the position of county attorney in 2019 after then-Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court.

She was then elected to the position of county attorney in the 2020 election.

"Whether fabricating charges against multiple defendants who had their civil rights abused, to forgetting to file charges in dozen of other cases, putting the public at risk, Allister Adel's tenure as Maricopa County Attorney has been a compounding disaster," the Arizona House Democrats wrote in a news release.

The Democrats added that they had compassion for Adel's personal struggles and wished her the best with her recovery but added that it was best for the county attorney's office and the people of Maricopa County that she was stepping down from the office.

"...the next steps are very important for an office plagued by scandal," the Democrats said of finding Adel's temporary replacement.

"I want to thank the employees of the Maricopa County Attorney's office," Adel said in the statement. "I value and respect the work and dedication you give to this office. Few people genuinely realize, or appreciate how hard this work is or how committed you are to serving the greater good, but I do."

Governor Doug Ducey, who had criticized Adel after the 180 misdemeanor cases were dropped, commended her decision to resign.

"Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel made a difficult, brave and very personal decision," Ducey said via Twitter. "I respect her choice and wish her and her family the best. I want to thank her for her service to the people of Maricopa County."