Maricopa County, Az. chief prosecutor Allister Adel announced her resignation Monday after less than two years in office. The resignation comes amidst lawsuits and increased scrutiny across the state over her actions as boss of the nation’s third-largest prosecutor's office, Courthouse News Service reports. Adel’s fall from grace started soon after her election, with her handling of protesters who claimed her office manufactured felony charges against Black Lives Matters protesters by classifying the protesters as gang members. Critical leaders of the movement faced heightened gang and rioting charges, aside from standard illegal assembly and hindering traffic charges after protests frequently bled into traffic in downtown Phoenix.
The Arizona Republic said Adel failed to file timely charges in 180 criminal misdemeanor cases, effectively letting the statute of limitations expire. "I am concerned that justice will not be secured for crime victims," Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote to Adel last week. "Additionally, the failure to pursue these charges has nullified the hard work of law enforcement and peace officers working these cases." Republican Gov. Doug Ducey also criticized Adel after she blamed her staff for the lapse. He demanded she take responsibility. Adel has described her struggles with sobriety and physical health amid increased calls from the public to hold leaders accountable for politically motivated public safety and legal abuses. Since 2020, Adel has had two brain surgeries. Adel underwent emergency surgery on Election Day for a blood clot in her brain that saw her hospitalized for two months. She later had surgery to relieve pressure in her brain.
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