ABC15: Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel reveals pattern to her actions when facing criticism

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Thursday, March 17, 2022 - 1:39pm
Updated: Monday, March 21, 2022 - 11:10am

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Allister Adel
Matthew Casey/KJZZ
Allister Adel

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel continues to face criticism for how her office has handled a number of things — some related to prosecutions of protesters, and others to how she is dealing with her own addiction issues.

Gov. Doug Ducey was one of the latest to find issues with Adel, saying earlier this week that her office needs to “restore confidence with the voters.”

And now, former County Attorney Rick Romley has weighed in, even saying she needs to go.

“Allister is not looking at things really clearly. And so I can’t predict if and when she might consider resigning," Romley said. "I know the pressure has to be tremendous, and I know that the problems are just going to keep getting worse."

Adel initially brushed off those comments, but told the Arizona Republic that she takes “full responsibility” for how her office is functioning — including the dropping of 180 misdemeanor cases, reportedly because of a lack of organization.

Dave Biscobing of ABC15 has covered the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office extensively. The Show spoke with him to learn about patterns he's seen over the years.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dave Biscobing said he misspoke during this interview and he issued a written statement post-interview to further clarify his mistake of conflating two separate topics.  

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