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Allister Adel
29th County Attorney of Maricopa County
In office
November 20, 2020 – March 25, 2022
Interim: October 3, 2019 – November 20, 2020
Preceded byBill Montgomery
Succeeded byRachel Mitchell
Personal details
Born(1976-11-11)November 11, 1976
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 30, 2022(2022-04-30) (aged 45)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.[1]
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDavid DeNitto
Children2
Education

Allister Adel (November 11, 1976 – April 30, 2022)[2] was an American attorney who served as the County Attorney for Maricopa County, Arizona, from 2019 to 2022. She was the first woman to hold the position.[3] Originally appointed to the position, Adel subsequently won election to a full term in November 2020.[2] However, she resigned in March 2022 amid controversies over her tenure and fitness for office, and died a month later.

Early life and career

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Adel grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she attended an all-girls school, The Hockaday School.[4] Adel received her bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in criminology from the University of Arizona in 1999.[5] She then worked at the Maricopa County Superior Court from 1999 to 2001 as a criminal court administrator. Deciding to go to law school to become a prosecutor, Adel graduated from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 2004.[5]

After graduating law school, Adel served as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (2004 – 2011) in the vehicular crimes, gang and drug enforcement bureaus. She then became an administrative law judge with the Arizona Department of Transportation. Adel briefly served as general counsel for the Department of Child Safety. There, Adel sent Governor Doug Ducey a memo under the state's whistle-blower statute regarding Ducey's appointment of Greg McKay as DCS Director.[5][6] The details of the memo were never revealed.[7]

From 2016 to 2018, Adel was the executive director for the Maricopa County Bar Association.[8]

County Attorney

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In 2019, Bill Montgomery resigned as county attorney to take a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court.[9] Adel was selected by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to replace Montgomery. Other applicants who applied for the position included: Rachel Mitchell, Jon Eliason, Rodney Glassman, John Kaites, Gina Godbehere, Chris DeRose, and Lacy Cooper.[10]

In 2020, Adel was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democrat Julie Gunnigle in the general election,[2] receiving 46.45% of the vote.[11]

Health issues

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On the night of the 2020 election, Adel was hospitalized and had emergency surgery for bleeding to the brain.[2] Nine days prior, she had fallen and hit her head resulting in a blood clot in her brain. She remained hospitalized for two months at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, and underwent a second surgery in January 2021, but by February had returned to work.[12]

In August 2021, Adel checked herself into a rehab facility in California to work on problems that included stress, anxiety, an eating disorder and alcoholism.[13][14] Adel continued to run the county attorney's office and returned to work in September.[15] Adel confirmed two alcohol relapses since leaving the rehab center.[16]

Policies

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Adel campaigned on a promise to move the county away from the hard-line policies implemented under Bill Montgomery. During the 2020 election, Adel made several pledges, including to reduce Arizona's mass incarceration rate, increase alternatives to prison, reduce the county's practice of overcharging defendants, and giving prosecutors more leeway in plea negotiations.[17]

After her appointment, Adel reversed a county policy that had prevented gay couples from getting legal services for adoption required by state law.[18]

Adel fired controversial prosecutor Juan Martinez who was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and faced investigations by the state bar for alleged prosecutorial misconduct in several death penalty cases.[19][20]

In September 2020, the county attorney's office declined to file charges against the police officer involved in the Shooting of Dion Johnson.[21]

Prosecution of protestors

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In October 2020, several Black Lives Matter protestors arrested in Phoenix were charged by the county attorney's office as gang members.[22] Questions over the way Adel's office handled the prosecution of 15 protesters resulted in a critical reporting in August 2021 accusing the office of colluding with Phoenix police officers to falsely charge protesters. The cases were dropped a week after ABC 15 published an investigation on the dubious nature of the charges. Adel claimed that her brain injury "impacted her ability to vet the case and understand the evidence behind the charges."[23] The incident led to the Department of Justice opening an investigation of the Phoenix Police Department.[24]

Calls for resignation

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Multiple groups pushed for Adel to resign. In September 2021, the Maricopa County Democratic Party sought Adel's resignation in response to the controversial prosecution of the Black Lives Matter protestors and Adel's rehab treatment.[25] A week later, Mass Liberation AZ, a criminal justice reform and activist group, launched a “Resign or Be Recalled" campaign.[26][27]

On February 15, 2022, five top prosecutors in the county attorney's office wrote a letter demanding that Adel step down, sending it to the board of supervisors and the state bar. The letter "raised ethical questions about her sobriety, long absences from work and judgment."[28] On February 22, 2022, Adel rejected their call for resignation, stating they "either stick it out or resign."[29]

Former long-serving county attorney Rick Romley also publicly stated Adel should step down.[30]

Adel announced her intention to resign on March 21, 2022, effective March 25.[31]

Personal life and death

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Adel was married to David DeNitto[5] and they had two children.[32] She was a registered Republican since 2000.[5] She died on April 30, 2022, at the age of 45 due to health complications.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Phan, May (30 April 2022). "Allister Adel, former Maricopa County Attorney, dead at 45". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Castle, Laura (November 9, 2020). "Allister Adel elected Maricopa County attorney; voters select woman for first time". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  3. ^ Anderson, Nicole (November 18, 2019). "ASU Law grad makes history as first female Maricopa County Attorney". ASUNow.
  4. ^ Castle, Lauren (October 15, 2020). "After tumultuous year, County Attorney Allister Adel points to changes in prosecutor's office as she seeks election". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e O'Connor, Meg (October 7, 2019). "What We Know About Allister Adel, New Maricopa County Attorney". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Kids In Crisis Can't Wait Any Longer". Arizona Republic.
  7. ^ Rosenblatt, Dillon (October 3, 2019). "Allister Adel named new Maricopa County Attorney".
  8. ^ O'Connor, Meg (October 3, 2019). "Allister Adel Is the New Maricopa County Attorney Until January 2021". Phoenix New Times.
  9. ^ Boehm, Jessica. "Here's how Maricopa County will replace Bill Montgomery as county attorney". azcentral.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Meg (September 19, 2019). "One of These Eight People Will Be the Next County Attorney Until 2021". Phoenix New Times.
  11. ^ Maricopa County Recorder (November 13, 2020), General Election Final Results, page 21.
  12. ^ Resnik, Brham (February 21, 2021). "County's top prosecutor reveals doctors feared she might not survive after brain surgery". KTAR News. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel seeking treatment for alcohol use, eating disorder". KNXV. 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  14. ^ Anglen, Robert (September 17, 2021). "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel is out of rehab and will return to work on Monday: 'I'm doing great'". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel expected to return Monday after rehab visit". NBC12 News. September 17, 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Prosecutors call for Maricopa County Attorney Adel to resign over job, sobriety concerns". KTAR.com. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  17. ^ Duda, Jeremy (December 16, 2019). "Top Maricopa County prosecutor open to justice reform, but noncommittal on specifics". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  18. ^ Jo Pitzl, Mary (July 24, 2020). "For years, county attorney would not represent gay couples in adoptions. That's changing". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  19. ^ Resnik, Brian (March 13, 2020). "Arias prosecutor faces firing over fears he'll retaliate against female colleagues". NBC12 News. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  20. ^ Associated Press (March 14, 2020). "Maricopa County Seeks to Fire High-Profile Prosecutor". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  21. ^ Staff, azfamily com News. "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel declines to file charges in Dion Johnson shooting". AZFamily. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  22. ^ Biscobing, Dave (Jun 11, 2021). "MCAO plans to permanently dismiss all charges against protesters accused of being gang members". ABC15 News. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  23. ^ "What did Allister Adel know about protest 'gang' charges?". KNXV. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  24. ^ Kelley, Alexandra (August 5, 2021). "Justice Department investigating Phoenix Police Department over civil rights". The Hill. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Democrats call for Maricopa County Attorney Adel to resign following leave for rehab". KTAR News. September 15, 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  26. ^ Biscobing, Dave (September 28, 2021). "Groups launch 'Resign or Be Recalled' campaign against Allister Adel". ABC15 News. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  27. ^ Anglen, Robert (September 22, 2021). "Allister Adel faces billboard campaign urging her to resign as Maricopa County attorney". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  28. ^ Welch, Dennis. "Top deputies at Maricopa County Attorney's Office asking Allister Adel to step down". AZFamily. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  29. ^ Anglen, Robert. "County Attorney Allister Adel to her top prosecutors: 'Stick it out or resign'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  30. ^ Resnik, Brian. "'She should step down': Maricopa County Board to look at options on dealing with Allister Adel". No. February 21, 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel announces resignation following months of turmoil". ABC15. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  32. ^ Li, David K. (2023-12-26). "Husband of late Phoenix prosecutor fatally shoots girlfriend, her mom and then himself on Christmas Eve, police say". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  33. ^ Ritchie, Kathy (30 April 2022). "Former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel dies at 45". KJZZ (FM). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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