(The Center Square) – Attorney General Kris Mayes is providing more details into a warranted search conducted on Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting’s office last week.
In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors on Friday, she gave some details into why the search occurred, which allegedly include threats and not using taxpayer dollars correctly. According to Fox 10 Phoenix, the warrant is still not publicly available.
“As part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of public monies and threatening and intimidating a political opponent, my office served a warrant on the Apache County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, June 3, 2024. Seeking and executing a warrant on a County Attorney’s office was a significant decision that I did not take lightly,” she wrote. Both the Attorney General and the county attorney are Democrats.
“Since serving the search warrant, County Attorney Michael Whiting has not returned to the office, and attorneys from the office are now calling on him to resign. As the State’s chief law enforcement officer, I made the determination that serving a warrant at this time was in the best interest of the state of Arizona and the Apache County Attorney’s Office. Now, I want to ensure the office continues operations as normal,” she continued.
As a result, Mayes added in the letter she will be using “supervisory powers” over the office for the next three months, which includes provisions if Whiting decides to come back to work.
“Should County Attorney Whiting return to the Apache County Attorney’s Office, the County Attorney shall obtain approval from the Criminal Division Chief of my office before making personnel decisions or expending more than $200,” the letter states.
“The exercise of my supervisory authority is intended to assist the Apache County Attorney’s Office, not control it,” she added.
Few other details are known about the search beyond what she wrote to the board. Apache County is located in the northwestern part of Arizona with a comparatively small population of just over 65,000, according to the United States Census Bureau.
