Law license suspended for embattled Apache County attorney Michael Whiting
ST. JOHNS, AZ (AZFamily) — The Arizona State Bar is suspending embattled Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting’s license as he faces multiple felony charges after accusations of him misusing public funds and threatening a political opponent
Records obtained by Arizona’s Family Investigates revealed that Whiting’s license suspension goes into effect on Nov. 1.
Michael’s wife, Joy Whiting, along with Michael’s aide, Daryl Greer, are all facing corruptions-related charges after an investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
What charges are they facing?
A state grand jury indicted Michael on several felony and misdemeanor counts that include harassment, theft, misuse of public monies, conflict of interest and stealing, destroying, altering, or secreting public records.
Joy was indicted with felony misuse of public monies and one count of conflict of interest.
Greer was indicted on four charges, including misuse of public monies, harassment, and sending a threatening or anonymous letter.
For 16 years, Michael has been county attorney, the face of law enforcement in Apache County. More recently, Joy became the school superintendent.
Both are running for reelection unopposed in their respective offices. It’s unclear what will happen to the Attorney’s Office once Michael’s suspension goes into effect.
According to Arizona law: “No person shall be eligible for the office of county attorney unless he is an attorney at law, licensed and in good standing in this state.”
State law also prohibits salaries to be paid for those ineligible for office, but it does not explicitly state what action needs to be taken if a county attorney becomes unqualified or is unable to do the job.
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