Prosecutors in Arizona’s most populous county have dropped nearly 200 criminal cases because charges weren’t filed before the statute of limitation expired.
Ryan Green is a division chief in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and told The Arizona Republic that a supervisor never delegated 180 cases to prosecutors.
The cases include drunk driving, domestic violence, assaults and criminal damage incidents from 2020.
Arizona law requires misdemeanor cases to be filed within a year of the dates of the alleged crimes.
Green says a staffing shortage and high volume of cases contributed to the issue.
County Attorney Allister Adel says this does not reflect her ability to do her job.