Maricopa County says its current election plan is adequate to ensure everyone will have an opportunity to vote in this election, despite additional reports of long voting lines and wait times.
The county board of supervisors and recorder’s office issued their assurance through the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) last Friday in response to a Thursday letter from GOP congressional candidate Abraham Hamadeh and the Republican National Committee (RNC) requesting a new election plan.
Deputy County Attorney Joseph E. La Rue issued the response letter on behalf of MCAO. LaRue began his letter with a remark aimed at the author of the Hamadeh-RNC letter, Harmeet Dhillon, for submitting the letter to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Maricopa County Recorder’s Office rather than MCAO.
“We do not know how they do things in California, where you are barred,” said La Rue. “But here in Arizona, it is an ethical violation for an attorney to communicate about the subject of her representation of her client with someone that the attorney knows is represented.”
As the Arizona Daily Independentreported, the Hamadeh-RNC letter claimed that it took voters longer on average to complete their ballots than the county predicted: an average of 15 minutes compared with the county’s 12-minute estimate, due to the ballot consisting of two pages.
La Rue responded that this comparison was “inaccurate” because it was based “on outdated information.” La Rue further dismissed Dhillon’s reliance on Verity Vote data, characterizing it as a “discredited organization that has been shown to play fast and loose with the facts” based on VoteBeat reporting.
La Rue clarified that the board of supervisors had expanded the in-person voting plan during its September 9 meeting to accommodate the two-page ballot.
La Rue also defended the county’s decision on the number of voting locations, check-in stations, and voting booths. He reported that the county had expanded the numbers of these election components adequately from past elections: a 40 percent increase since 2020 and a 10 percent increase since 2022 in voting locations; a 35 percent increase since 2020 and 33 percent increase since 2022 in check-in stations; and a 60 percent increase since 2020 and a 23 percent increase since 2022 in voting booths.
At the close of his response letter, La Rue concluded with a decisive “no” on the request from Hamadeh and the RNC to devise a new election plan.
“In light of the county’s extensive preparations for in-person voting on November 5, 2024, our clients do not see the need for an emergency meeting with your clients,” stated La Rue.
The county’s denial of a request for expanding election location capacities, such as establishing additional voting booths, came ahead of Monday reports from the media and individual voters on long wait times and lengthy lines for in-person early voting.
Maricopa County has warned that it could take them anywhere from 10 to 13 days to count all the ballots, due to the nearly 2.1 million mail-in ballots requested in this election. The county came up with the timeline based on the percentage of voters who waited to turn in their early ballots closer to or on Election Day in the 2022 election — almost 20 percent.
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The Democratic candidate for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO), Tamika Wooten, filmed a video for her campaign in the courtroom while on the clock.
Wooten filmed the video last month on September 21, posted to her campaign Facebook page as “A Day in the Life of Tamika Wooten!”.
Wooten explained in her video that she had spoken with LD3 voters at Black Mountain Democrats earlier that morning, and that she was now about to hear the cases of individuals arrested the night before and that morning. Wooten then told viewers that she would speak at Sun City Grand.
“It’s my honor to serve, and it’s all in a day’s work,” said Wooten.
Yikes 🚨
Democrat Tamika Wooten filmed a campaign video in the courtroom … in her judge's robes … while she was on the clock.
As a progressive candidate, Wooten has promised to not prosecute abortionists or criminalize abortions, limit mandatory minimum sentencing, and expand diversion sentencing for the mentally ill and drug addicted who commit crimes or abuse drugs openly. Wooten stated on her campaign website that she would only be prosecuting “serious crimes.”
“I’ll prioritize alternatives to incarceration for minor offenses so we can: reduce prison populations, save millions in taxpayer dollars, [and] give hurting Maricopa County communities a chance to heal,” says Wooten’s campaign website.
In an interview earlier this year, Wooten said that she would treat crimes committed by the mentally ill or drug addicted as “health issues” instead of punishable crimes.
“I want to treat mental illness and substance abuse as a health issue not criminal justice issue and by reallocating our money and creating diversion programs for those who are charged or those who have mental illness,” said Wooten.
Wooten also said she would work to expand programs to end recidivism, such as providing education to prisoners.
MCAO currently engages in diversion programs and prioritizes heavier prosecution for violent crimes. One of the newest programs concerns felony diversion for parents or guardians charged with child abuse, neglect, endangerment, or a related offense whose circumstances of offense relate to substance use, particularly opioid use.
During that interview, Wooten also indicated that she wouldn’t prioritize illegal immigration crimes, instead focusing on “higher-level crimes.”
In a more recent campaign video posted last month, Wooten said that she would refuse to prosecute abortions at all. Wooten said as much during last month’s debate with her Republican opponent, current Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
“As your next county attorney, I will always defend your right to choose and our doctors’ right to provide healthcare,” said Wooten in her campaign video.
“A prosecutor does have judicial discretion. I will focus my efforts overall on keeping communities safe, rather than policing a woman’s womb,” said Wooten during the debate.
As AZ Free Newsreported last month, Wooten has a history of erring on the side of criminals. Prior to serving as a judge, Wooten defended human traffickers and pleaded down their cases to reduced sentencing.
In that same reporting, Wooten made remarks in a closed-door meeting promising to not prosecute under the controversial ballot proposal HCR 2060, the “Secure the Border Act.” If approved by voters this November, that proposal would make illegal immigration a state crime, which would allow local law enforcement to make arrests and local judges to order those convicted to leave the country.
“We don’t need to patrol our citizens,” said Wooten.
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Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is attempting to bring justice for an Arizona victim but is meeting resistance from the state’s attorney general.
Earlier this month, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced that it had “filed a motion with the Arizona Supreme Court in a move to ultimately seek a warrant of execution for Aaron Brian Gunches.”
— Maricopa County Attorney's Office (@marcoattorney) June 5, 2024
Gunches has been sentenced to death twice over the murder of the ex-husband of his girlfriend in 2002.
“For nearly two years, we’ve seen delay after delay from the governor and the attorney general,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “The commissioner’s report was expected at the end of 2023, but it never arrived. In a letter received by my office three weeks ago, I’m now told the report might be complete in early 2025. For almost 22 years, Ted Price’s family has been waiting for justice and closure. They’re not willing to wait any longer and neither am I.”
Attorney General Mayes pushed back against Mitchell’s legal effort, writing, “Only the Attorney General is authorized to seek warrants of execution. Despite what rogue Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell may believe, there is only one Attorney General at a time – and the voters decided who that was 18 months ago. Just three weeks ago, I notified County Attorney Mitchell about my plans for seeking warrants of execution a little over six months from now after the completion of the independent death penalty review. But apparently, conducting this cynical performance to look tough in her competitive re-election primary is more important to the County Attorney than following the law.”
Mayes added, “Make no mistake, I will vigorously defend the authority of this office – and will not stand by as the Maricopa County Attorney attempts to create chaos to save her political career. My office will next move to strike this motion and prevent County Attorney Mitchell from continuing her unauthorized actions related to the death penalty.”
Mitchell disagreed with Mayes’ assessment of her legal limitations in this matter. She said, “I believe that as an attorney who acts on behalf of the state, I also can appropriately ask the Supreme Court for a death warrant. The victims have asserted their rights to finality and seek this office’s assistance in protecting their constitutional rights to a prompt and final conclusion to this case.”
The saga over Gunches execution started in late-2022, when former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the Arizona Supreme Court for a warrant of execution. After the January 2, 2023, transition of power to Katie Hobbs and new Attorney General Kris Mayes, the state desperately attempted to reverse the actions that set Gunches’ execution process into motion. These efforts proved to be unsuccessful, however, when the high court did, in fact, grant the warrant of execution, ordering the state to put Gunches to death on April 6, 2023. The governor refused to comply with the court-issued warrant, stating that the State would not be seeking to carry out the execution at this time. Hobbs’ decision triggered court filings from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Republican leaders in the Arizona Legislature.
The Arizona Supreme Court declined to force the State of Arizona to carry out the issued warrant for Gunches but would not withdraw it either. The warrant expired last year, leading to County Attorney Mitchell’s attempt to seek this action before the state’s high court.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Government officials across different jurisdictions are attempting to lay claim to the investigation of the Arizona Governor’s Office over a recent media report that the Hobbs administration may have engaged in an improper, or unethical, or unlawful relationship with an organization receiving taxpayer dollars.
Last week, after her Criminal Division head confirmed the existence of an inquiry, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes transmitted two letters to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Arizona Auditor General Lindsey Perry, over their respective Office’s plans to investigate the Hobbs administration over a recent revelation of alleged impropriety with taxpayer funds from a state agency. Attorney General Mayes told County Attorney Mitchell that “it would not be appropriate or in the best interest of the state to conduct parallel investigations into the same matter,” and that “a separate process conducted by the MCAO could jeopardize the integrity of the criminal investigation that my office will now proceed with.”
Mayes similarly told Auditor General Perry that “while [the Auditor General’s] office is statutorily authorized to examine records and conduct audits at the direction of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, at this time, the assistance of [her] office is not needed by the Attorney General’s Office for our investigation.”
Here's the letter to the auditor general, and another link to a story about Mayes' investigation and the potential battle over jurisdiction ahead. https://t.co/KsVfzpdcdTpic.twitter.com/SfRvYqBcxc
The letters from Mayes to Mitchell and Perry followed a communication from State Representative Matt Gress to the Maricopa County Attorney, which informed the Republican prosecutor that “the Auditor General’s Office stands ready to partner with you in getting the facts about this troubling matter [the interconnected web of financial and political relationships between Sunshine Residential Homes, Inc. and Governor Katie Hobbs].” Gress, the chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, told County Attorney Mitchell that “we will allocate the resources the Auditor General needs to help restore what appears to be a major breach of trust in our government.”
State Representative @MatthewGress: Auditor General Ready to Assist County Attorney in Probing Potential Illegal Actions Involving Sunshine Residential Homes & Governor Hobbs
"In my capacity as chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, I want you to know that the… pic.twitter.com/HvGzx56pcG
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) June 6, 2024
After receiving letters from Senator T.J. Shope and Gress, County Attorney Mitchell let them know that her office was “contacted by the Arizona Auditor General asking that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office serve as the prosecution office that will work with them while they conduct an investigation into this matter.”
🚨 Corruption Alert! 🚨 Gov. Katie Hobbs' shady "pay-to-play" scheme is now under the microscope. Maricopa County Atty Rachel Mitchell is teaming up with the Auditor General to investigate shady deals between Hobbs and Sunshine Residential Homes. Time to expose the TRUTH. 💸🔥 pic.twitter.com/yk2do6lv6H
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) June 7, 2024
Less than a week ago, The Arizona Republic broke a story about the Arizona Department of Child Safety “approv[ing] what amounts to a nearly 60% increase in the rate that Sunshine Residential Homes Inc. charges to care for a child for a day.” The alleged action to approve the rate increase for the one organization was made while “DCS has denied pay increases to home operators and cut loose 16 providers during the contract renewal process.” The Republic also asserted that “no other standard group home provider was approved for any rate increase during Hobbs’ tenure.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
In the tumultuous race for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the incumbent Republican Rachel Mitchell is facing attacks from both sides as fellow Republican Gina Godbehere, a former bureau chief for the MCAO and former prosecutor in Goodyear was first to launch a blistering campaign. However, by comparison the findings of investigative reporters against Godbehere are far more serious than those she’s levied against Mitchell.
The victor in the upcoming July primary will face off against Democrat Tamika Wooten, a judge pro tem, former chief prosecutor in Glendale, and a municipal judge in multiple jurisdictions. But before Wooten has even taken the stage, the GOP primary campaign has already been marked by the weapon of choice for any Attorney’s race: ‘sweetheart’ plea deals. Godbehere fired the first shot, blasting Mitchell for a plea deal with former director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, Charles Ryan in a radio interview with KFNN’s J.D. Hayworth as reported by the Phoenix New Times on April 9th.
Godbehere prefaced the issue telling Hayworth, “The problem with the county attorney is she’s wedged between a Democratic governor and a Democratic attorney general, and she has liberal staff that are running that office.” She later landed the rhetorical blow, “When you allow sweetheart deals, like in the Ryan case or pointing the gun at police, and you’re not holding offenders accountable, this is the problem we’re having.”
As noted by New Times, Wooten also latched onto the plea deal telling the outlet, “As a prosecutor, justice is supposed to be blind, and (Mitchell’s) not making her decisions that way. I think there was definitely some favoritism based on Ryan’s former position.”
It didn’t take long though for the investigative reporters at the Arizona Daily Independent to uncover a troubling unsolicited plea deal issued by Godbehere during her tenure with the MCAO for 52-year-old Laquanza Young, also known as Quan Chaney before changing his name in 2019. As reported by the Independent, Young (then known as Chaney) was arrested in 2009 for attempting to rob his former employer Cricket Wireless, threatening a pregnant former co-worker at gunpoint while doing so. He had been previously terminated by Cricket on suspicion of theft and for weeks ahead of the robbery reportedly sent threatening emails to his ex-employer.
Young was arrested and was looking at 3 counts of aggravated assault, burglary, and armed robbery charges, class three and two felonies respectively, and had a lengthy criminal record. Depending on mitigating facts he should’ve been looking at up to 30 years in prison. Confusingly, Young even expressed in pretrial statement that he had no interest in a plea deal. That was at least until Godbehere took the case.
According to the Independent, “Godbehere promptly gave Young a five-week continuance for his trial date, and then offered him a plea deal. Instead of felony charges for aggravated assault, burglary, and armed robbery, Godbehere offered Young lesser charges of disorderly conduct with a handgun (a class six felony) and burglary in the first degree with a handgun (a class three felony). Minimum sentencing under the revised charges amounted to three years, or a maximum of eight years. Godbehere personally signed off on the plea deal.”
Young (then Chaney) was sentenced to just 10 months in prison, was out in five, and he only paid $400 in restitution to the pregnant mother he threatened.
Already, this would be egregious. But on March 21, 2024, Young now under his new moniker, drew a firearm on Scottsdale Police officers who had pulled him over during a routine traffic stop. The suspect was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen at the time of the traffic stop according to AZCentral. Near Scottsdale Road and Cactus Young exited the car rapidly, drew his gun and opened fire on two officers who returned fire and struck him fatally. He was declared dead at the scene.
A man who was only on the street due to an unsolicited plea deal from Godbehere, was killed just weeks ago while he attempted to murder two Police officers in the line of duty.
Without expressing an opinion regarding the plea deal that Mitchell offered Ryan, a charge based on an incident in which no one was harmed being reduced in light of a dedicated civil servant’s years of service doesn’t strain imagination. But an unsolicited, astoundingly light plea bargain, putting a known criminal back on the street who would later die attempting to gun down two police officers is quite another matter.
To quote Godbehere’s own words, “When you allow sweetheart deals (…) and you’re not holding offenders accountable, this is the problem we’re having.”
