Prosecutor quits amid controversy
“As you know, an employee isn’t required to explain a resignation so his letter is all the information that the office has for release.”
Jennifer Liewer
Maricopa County attorney’s office spokesperson
A Maricopa County Attorney’s Office prosecutor who belonged to the unit responsible for charging 14 protesters as gang members submitted a notice of his intent to leave the agency after working there for nearly 10 years.
Nicholas Michaud notified his superiors via email on Nov. 5 and sent another notice to the agency’s human resources department on Nov. 10. The attorney’s office provided The Arizona Republic a copy of the email, which says Michaud’s final day with the agency will be Nov. 24.
Michaud did not say in his letter why he was leaving or where he was going next.
Jennifer Liewer, a department spokesperson, told The Republic she couldn’t provide any additional context behind Michaud’s departure.
“As you know, an employee isn’t required to explain a resignation so his letter is all the information that the office has for release,” Liewer said.
Michaud’s notice of his intent to leave comes shortly after MCAO disbanded its First Responders Bureau, which handled cases involving acts of violence against first responders such as police and firefighters.
Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel said the decision to dissolve the unit was due to hiring challenges.
“As you all know, we simply have not been able to add additional staff and resources fast enough to do the work that needs to be done,” Allister said in an internal email. “While we are focused on increased hiring, we do not believe we will have the resources to staff the First Responder Bureau at the level needed to provide the high-quality service these cases deserve.”
Adel said those who worked in the First Responder Bureau would be reassigned to other areas.