11 Oct 17th-Oct 23rd, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | the reason was for my presence,” Green said before ending the conversation. Jennifer Liewer, then the communica- tions director for the county attorney’s office, drove Adel to a rehab facility in Wickenburg after the intervention, according to an affidavit Liewer provided to the State Bar. Liewer resigned in February 2022, stating in her resignation letter that she could no longer defend her boss’ “sobriety and leadership.” In her affi- davit, Liewer wrote that she told Adel she should step down and was subsequently locked out of the office and told to work from home until her last day. Liewer’s affidavit does not mention any suspicions that Adel was abused by her husband. Liewer declined to comment when contacted by New Times. An affidavit from Tom Liddy, chief of the county attorney’s civil division, stated that Adel “sometimes displayed signs of impairment” during phone conversations, including “an inability to remember recent conversations or discussions,” resulting in “ongoing circular discussions.” The affi- davit described Adel’s anxiety as being so intense that she didn’t want to talk to other elected county officials. However, Liddy was careful not to attribute Adel’s odd behavior to alcohol addiction. “I do not know the cause of Ms. Adel’s impairment,” he wrote. “I have never observed her slur her speech or smelled alcohol on her breath.” Liddy’s affidavit also contained hints at discord between Adel and DeNitto. According to Liddy, Adel approached him in January 2022 to ask his office to send a letter to DeNitto accusing him of violating “marital privilege,” a legal rule that protects private communications between spouses from being used in judicial proceedings. “Ms. Adel explained that she was ‘trying to scare the crap out of him’ for violating the marital privilege,” Liddy’s affidavit stated. Per his affidavit, Liddy told Adel that his division could not interfere in such a private matter. When contacted by New Times, Liddy confirmed that he had submitted an affi- davit to the state bar, though he declined to comment further. Mitchell’s affidavit said a June 2021 phone call with Adel was the first time that Mitchell noticed signs of Adel’s “repeating and unfocused conversation as well as memory issues.” Mitchell wrote that she suspected substance abuse, though she dismissed those concerns at the time due to a head injury Adel suffered in 2020. Some close to Adel now suspect DeNitto caused that injury, which required emer- gency surgery. Mitchell wrote that she also suspected Adel of being “intoxicated” during tele- phonic meetings and suggested that Adel “demonstrated signs of impairment” during an October 2020 debate with Democrat Julie Gunnigle. Mitchell’s affi- davit also includes an unverified rumor that Adel “consumed approximately 13 bottles of wine” the weekend before she entered rehab in August 2021. Liewer’s affidavit stated that the source of that rumor was DeNitto, who was allegedly abusing Adel at the time. Mitchell’s affidavit did not indicate that she was aware of Adel’s alleged abuse. (Nor does Liewer’s, Green’s or Liddy’s.) Mitchell has refused to answer questions about Adel’s possible spousal abuse. The county attor- ney’s office has not responded to a request for a comment on the bar’s investigation and the contents of Navarrete’s affidavit. While Adel hid signs of her alleged abuse from many at the county attorney’s office, not everyone was completely in the dark. Dominguez previously told New Times that members of Adel’s security detail informed their supervisor, Tom Van Dorn, that they’d noticed bruises on Adel’s arms and suspected abuse. Van Dorn declined to comment on Dominguez’s statement. Dominguez added that the security team lacked enough information to intervene at the time. Dominguez said he was unaware of the incident Navarrete described of Adel hiding in a closet from DeNitto, or if anyone reported suspicions about Adel’s alleged abuse to law enforcement. He wouldn’t be surprised if nobody did. The atmosphere at the county attorney’s office discouraged jumping the chain of command, he said. “This goes to show how people know stuff, but they don’t say things. They get afraid of repercussions,” he said of the revelation concerning Adel hiding in a closet. “They’re afraid of getting in trouble from doing the right thing.” Barred from View from p 8 Allister Adel was appointed to the office of Maricopa County Attorney in 2019 and was a elected to a full term in the position in 2020. (Courtesy of Allister Adel Campaign Facebook Page)