| NEWS | Art Credit Deborah Lee Soltesz Weird from p 12 alongside the Republican party nation- wide. QAnon followers subscribe to a theory that a satanic child sex-trafficking ring controls the U.S. government, and the world. In 2017, that notion sprouted from an anonymous person claiming to work for the government. Phoenix local Jake Angeli, the self-pro- claimed QAnon Shaman, known for his fur and horned-helmet get-up, was a regular at protests and often carried a sign proclaim- ing “Q Sent Me.” Unlike these other myths, QAnon has prompted violence — such as when protes- tors broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and ran riot. The group attempted to dis- Whistleblower from p 15 five different internal investigations re- lated to union work and information he shared with the media. The sheriff’s office accused him of abuse of his position and lack of professionalism, among other vio- lations of MCSO’s code of conduct. Inves- tigators claim Fisk used county resources for “non-business purposes,” according to the lawsuit. Fisk’s attorneys rebuff those claims. Rather, the investigations “falsely accuse him of engaging in political work during work time.” The sheriff’s office created a new “non- solicitation” policy to prevent the union from distributing flyers for new recruits at work. It also barred the new union from gathering in county facilities despite that the county allows the sheriff’s deputy union to do so. When he returned to work, he was Local rumors claim the Superstition Mountains in Pinal County has a gold mine. rupt Congress while counting the electoral votes after the presidential election in 2020. That day, a shirtless Angeli trekked to Washington, D.C., plastered in red, white, and blue face paint, while holding an American flag with a sharp object at its tip. Angeli claimed that “It’s Only a Matter of Time. Justice is Coming” as a warning to political leaders. The 34-year old has since pleaded guilty to a felony charge and faces 20 years in prison. Whether it’s something in the water, or lack thereof, or the heat, Arizona is rife with conspiracy theorists in the desert. given a poor performance evaluation for the first time. That evaluation has since been changed, since his attorney threat- ened legal action, according to the lawsuit. All five internal investigations involving Fisk are ongoing more than a year later, a MCSO spokesperson confirmed to New Times. Fisk and his attorney, Jacqeline Soto, declined to comment for the story. Norma Gutierrez-Deorta, a spokesper- son for MCSO, also declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. Becca Fealk, policy program coordina- tor with American Friends Service Committee Arizona, which advocates for criminal justice reform, told New Times that Fisk’s case forms part of a longstand- ing, “intrinsic” culture of hostility towards whistleblowers in Arizona’s jails and pris- ons. “We’ve seen this time and again,” she said. 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES DEC 9TH– DEC 15TH, 2021
