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Maricopa County prosecutors forced to drop 180 idle cases

Harrison Sweazea/AP

In this undated photo provided by the Misssouri State Senate, the gavel of the Missouri Senate is displayed resting on the Senate dais in Jefferson City, Missouri. The gavel was last seen on March 18, 2016, and Senate leaders fear that someone may have stolen it. (Harrison Sweazea, Missouri Senate via AP)

By: Associated Press

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PHOENIX (AP) — 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.

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