PHOENIX — Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel said in a statement Friday that she is now home and plans to return to work on Monday.
"I am home with my family and look forward to returning to office on Monday. I continue to make my recovery a priority but have been cleared by my medical team to return to work. The outpouring of support has been a wonderful reminder that there is so much good in this community. Nobody suffering from mental health issues should feel alone. My own journey has reaffirmed my commitment to a treatment first approach to prosecution and I am committed to continuing the work of the county attorney’s office," Adel said in a statement provided by her office Friday.
Adel announced on September 10 that she had entered treatment for stress, anxiety, an eating disorder and alcohol use.
“After a very difficult year for me medically, professionally and personally, I have made the decision to seek treatment for anxiety and to address unhealthy coping behaviors including an eating disorder and alcohol use. This is a very difficult announcement because I, like many others, have tried to address these issues on my own,” Adel wrote in her statement released on September 10.
Adel’s office has not responded to questions about when Adel actually entered treatment.
The County Attorney suffered a brain bleed following a fall in October last year. She underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for several weeks.
When Adel returned to work in a larger capacity in early 2021, she faced a massive scandal following an ABC15 investigation that uncovered her office colluded with Phoenix Police to falsely charge protesters with made-up crimes.
Members of Adel’s leadership team instructed prosecutors to seek gang charges against protesters.
As a result, MCAO and Phoenix Police invented a fake gang to charge the demonstrators.
An outside investigation conducted by a retired judge, who was hired by MCAO, concluded that Adel was not informed about the gang charges before they were officially filed.
However, one of the key prosecutors on the protest cases claims that Adel was aware.
