ST. JOHNS, Ariz.—An Arizona county attorney remains unaccounted for after the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) served warrants to search his home and office on June 4.
The Epoch Times could not reach the AGO to comment on Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting’s whereabouts or the reasons for the search.
A spokeswoman for the county attorney referred all comments to the Attorney General’s Office.
Mr. Whiting reportedly sent emails to at least two Arizona news outlets after the searches, saying his office was still open to serve the public.
According to local authorities, the AGO served warrants to search Mr. Whiting’s home and office for reasons unknown.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety was also involved.
“The sheriff’s office was not part of the investigation,” Jesse Robinson, public information officer at the Apache County Sheriff’s Office in St. Johns, told The Epoch Times.
“Apparently, they weren’t able to locate him. We don’t really have any information on it. It’s all speculation at this point. I think everybody is kind of surprised by it all.”
The Epoch Times could not reach the Apache County Manager for comment.
Voters elected Mr. Whiting to his first term as Apache County attorney in 2008.
He is a member of the Arizona State Bar Association and is “admitted to practice in all courts in the state of Arizona, as well as before the United States District Court for the District of Arizona,” according to the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council.
His wife, Joy Whiting, is Apache County’s school superintendent in St. Johns.
In 2011, the state Bar Association filed an ethics complaint against Mr. Whiting and his former chief deputy attorney, accusing them of misconduct by allowing investigators to interview a murder suspect in jail without an attorney present.
A superior court judge eventually threw out the first-degree murder charge against Joseph Roberts with prejudice, citing a violation of his constitutional rights.
