Charges against Stapley dismissed

Charges against Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley have been dismissed but can be refiled by a different prosecutor.

In a ruling issued March 15, Pima County Superior Court Judge John Leonardo dismissed charges of theft, perjury and fraudulent schemes against Stapley.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, whose office filed the charges, sought to have them dismissed after a ruling from a different judge said Thomas’ office had a conflict of interest in prosecuting the case of County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. Thomas’s office has handed the cases against Wilcox and Stapley over to the Gila County Attorney’s Office.

Stapley was accused of getting mortgage loans under fraudulent pretenses and allegedly misusing campaign funds. Wilcox had been charged with conflict of interest, perjury, forgery and false swearing.