ST JOHNS, Ariz. — Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting and two of his co-defendants appeared before a judge Thursday morning after a grand jury recently indicted them.
Whiting is accused of multiple counts of theft, misuse of public funds and harassing political opponents.
According to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Whiting, his aid Daryl Greer and Whiting's wife, Joyclynn, entered not guilty pleas.
The indictment accused Whiting of, among other things, threatening a political opponent of his wife, who is Apache County's school superintendent.
The indictment accuses Whiting of compiling information on Fernando Madrid, who was running for superintendent, and threatening to release it if Madrid did not drop out of the race. Madrid did pull his name from the election.
The AG's office also accuses both Whitings of buying items like gym equipment, cars and school spelling bee materials using county funds that were not authorized.
An attorney for Whiting said he had no comment on the arraignment Thursday afternoon.
UP TO SPEED
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
>> Live, local, breaking. Download the 12News app
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.