PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said his office could not find evidence to substantiate claims of wrongdoing anonymously made against the county's recorder and elections director.
On Wednesday, Volkmer publicly addressed the Pinal County Board of Supervisors about allegations his office has been investigating for the last couple of months involving Recorder Dana Lewis.
After a review of financial records, Volkmer said he could not find proof that Lewis' office had allegedly misused public resources, which was alleged in emails sent to one of the county's elected supervisors.
"There was no substantiated concern," Volkmer told the supervisors this week.
But the issue is not over.
Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, who received the anonymous emails about Lewis, has now filed a claim seeking $456,000 in damages by claiming he was allegedly defamed by Lewis. The claim also seeks for Lewis to be removed as the county's elections director.
Volkmer said on Wednesday he decided to speak publicly about the investigation in order to "clear the air" since Lewis continues to have her reputation "smeared."
"This is about getting the truth out so the public understands the reality of what's going on and that we didn't just sit on our hands. That this board didn't ignore it, I didn't ignore it and that Dana's been fully forthcoming," the county attorney said.
The debacle is the latest election-related issue to plague Pinal County since the 2022 election.
During the primary election two years ago, several complaints were made after polling stations in Pinal County ran out of ballots. Then the county's election director resigned less than a year into the job due to county supervisors allegedly trying to politicize elections.
Cavanaugh, a Republican who has submitted paperwork to run for Pinal County sheriff this year, has been embroiled in prior conflicts with other county officials.
Last year, a defamation lawsuit involving Cavanaugh was settled after he was accused of spreading false information about two county employees.
Cavanaugh told PinalCentral this week he was not satisfied with Volkmer's investigation into the claims against Lewis.
Volkmer said if the plaintiff wishes to pursue the latest defamation claim against Lewis, then the county will have to retain outside counsel to legally represent the county and the matter may be dragged out for several months.
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