YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — The Arizona judge who presides over attorney discipline matters has signed a formal reprimand of a lawyer and former state legislator for unprofessional conduct during his unsuccessful 2020 campaign for Yavapai County attorney.
The judge's Jan. 19 order stemmed from an agreement in which ex-Rep. David Stringer acknowledged sending campaign mailers that mischaracterized court rulings to impugn County Attorney Sheila Polk’s character.
Polk defeated Stringer in the Republican primary race and was later re-elected to a sixth term in office.
Stringer resigned from the Legislature in 2019 after it was revealed by the Phoenix New Times that he was arrested in 1983 and accused of paying teenage boys for sex.
Stringer denied that allegation and said he struck a deferred prosecution agreement because of a chance that he could lose. Stringer said he quit his House seat to protect his law license rather than violate a court order by complying with a subpoena for records.
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