Yavapai County, Arizona — Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk announced Friday that she is retiring after a long career that included a high-profile trial at the deadly Sweat Lodge and an aggressive campaign against synthetic drugs.
After 22 years as the county’s chief prosecutor, Polk’s office in Prescott announced Friday that she will be stepping down at the end of the year.
Polk said in a news release, “I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life that will give me the opportunity to spend more time with my family, do more volunteer work in the community, and pursue my recreational interests.
The announcement did not mention who would succeed her in the interim.
Polk said he personally always appreciated the role she played in prosecuting self-help writer James Ray, who killed three people at a makeshift sweat lodge near Sedona in 2009.
Prosecutors have accused Ray of recklessly packing more than 50 attendees of his “Spiritual Warrior” event into his 415-square-foot (39-square-meter) sweat lodge. He then reprimanded them for wanting to leave, even though the people were vomiting, scalded by hot rocks, and lying on the ground.
RELATED: Driver convicted in accident that killed two children on Arizona highway
Before the trial, Polk sought oral arguments to prevent Ray and his attorneys from continuing to appear on national news programs that could taint jurors.
Ray was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison for each death and executed at the same time. He was released on parole in 2013.
Polk is also known for leading the effort to permanently criminalize the sale of synthetic drugs known as “bath salts” or “spices.” In 2012, her office received an emergency temporary restraining order. In her lawsuit, she called drugs a “public nuisance.” Her office has collected more than 100 affidavits testifying to members of the community, the mental health care sector, law enforcement, and the harm caused by drugs.
A year later, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Polk’s office touted a Yavapai County Superior Court judge’s order granting a permanent injunction barring all known retailers from selling the drug. .
Polk’s legal career spanned 40 years, beginning with his 1982 graduation from Arizona State University Law School. After that, he served as a clerk of the Arizona Supreme Court for one year. Polk then served in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for 11 years.
In 1994, she moved to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office and became the Deputy County Attorney for seven years.
She was elected to the top spot in 2000 and has been consistently re-elected.
RELATED: ‘Sorry’: Man sentenced to prison for dumping body parts in Arizona
RELATED: Arizona mother found guilty in DUI accident that killed her 5-year-old daughter
speed up
Check out the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.
