Mecham Says He Won’t Deal to Avoid Charge

PHOENIX â€”  Former Gov. Evan Mecham said today he’ll have no part of any deal that calls for criminal charges against him to be dismissed in exchange for his leaving the state and spending two years as a Mormon missionary.

State Sen. Bill De Long has said some of Mecham’s lawyers met with Arizona Atty. Gen. Bob Corbin in an attempt to get the criminal charges against Mecham dropped.

“I believe the meeting was held last week,� De Long said Wednesday. Corbin would not comment on whether the meeting took place.

Mecham, during an interview this morning on KTAR radio, said: “I would have made no deal with nobody that I would leave the state for two years. I’ve done nothing wrong.�

‘In Middle of Things’

He also said, “I’m in the middle of things in Arizona, and I don’t plan to go away.�

He said his attorneys “maybe had some conversations,� but added that the lawyers reportedly involved were not those handling his criminal case. “I can’t say it didn’t happen. I didn’t know of it,� Mecham said.

Mecham said Wednesday night he and his attorneys were preparing for his trial. “I’m going to get myself acquitted,� he said.

Elaborating on the possible attempts at a deal for Mecham, De Long said Fred Craft and Jerris Leonard, who represented Mecham during his Senate impeachment trial, approached him a week ago and asked him to set up a meeting with Corbin to discuss the possibility of having the charges dropped.

“It was a dismissal in return for certain concessions on the part of the respondent, and while I did not hear all of the details, I did act as an intermediary for a meeting to be set up,� De Long said.