Prison Whistleblower Acquitted in Assault Case
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has found a prison whistleblower not guilty in a controversial aggravated assault case. Judge Joseph Kiefer cleared former prison Lt. Mark Hasz after a multi-day bench trial, marking the second time the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has failed to secure a conviction against him.
Hasz was fired and charged with aggravated assault after a use-of-force incident on July 21, 2020, inside the Lewis prison complex. Months before the incident, he had spoken publicly about concerns within the prison system and how top officials were responding to COVID-19. His fellow whistleblower, Shaun Holland, alleges that Hasz’s prosecution was an act of retaliation.
During the first trial, Judge Kiefer prevented Hasz’s defense team from presenting evidence of his whistleblowing activities or other prison use-of-force incidents that were never charged. However, no such ruling was made in this second trial.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has denied any allegations of retaliation, stating that they charged Hasz based on the facts and evidence presented by law enforcement.
