Attorney Theresa Sheridan of Tucson; ethical gremlin

The state of Arizona provided Theresa A. Sheridan with a law license in 2007 after she graduated from the University of Utah Law School.

The Arizona State Bar found Teri guilty of the following misconduct while employed as a prosecuting attorney.

While prosecuting an aggravated DUI case, the defense attorney submitted a set of the defendant’s prescription medical records to the court for in camera inspection. The judge ordered that the original, un-redacted prescription records be filed under seal and redacted copies would be provided to the parties. Teri was instructed to pick up her redacted copy from the court’s outbox.

When Teri could not locate her redacted copy in the court’s outbox, she entered the court chambers, where a law clerk informed her that the court was out of session and on vacation and that Teri would need to return when the judicial assistant was in. Instead of leaving, Teri looked through a stack of documents on the counter area above the judicial assistant’s desk.

Teri then located what she believed to be her redacted copy of the prescription records and took the documents. When she returned to her office, Teri discovered that she had taken the un-redacted prescription records that had been filed under seal.

Teri then returned the documents to the court, but defense counsel filed a motion for sanctions for prosecutorial misconduct. That motion led to the trial court dismissing the criminal case with prejudice, which meant the defendant could never again be prosecuted.

As a consequence of her misconduct, the cheerleaders of Attorney Misfits sitting on the Arizona Supreme Court punished Teri by gifting her with a complimentary censure.

As we speak (ca. July 2015), Teri practices with the Pima County Attorney’s Office at 32 North Stone Avenue in Tucson, Arizona.