• Lexington
  • Rockbridge
  • Buena Vista
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Regional
  • In-Depth Reporting
  • About Us
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Rockbridge Report
Rockbridge Report
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
  • Lexington
  • Rockbridge
  • Buena Vista
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Regional
  • In-Depth Reporting
  • About Us
Tuesday, October 3
Rockbridge Report
Home»Virginia»Prosecutor asks for police probe of statue-removal contract

Prosecutor asks for police probe of statue-removal contract

November 12, 20203 Mins Read

By The Associated Press

A Virginia special prosecutor has requested that state police investigate Richmond’s $1.8 million contract for the removal of the city’s Confederate statues.

The statues were taken down over the summer, and an inquiry into the contract between the city and a Richmond-area construction company owner was initiated after a political rival of Mayor Levar Stoney’s raised concerns about the deal.

A Richmond judge appointed Timothy Martin, the commonwealth’s attorney for Augusta County, to handle the matter in September.

“I hereby request that you authorize the Bureau of Criminal Investigation within the Virginia State Police to conduct an investigation into this matter,” Martin wrote to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring in a letter.

Martin declined further comment.

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Photo from Creative Commons.

A spokeswoman for Herring and a spokeswoman for state police both declined comment.

Jeffrey Breit, an attorney for Stoney, said in an interview Thursday that neither he nor the mayor were concerned about the investigation, which he said was based on politically motivated criticism.

Breit said Martin told him he made the request because he needs additional investigators who can conduct interviews.

“It’s got to go through a process,” Breit said.

Stoney’s administration initially declined to answer questions from reporters about who was behind the shell company, NAH LLC, that records showed the city had contracted with for the removal of the statues.

News outlets later uncovered through public records requests that NAH was linked to Devon Henry, the founder of Newport News-based construction company Team Henry Enterprises.

It was also reported that Henry had previously donated $4,000, a relatively modest amount, to Stoney and his political action committee over the course of several years.

The revelations led to allegations of cronyism. One of Stoney’s opponents in the November election, city councilwoman Kim Gray, requested the investigation.

Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin initially declined to take up the matter, citing a donation Henry had made to a political campaign of her husband, U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin, when he was running for state senate. She later asked the court to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate.

A court granted the request, appointing Martin.

“Mr. Henry will fully cooperate with any formal inquiry into the removal of monuments in the city of Richmond. Mr. Henry’s focus was on safely and properly performing the difficult job his company was hired to do,” Team Henry Enterprises said in a statement.

Henry, who is Black and has said he formed the shell company for safety and privacy reasons, has said he’s faced death threats since his identity was made public.

Stoney ordered the statues removed on July 1, the same day a new state law took effect explicitly giving localities the authority to take them down.

Stoney, who is also Black and has also faced threats related to the statue removals, said he was invoking his emergency powers to immediately remove the statues instead of following a lengthy process outlined in the law. He said he was concerned about public safety amid continuing protests and fears that protesters could get hurt if they tried to bring down the enormous statues themselves.

The mayor has defended his handling of the removals and the contract, saying that “what we did was legal, it was appropriate, and it was right.”

 

Related

Sept. 8, 2023 Newscast

rockbridgereport

The commonwealth’s attorney for Rockbridge Count The commonwealth’s attorney for Rockbridge County and Lexington said he wants victims of sexual assault at Washington and Lee University to seek help from police and prosecutors who can investigate and file criminal charges. 

In the past month, two former W&L students have faced sexual assault charges.

Read Ned Newton’s full story on our website, rockbridgereport.wlu.edu.
Lexington’s City Council has given the go-ahead Lexington’s City Council has given the go-ahead for a developer to begin drafting plans to build apartments off Spotswood Drive. 

The new permit approval comes after months of controversy about the design. 

Read Andrew Arnold’s full story on our website, rockbridgereport.wlu.edu.
A new, 24-hour EMS crew will help in providing bac A new, 24-hour EMS crew will help in providing backup services to Glasgow and other nearby cities and towns.

For more details on the new EMS crew, visit: https://youtu.be/k03HNBKB978.
Buddy, the horse, and Police Chief Angela Greene l Buddy, the horse, and Police Chief Angela Greene led the Lexington Christmas Parade. Buddy is one of the future Mounted Police Unit horses working with the Lexington police. 

Watch Buddy and the latest broadcast of the Rockbridge Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDZ4A6xuk-4
A developer sought final city approval this week t A developer sought final city approval this week to build 62 apartment units on Lexington’s Spotswood Drive.

Echelon Resources went before the city’s planning commission Thursday to request a permit allowing the developer company to construct multi-family housing at the Spotswood site. The planning commission will offer a recommendation for approval or denial to the Lexington City Council. The city council will likely have a final vote on the permit in early January.

The proposal received some pushback from Lexington residents who fear the development will significantly increase traffic, impede the local hospital, or strain the city’s water and sewer systems. 

For more details on the Spotswood proposal visit: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/spotswood-drive-apartment-complex-moves-forward/
Lexington’s city manager is searching for a full Lexington’s city manager is searching for a full-time city attorney. The previous city attorney, Jared Jenkins, no longer serves in the position following his split from Mann Legal Group.

Learn more by visiting the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/lexington-replaces-city-attorney/
Two students at Virginia Military Institute and Wa Two students at Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University posted bomb threats on anonymous social media platforms last week.

After investigations, both posts proved to be false alarms. Disciplinary measures for the students are unclear. 

Read the full story here: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/two-university-bomb-threats-posted-on-anonymous-social-media-proved-false/
Local nonprofits, like the Rockbridge Area Relief Local nonprofits, like the Rockbridge Area Relief Association (RARA) and Washington and Lee’s Campus Kitchen, will provide extra support for families facing food insecurity during the holidays.

Read more about this on the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/community-groups-to-offer-food-to-students-and-their-families-during-holiday-break/
“Normal people can’t afford that." Lexington “Normal people can’t afford that."

Lexington is Stacey Dickerson-Suggs’ hometown, but the single mother can’t afford to live here. Virginia house prices are going up about 10% each year. In Lexington, the median price of a home has increased 27% in the past year.

Read more about this on the Rockbridge Report website: https://rockbridgereport.academic.wlu.edu/2022/12/08/lexington-renters-buyers-cant-find-affordable-housing/
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Twitter
My Tweets
Reporters

Luke Fountain

Jenny Hellwig

Jak Krouse

Emma Malinak

Fraley Williams

Producers

Christian Basnight

Jack Hunter

Teddy Jacobsen

Ned Newton

Billy Queally

 

Supervisors

Kevin Finch

Alecia Swasy

Michael Todd

Rockbridge Report
© 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Go to mobile version
 

Loading Comments...