As early voting begins for Virginia's primaries, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia is denying allegations of sexual misconduct that were made when he was a police officer in Georgia.
Matthew Chappell is among five candidates seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Democrat Gerry Connolly, who represents Virginia's 11th Congressional District. The district includes the city of Fairfax most of Fairfax County and parts of Prince William County.
As primary voters get ready to vote Saturday, Chappell is fighting back against allegations reported in this Atlanta Journal Constitution story.
The publication reports the military veteran resigned from a police department and was fired from a sheriff’s office in Georgia after being accused of sharing nude photos of sex acts and of using a state database to track a female acquaintance.
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"The claims made against me are completely false," Chappell said in a video conversation this week with a leader of the Fairfax County GOP.
However, News4 obtained documents from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council that show Chappell’s certification was revoked in October 2019.
An investigative report states that Chappell “was terminated for violating his department’s social media policy and for requesting sexual acts while on duty.”
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Chappell was accused of asking a female officer with another department to have sex with him and his wife.
He said he didn’t have a chance attend a hearing to defend himself.
"I didn’t have a chance to fight back myself because I was in Afghanistan," Chappell said.
Chappell’s campaign biography does not mention his work in Georgia as a police officer and deputy. It says he now works as a national security consultant to the Department of Defense.
In a statement to News4 he wrote:
“I have … completed my periodic reinvestigation for my top secret clearance and polygraph since these allegations. I believe that speaks volumes about these allegations and where I’m at in my life.”
Steve Knotts, the 11th District GOP chairman, also issued a statement calling the allegations “a fluid story."
“As Mr. Chappell denies the accusations and he does not appear to have faced any criminal prosecution, we'll continue to remain neutral as a committee,” Knotts said.
