The Warren County, Virginia, commonwealth’s attorney has called the sheriff’s truthfulness into question.
The controversy started with court documents filed in a case in which Sheriff Mark Butler made the arrest.
Commonwealth’s Attorney John Bell learned from a local investigative reporter Butler had been the subject of two internal affairs investigations in his previous job as a Herndon police officer.
The court filing exposing those investigations led Bell to say he could not call the sheriff as a witness, writing in a news release, “All prosecutors have a legal and ethical duty to disclose exculpatory evidence about a witness, that is, any information that casts doubt on the truthfulness of that witness.”
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“It is a painful duty when that witness is a law enforcement officer,” the news release said. “It is a particularly painful duty when that officer is your elected sheriff.”
Butler said it’s all about politics. He was elected as an independent candidate and is running for a second term. He says Republicans want him out.
“If you look at what I’ve done, there’s not a viable candidate who can beat me,” he said. “If you can’t beat somebody on their merit, what do they normally do in politics? You slander your opponent.”
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As for the internal affairs investigations opened in 2019 in Herndon, Butler said he was targeted there, too.
“I told them they were not correct and I believed it was workplace harassment,” he said. “I know they that they’re trying to sabotage my campaign for sheriff.”
Butler immediately resigned to run for sheriff fulltime, but Herndon police officials say the investigations would have led to Butler’s firing.
Capt. Crystal Cline, a 22-year veteran of the Front Royal Police Department, is the GOP nominee for sheriff.
“I believe that Warren County needs integrity,” she said. “They need trust and they need respect brought back to the sheriff’s office, and I feel I could bring that.”
Butler pointed to the recent accreditation of his office as proof he’s doing a good job.
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