Virginia state senator surrenders to face charges related to dismantling Confederate monument

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Lucas has been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and injuring a monument over $ 1,000, Col. Marvin Waters spokesman told CNN. She was released on personal bail Tuesday afternoon, Waters added, meaning the senator did not have to post a bond.

Lucas is one of 14 people charged following an incident in June which resulted in “fatal” and “permanent” injuries to a man, police said. All of those charged except one surrendered and were released on personal bail, Waters said.

Among the accused were a member of the Portsmouth School Board, members of the local NAACP chapter and three public defenders.

Lucas has been a member of the state Senate since 1992, his biography shows. She became the first black woman to become interim president of the state Senate, according to the Virginia Senate Democrats Facebook page.

Lucas’s attorney, Don Scott Jr., said she attended the protest against a Confederate monument early in the afternoon and stayed “no longer than 30 minutes.”

It was later on the evening of June 10 that the man, Chris Green, was seriously injured, CNN reported.
“I expect the senator to be vindicated,” said Scott, who is also a Democratic delegate to the House of Representatives, representing the state’s 80th district, which includes Portsmouth. “She’s a strong woman, her head (has been) held high all the time.”

According to Scott, the Portsmouth Police Department “totally bypassed” the Commonwealth Prosecutor’s Office when it requested the arrest warrants, noting that Lucas’s arrest warrant was filed just a day before she returns to Richmond to preside over the Senate.

“The way this investigation was conducted is revealing of how things would work out in a third world country or in a kangaroo court,” he said.

The Commonwealth Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday issued a statement explaining that a ‘police officer swearing in information to a magistrate to obtain warrants is the traditional process frequently used by Portsmouth Police within the Portsmouth Police Department “.

However, the office said it still had not received any investigation results from Portsmouth Police who are required to make a decision on whether to formally indict one of the 14 indicted on Monday.

CNN has contacted the Portsmouth Police Department for more information on why these results have not yet been sent.

Stephanie Morales, the Commonwealth’s lawyer for the city, was also listed as a witness in the police department’s probable causes summary, which presents a possible conflict of interest, the office noted in the statement.

“If a summons is served, our office intends to file a motion to quash the summons because Ms. Morales was not on the scene to be an eyewitness to any of the matters listed,” he said. -he declares.

Scott said he believes Lucas’s next court appearance will be on September 4, when the trial date will be set. He added that Lucas herself will appear “more than likely” because of her legislative obligations.

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