Virginia County To Stop Prosecuting Several Crimes: According to a prosecutor in Virginia, her agency will no longer take part in the prosecution of certain misdemeanor cases.
According to FOX 5, Buta Biberaj, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, stated in a memo that her office is “overwhelmed” and needs to concentrate more on felonies and serious offenses.
Biberaj lists a number of charges that her office will not prosecute in the document she issued to judges on December 30, 2022, including hit-and-run (property damage), reckless driving (under 90 mph), trespass, being intoxicated in public, and eluding.
According to the letter, her office may cooperate with police authorities on these allegations if they choose to pursue criminal charges.
The modifications are scheduled to go into effect after January 16, according to the letter.
Biberaj said that the letter was prematurely disclosed and that its purpose was to spark debate among the judges of Loudoun County. He made this claim during a press conference on Friday.
The prosecuting of the misdemeanor offenses is changing, she added, adding that the letter doesn’t always mean that they won’t be.
“We promised transparency, you want to see what we’re doing? Come see what we’re doing. Do you have questions about what we’re doing? Ask the questions. It’s unfortunate this letter dated December 30, was prematurely released. That’s why we have the shock factor as to why people are saying ‘oh my gosh I didn’t know.’ You didn’t know cause it wasn’t your time to know. We invited our general district court judges to have a conversation. How can we do this, and best serve you, and best serve our community,” Biberaj said.
According to Biberaj, her office will talk about the modifications with the defense counsel and its law enforcement allies.
Jason Miyares, the Commonwealth’s attorney general, retaliated by asserting that prosecutors cannot selectively pursue certain laws.
“Prosecutors cannot cherry-pick laws to enforce and laws to ignore – that’s not how our government works, and it establishes a dangerous precedent. Far-left CAs who ignore crime create an environment that only encourages more of it. Virginians deserve better,” Miyares said.
Biberaj responded as follows: “My main priorities are defending victims and maintaining community safety. My choice enables us to focus all of our resources on assisting victims of violent crimes like murder, rape, and domestic abuse rather than on issuing speeding fines.”
I focus on ensuring a safe community and fighting for victims. My decision allows us to dedicate every available resource to protect victims of crime such as murder, rape, and domestic violence, not speeding tickets. https://t.co/PSZGOlXyvQ
— Buta Biberaj (@ButaBiberaj) January 14, 2023
“If truth be told, @JasonMiyaresVA, you know from your short time as a prosecutor in Va Beach, that throughout our great Commonwealth, officers are the primary evidence presenters in traffic and low-level misdemeanors. That’s not failing to prosecute, but prioritizing prosecution…If you want to protect the people, stop playing the politics of division and misinformation. You know the Commonwealth only gives prosecutors $$ to prosecute felonies. So if you truly want to fight for victims, fight for prosecutors’ to get the $$$ to prosecute every misd.”
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