October, 2007 | I'm Surrounded By Idiots

Who do defense attorneys want as Commonwealth’s Attorney in Caroline County?

Why, Harvey Latney, of course; at least, that’s if you go by contributions to his campaign.

Latney has so far received $4,750 in campaign contributions from defense attorneys this election.

A special one to note is Mark A. Murphy (who donated $1,500), a partner of the Law Office of Murphy & Strickland, who is currently representing Donna Blanton. She is charged with the first-degree murder of her husband Taylor Blanton, a twenty-three (23) year veteran and a first sergeant of the Virginia State Police. A complete breakdown is below:

Name:	Law Firm	Amount of Contribution	Certified Court-Appointed Attorney for Caroline County?
George Davis	George H. Davis, III, P.C.	$500	Yes.
John Lafratta	Main Street Law Offices	$250	Yes.
Steve Marks	Steven M Marks, Att-at-Law	$500	Yes.
Mark A. Murphy	Law Office of Murphy & Strickland	$1,500	No.
Robert Reibach	Chucker & Reibach	$500	No.
Kristina Fitzgerald	The Law Office of Kristina K. Fitzgerald	$500	Yes.
Ed Vaughn	Ed Vaughn, Attorney at Law	$500	Yes.
Woodbridge, Ventura, and Kelly	Woodbridge, Ventura and Kelly, P.C.	$500	Yes, Yes, Yes.

PDF (2.94mb) of the Campaign Finance Report for July through August.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis dies of breast cancer

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Rep. Jo Ann Davis dies of breast cancer:

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis died this morning at her Gloucester home after a battle with breast cancer. She was 57.

Davis was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and had a re-occurrence earlier this year.

She had been undergoing treatment at Duke University and was doing well, but her condition deteriorated in the last week, according to a press release from her office.

Service arrangements have not been released.

Davis was a Republican who represented the 1st District.

UPDATE: From the AP via WTOP: Congresswoman Dies After Cancer Fight:

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, who represented southeastern Virginia for seven years, died Saturday morning after a two-year battle with breast cancer, her office said.

Davis, 57, died at her home in Gloucester.

Davis, a Republican, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and had a reoccurrence earlier this year. Her health took a turn for the worse during the past week, her office said.

She was first elected to Congress in 2000, and was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Her first piece of legislation, passed by the House in 2001, increased the life insurance benefit paid to survivors of military members killed on duty.

Before Congress, Davis served in the Virginia House of Delegates. She was a former real estate broker and a horse enthusiast.

She underwent chemotherapy treatments and a mastectomy when she was first diagnosed in 2005. When her cancer returned, she underwent chemotherapy again and often monitored hearings from home.

She is survived her husband, Chuck, two sons and a granddaughter.

UPDATE #2: From the AP via WTOP: Political Leaders React to Death of Jo Ann Davis:

Reactions to the death of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-1st, who died Saturday at her home in Gloucester after a two-year battle with breast cancer:

“I always admired Congresswoman Davis’ strong convictions and the tenacity that she brought to bear in acting on them. We shared a warm friendship built around a mutual enjoyment of equestrian sports.”

_U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va.

“Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis made history when she became the first female Republican elected to the House of Representatives from the commonwealth in 2000. She inspired Virginians as she battled breast cancer while continuing to serve the commonwealth.”

_Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

“Virginia has lost a passionate advocate for better government, and her legacy as a defender of conservative principles will always be remembered.”

_John Hager, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

“When her career took her to Washington, the entire commonwealth, and the country, benefited. She was a leader of integrity, common sense, and decency. …In a city where so many seek the bright lights of national publicity over the hard work of effective governing, Jo Ann always focused on the latter.”

_Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell.

“She was a good friend and a tireless advocate for America’s First District, as both she and Herb Bateman referred to the 1st Congressional District of Virginia. While we had different political loyalties, we had no differences in our efforts to work together for the Hampton Roads area and especially the shipping and defense industries.”

_U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-3rd.

“It is fitting that the month of October is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness. Even as she battled through her own personal adversity, Jo Ann saw her illness as an opportunity to help others and raise awareness for this disease. Her efforts will live on through the lives that she touched.”

_U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd.

“She was a dependable conservative voice on the challenges of our time, but I believe that her greatest contribution was the devoted manner in which she attended to the affairs of her district and the constituents she served.”

_Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

UPDATE #3: Hate to bring this up so soon, but from The Washington Post: Special Election Will Decide Successor to Va. Rep. Davis [emphasis mine]:

The successor to U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), who died yesterday at age 57, will be chosen during a special election on a date to be set by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), state officials said.

[…]

State law does not require Kaine to set the election date within a prescribed amount of time. An aide to the governor said that if Kaine decides not to call for a special election Nov. 6, Election Day for state and local offices, the special election could not be held until 30 days later, according to state law.

“We’re still researching exactly how this will be done,” said Delacey Skinner, Kaine’s communications director.

[…]

Two state Republican sources said yesterday that several names have emerged as potential candidates to run for Davis’s seat. Those include state Del. Robert J. Wittman (R-Westmoreland), Del. Melanie L. Rapp (R-York), Sen. Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover), Russ Moulton, former chairman of the 1st District Republican Committee, and GOP activist Paul Jost.

A Democratic source said at least one candidate might emerge from the party: Phil Forgit, an elementary school teacher who ran against Rapp in 2003.

For those not paying attention, Robert Wittman is the delegate for part of Caroline County (along with Robert Orrock and Chris Peace) while Ryan McDougle is the state senator for all of Caroline County.

Who does a convicted felon want as sheriff of Caroline County?

Why, Homer Johnson, of course. Or as Tom James has said, “[…] the only people who don’t like Sheriff Lippa are the criminals.”

A Ms. Ella Kay Pritchard wrote a letter in the September 5, 2007, edition of The Caroline Progress complaining about current Sheriff Tony Lippa and calling on voters to vote for Homer Johnson for sheriff in November. She even goes so far as to call Homer Johnson “[…] an honest & respectable member of our community”. Ha! Coming from a convicted felon! For even more humor consider Ms. Pritchard’s criminal history below:

Ella Kay Pritchard’s partial criminal history (felonies in bold):
- May 24, 2005, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Revoked suspended sentence/probation – Show Cause.
- April 6, 2005, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Grand larceny.
  - Guilty – Capias.
- December 17, 2004, Caroline County General District:
  - Guilty – Obstruction of justice.
- November 5, 2004, Stafford County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Larceny third offense.
- August 6, 2004, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty in absentia – Speeding 60/45.
- January 20, 2004, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty – Following too closely.
- November 25, 2003, Stafford County General District:
  - Prepaid – Speeding 74/55.
  - Prepaid – Safety belt violation.
- April 17, 2002, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Petit larceny.
- October 23, 2001, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty in absentia – Speeding 71/55.
- February 3, 2000, Stafford County General District:
  - Guilty – Bad check-$90.00
- October 22, 1999, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty – Bad check-$31.22.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$70.54.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$3.30.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$19.76.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$67.72.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$78.00.
- August 20, 1999, Hanover County General District:
  - Guilty – Driving suspended.

Kill a newborn? Get eighteen (18) months in jail.

From NBC 4 in Washington, D.C.: Woman Gets 18 Months In Newborn’s Death:

A Bethesda woman has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for killing her newborn baby last summer.

Ellen Griever, 22, was sentenced Wednesday on her guilty plea to a charge of child abuse resulting in death.

Griever brought the body of the full-term baby girl to Holy Cross Hospital in June 2006 and told workers there that the baby was stillborn. She later told police that the baby was born alive in the bathroom of her boyfriend’s house.

Prosecutors asked Montgomery County Circuit Judge Eric Johnson for a term of 12 to 20 years. The judge said he imposed the shorter sentence so she would go to the Montgomery County jail to receive some meaningful treatment.

More disturbing details from The Washington Post: Woman Gets 18 Months In Death of Newborn:

Yesterday, reality came into sharp focus for Griever, a former child-care worker, as a Montgomery County judge sentenced her to 18 months in jail for delivering a full-term baby girl into a toilet last summer and doing nothing to keep her alive as the newborn made “gurgling” noises and moved around.

[…]

Investigators called Griever’s behavior before the birth unfathomable and her calm demeanor afterward bewildering. She told detectives in videotaped interviews that she kept the pregnancy from her boyfriend, Joey Piemontese, because she was afraid he would leave her.

“She is not remorseful in those videotapes,” Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah W. Feinstein said. “She was not sad. It was chilling watching those videotapes.”

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Griever was at Piemontese’s house June 25 last year when she delivered the baby on his toilet about 5 a.m.

Griever told detectives that the baby “like gurgled” for less than a minute, prosecutors said. According to the memorandum, when a detective asked why the baby stopped moving and making noises, Griever said, “I don’t know, unless it was choking on its own mucus or whatever.”

Her boyfriend came to the bathroom shortly after the delivery and helped Griever move to the shower, prosecutors said. She told detectives that she left the baby in the toilet most of the day before placing her in a plastic bag that night, they said.

Griever called Holy Cross Hospital that evening and spoke to someone who encouraged her to come in with the baby. Early the next morning, Griever placed the baby, in a bag, in the trunk of her boyfriend’s car.

Griever and Piemontese then drove to his father’s house, where Griever took a bath and the two watched the animated film “Finding Nemo” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The baby’s body was left in the trunk, prosecutors said.

That afternoon, Griever went to Holy Cross, where she told hospital workers that she hadn’t known she was pregnant and that the baby was stillborn. Medical examiners later determined that the baby’s head was in a position that prevented her from breathing and that she was asphyxiated.

Later, Griever told homicide detectives that a previous pregnancy had resulted in an abortion. “I was mostly worried, also, because I was like, I was afraid Joey would leave me,” she told detectives, according to the memorandum.