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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares blasted Democratic challenger Jay Jones after a court filing indicated the probe into Jones’ I-64 reckless driving arrest remains or is again under criminal investigation.
A court filing obtained by Fox News Digital in New Kent County shows that Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick asked to be recused from the case, citing largely unspecified reasons — a move that indicates an investigation remains active.
“It is not possible for Jay Jones to fulfill the duties of the attorney general while under an open criminal investigation,” Miyares told Fox News Digital after learning of the document, first reported by National Review.
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“If Jay stays in the race, it shows a contempt for voters never seen in modern Virginia political history.”
Miyares said Jones’ text messages envisioning the murder of then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, already disqualified him from the position, but that Wednesday’s news is icing on the proverbial cake.
“Now we learn that he may have misled the courts to avoid jail time for recklessly driving 116mph. He has not taken accountability for his words or actions,” Miyares said.
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The order, signed by New Kent County Circuit Judge B. Elliott Bondurant, cites the case Commonwealth v. Jerrauld C. Jones.
Bondurant wrote that Renick advised the court he believed it would be “improper for him to act in the matter currently pending in the General District Court in New Kent County, due to a potential conflict.”
Without extrapolating the conflict further, Bondurant consented to the request and has appointed James City County Commonwealth’s Attorney Nathan R. Green as special prosecutor.
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Green, whose jurisdiction is adjacent to New Kent, is based out of and also includes the independent city of Williamsburg.
Green will be able to “exercise all powers of the Attorney for the Commonwealth in this matter,” Bondurant wrote.
Questions have also surfaced about the legality and ethics of Jones completing half of his 1,000 community service hours for the reckless driving case through his own political action committee. The remaining 500 hours were logged with the NAACP of Virginia, according to a sworn statement signed by the group’s president, Rev. Cozy Bailey.
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Fox News Digital has a pending Freedom of Information Act request with New Kent County for any communications between the committee – MOMPAC – and the county as well as the NAACP and the county.
Legal documents obtained by Fox News Digital earlier in October did not indicate whether time logs were also filed along with the sworn certificates of completion of 500 hours each.
Jones was also issued a $1,500 fine for the incident.
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Officials who answered the phone at both the New Kent County Circuit Court and Renick’s office declined to provide details about the investigation referenced in the recusal document, though the court did release a copy of the order to Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jones for comment for purposes of this story but did not hear back by press time.
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