A protection lawyer needs to take over as Prince William County’s prime prosecutor.
Republican Matt Lowery plans to problem Democratic Commonwealth’s Lawyer Amy Ashworth in November’s election.
“Amy Ashworth has made coverage selections fairly deliberately which have run the commonwealth’s lawyer’s workplace into the bottom,” he stated. “There’s been a gross slowdown within the prosecution of every thing.”
Lowery, 52, of Woodbridge, practices legal protection and household regulation at Tobias Iszard PC. A graduate of Woodbridge Excessive Faculty, he acquired his bachelor’s diploma in political science and authorities at Virginia Commonwealth College and his regulation diploma on the College of Richmond.
Lowery began his profession in legal protection in Stafford County in 1997 earlier than becoming a member of the Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Lawyer’s Workplace in 2004. He labored within the Prince William prosecutor’s workplace from 2016 to 2019 after which was a deputy commonwealth’s lawyer in Fairfax County for about three years.
Lowery stated the native workplace has confronted large turnover beneath Ashworth due to a “collection of dangerous choices which have led to dangerous outcomes.” He additionally stated not sufficient circumstances are being licensed to a grand jury, regardless of no lower in crime.
Lowery helps the county’s drug court docket, which gives diversionary packages for sure crimes, however stated extra drug costs must be prosecuted. He stated many circumstances are being downgraded for a plea deal.
“We’re paying a lot consideration to defending the rights of criminals that we’ve left a number of folks within the lurch,” he stated. “I need to institute extra pro-community insurance policies.”
The three constitutional workplaces representing the county, Manassas and Manassas Park – commonwealth’s lawyer, sheriff and clerk of court docket – are all on the poll in 2023.
Ashworth was elected to a four-year time period in 2019 as the primary new commonwealth’s lawyer in a technology, changing Democrat Paul Ebert, who was the longest-serving commonwealth’s lawyer in Virginia historical past and had held the put up since 1967.
Ashworth received the 2019 Democratic main towards Tracey Lenox, now the county’s chief public defender. She defeated Republican Michael Could within the basic election.
Partisan candidates have till April 6 to submit paperwork declaring their candidacy for the November election, with any primaries scheduled for June 20. Unaffiliated candidates have till June 20 to submit paperwork.
