A circuit court judge on Tuesday reinstated Martinsville’s mayor to the city council, pending trial on a petition to have him removed from office.
Judge Marcus Brinks also gave the recently appointed special prosecutor a week to study new documents she received late last week, as well as a potential conflict of interest that might arise from them.
Mayor L.C. Jones has been suspended since February, when now-retired Martinsville Circuit Judge G. Carter Greer ordered a recall trial for Jones, whom petitioners had accused in January of wrongdoing.
Jones, speaking to reporters after the hearing, said it was a “great day” for the city.
“I look forward to getting back to work and serving the great citizens of Martinsville,” he said.
Jones has faced no criminal charges, but the city prosecutor, who was recently relieved from the case due in part to professional and personal relationships with the city council and potential witnesses, has said that Jones’ removal case and a forensic audit of city spending are joined “at the hip.”
A trial is scheduled for June 5, but Jones’ attorney, Mark Krudys, argued that the months out of office amount to a due process violation, while also depriving voters of their elected mayor.
Krudys told the court that the special prosecutor, Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison, informed him late last week that she planned to drop the case against Jones, finding insufficient evidence to move forward. Later, he said, she told Jones’ team that she had received 150 pages of new documents and would ask the judge for more time to examine them, along with the possibility that the documents would reveal a personal conflict of interest.
Harrison did not dispute that account but told the judge that she does not have a specific conflict as of Tuesday.
The parties will return to the courtroom on April 29.
This is a breaking news post that will be updated.
