RICHMOND, Va. — A special prosecutor has been appointed to review if Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones completed service hours for a reckless driving conviction, creating more friction between the Democrat and his Republican opponent, current Attorney General Jason Miyares.
In 2022, Jones was caught driving 116 mph in a 70 mph zone on I-64 in New Kent County, according to a release from Miyares' team, which includes excerpts from a National Review article. Jones had to pay a fine and complete 1,000 hours of community service for the conviction. However, the investigation is questioning if he did, in fact, complete 500 community service hours for both the Virginia chapter of the NAACP and the MOM PAC in 2023.
Roanoke’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Don Caldwell has been appointed as a special prosecutor in the case. This comes after the previous special prosecutor, Williamsburg/James City County Commonwealth's Attorney Nathan Green, recused himself from the case for “a matter that created a potential conflict for the New Kent County Commonwealth’s Attorney," as noted in a motion shared with News 3. Commonwealth's Attorney of New Kent County was initially on the case but recused himself, citing a "potential conflict."
News 3’s Kurt Williams sat down with Jones for an exclusive interview after reports of the investigation surfaced.
“Several years ago, I made a mistake, but I was held accountable by the court. It was reviewed and accepted by the Commonwealth's attorney and by the judge. And you know, we need leaders in Virginia who will take accountability for their actions, and Jason Miyares refuses to hold Donald Trump accountable. And that's what this race is about, holding the President and this administration accountable during these challenging times when people are out of work because they were illegally fired,” Jones said.
Jones added, “Look, I have just been so focused on this race and making sure that we hold people accountable. Donald Trump in particular, that is what people in Virginia have been talking to me about.”
Miyares stated in his release, "It is not possible for Jay Jones to fulfill the duties of that office while under an open criminal investigation."
This is the latest development in what has become a tense race between the two attorney general candidates: earlier this month, the National Review reported on text messages sent by Jones that included threats of violence against a state lawmaker and his family back in 2022. Miyares opined that Jones should drop out due to the text controversy, but Jones has vowed to stay in the race.
Tune into News 3 on Tuesday, Oct. 28 to see Kurt Williams' interviews with Jay Jones and Jason Miyares.
