VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An attorney for former Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Deputy and Sergeant William Fowler, who is suing Sheriff Ken Stolle after being fired, is responding to a statement the sheriff recently provided to News 3 about the case.
Fowler was placed on administrative leave in Nov. 2021 after nearly 15 years with the department. Stolle chose not to reappoint Fowler to his next term.
Fowler, in the lawsuit, claims he was fired because of his political leanings, as well as those of his wife, a Democrat representing House District 21, which includes parts of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Sheriff Stolle released a statement to News 3, saying in part, "I have not been served with this lawsuit and so I cannot comment on any specific allegations contained therein; however, I can assure you that any claim by William Fowler is completely frivolous...."
In a statement released Monday, Fowler's attorney, William Thetford Jr. said Fowler "has not engaged in slander or even public criticism against Sheriff Stolle, but he has asserted his claims in the court of law for legal redress, as is his right."
"We are disappointed that Sheriff Stolle has resorted to false and defamatory character attacks on our client rather than simply responding to the issues," Thetford said. "While stating that he has not even read the Complaint, Sheriff Stolle has taken to the press and social media to announce the Complaint was “completely frivolous” without even taking the time to read it or inform himself of the applicable law."
The statement from Sheriff Stolle also said "I lost confidence in William Fowler’s ability to serve the community, lead as a supervisor, and uphold my values and expectations as Sheriff. For those reasons, I did not appoint him to my staff in 2022.”
Fowler's attorney said he "never disobeyed a direct order as Sheriff Stolle has recently alleged. As the Complaint alleges, Mr. Fowler consistently received high marks in his performance evaluations throughout his career."
"As Mr. Fowler identified in his Complaint, Sheriff Stolle singled out Mr. Fowler, told Mr. Fowler that he would not be reappointed, and placed Mr. Fowler on administrative leave preventing Mr. Fowler from working even one more shift," the statement from Fowler's said. "According to the Complaint, this conversation came the day after Sheriff Stolle last communicated with Mr. Fowler’s wife, Del. Convirs-Fowler, regarding a political disagreement."
The statement from Fowler's attorney went on to say "Contrary to the Sheriff’s published statements that Sheriff Stolle had “cause” to terminate Mr. Fowler and decided to not reappoint him on that account, Mr. Fowler asserts that Sheriff Stolle announced at the time that Mr. Fowler’s separation from the VBSO had nothing to do with any performance issue."
