PULASKI, Virginia – A special prosecutor in the Jeff Edds misdemeanor assault has asked for a replacement four days after his appointment.
Pulaski County Commonwealth°®¶¹´«Ã½ Attorney Justin Griffith said Friday that his office had been appointed as special prosecutor after Scott County Commonwealth°®¶¹´«Ã½ Attorney Kyle Kilgore filed a motion Sept. 5 to recuse his office from handling the case against the Scott County Sheriff.
Griffith said the order appointing his office to handle the case was filed in Scott County Circuit Court Tuesday. He said that, after interviewing a “complaining witness†and starting the discovery process, he found a possible conflict of interest and filed a motion Friday to recuse his office from the case.
The only complaining witness listed in the Sept. 3 filing against Edds was his daughter-in-law, Ashli Nicole Edds.
According to the complaint, Ashli Edds alleged that the sheriff was waiting Sept. 1 at the house she shared with his son. She claimed that the sheriff told her she had to leave before he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her out the door.
Edds is scheduled to appear in General District Court on Oct. 1.
Griffith said a decision on a new special prosecutor could be made within a week.
According to county General District Court records, 30th Judicial District Juvenile and Domestic Relations judges Elizabeth Wills, Kimberly Jenkins, Marcus McClung and General District judges Shawn Hines and Andrew Johnson all file recusal orders in the case on Sept. 5. Selection of a substitute judge for the case is being handled by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
