A Kent County, Virginia, judge has reportedly greenlit a special counsel to take over an investigation into Democratic candidate for state attorney general Jay Jones’ 2022 reckless driving case.
Judge Elliott Bondurant has approved a request from Kent County Commonwealth Attorney Scott Renick, who sought to recuse himself from the investigation because of an unknown conflict, according to National Review. The special counsel appointment is the latest wrinkle in a case believed to have been settled until Renick’s office revisited it earlier this month.
In 2022, Jones was caught traveling 116 mph in a 70 mph zone. Jones’ avoided jail time, though he was fined $1,500 and ordered to complete 1,000 hours of community service. In January of 2024, Jones submitted letters to the court that said he completed his community service requirement with 500 hours for the NAACP and 500 hours for Meet Our Moment.
Earlier this month, Renick began looking into how Jones completed his community service hours, according to ABC 7.
Meet Our Moment is Jones’ own political action committee, a relationship that was not reflected in the documents Jones submitted to the court to satisfy his community service requirement. The political nature of the group also raises questions about the validity of the time claimed toward his community service requirement, according to ABC 7.
In order to have completed his community service within the timeframe, Jones would have had to work 10 hours every week for each group, all while working full time for the law firm Hogan Lovells, according to National Review. Jones also spent much time in 2023 on the road campaigning for other Democrats.
On Wednesday, Jones’ Republican opponent, state Attorney General Jason Miyares, renewed his call for the Democrat to drop out.
“Jay Jones had already disqualified himself with his violent text messages fantasizing about the death of his political opponent and their young children. Now we learn that he may have misled the courts to avoid jail time after recklessly driving 116 miles per hour on one of the most dangerous stretches of interstate in Virginia,” Miyares said in a statement.
“It is not possible for Jay Jones to fulfill the duties of this office while under an open criminal investigation. If Jay Jones stays in the race, it shows a contempt for voters never seen in modern Virginia political history,” he continued.
Jones has continued to trail Miyares in polls while dragging down other Democrats in Virginia along with him, after messages Jones sent in 2022 about then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert were revealed. Jones had wished harm against Gilbert and his children, saying that, “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
