Prince William Commonwealth Attorney: “It was quite clear that no public business was transacted”

Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth has weighed in on a meeting that has prompted a lawsuit against the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

In a letter sent to Potomac Local News today, Ashworth determined that no public business was conducted during a May 31 meeting of the Prince William County Police Citizens Advisory Board. The special meeting was called by committee chairman Cozy Bailey the morning after a riot engulfed the area of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, just five miles outside Manassas.

“After speaking with [Prince William police Deputy Chief] Phelps, it was quite clear that no public business was transacted, nor was the intent of the [Citizens Advisory Board] meeting to transact public business,” Ashworth states.

Five members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, all Democrats, attended the meeting, along with Prince Wiliam County Executive Christopher Martino, and the county’s top law enforcement officers, Sheriff Glen Hill and county police Chief Barry Barnard.

Republican members of the Board of County Supervisors say they weren’t notified of the meeting and claim that fellow board members did, in fact, make policy statements at the meeting about police procedure, when it comes to using force. Pepper spray was used on rioters the night before after a protest turned violent, and five people were arrested and four police officers were injured — at least one seriously.

Prince William County resident Alan Gloss this week slapped the entire Board of County Supervisors with a lawsuit, naming them individually in the suit, asserting elected officials violated Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act laws that require any meeting with two or more elected public officials in attendance to be advertised to the public in advance of the meeting.

Defendants in the lawsuit, including the eight members of the Board of County Supervisors, the county executive, and Sheriff Hill have received subpoenas to appear in court on Monday, June 15.