SURRY, Va. (AP) - A prosecutor who was criticized for his handling of the Michael Vick dogfighting investigation defeated a write-in challenger to keep his job, an election official said Wednesday.
Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter got 1,657 votes to challenger Ed Vaughn's 1,173 in Tuesday's election, county registrar Lucille Epps said.
Poindexter has held the job since 1995.
Vaughn, who has been a prosecutor for 24 years but is now in private practice, said Wednesday the Vick case did not motivate his challenge of Poindexter.
"It probably had more to do with narcotics enforcement — or a lack of narcotics enforcement — generally in Surry County," Vaughn said. "Vick was not the focus of the challenge."
Surry County is where the dogfighting enterprise known as Bad Newz Kennels operated since 2001 on 15 acres owned by Vick, the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
While the dogfighting investigation began locally, federal investigators ultimately took charge of the case amid criticism that the local investigation was moving too slowly.
In July, Vick and three co-defendants were indicted on federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. The four entered guilty pleas and are scheduled to be sentenced by the end of the year. They all face possible prison terms.
In September, Vick and the co-defendants were indicted on state felony charges in Surry County.
Sheriff Harold D. Brown, whose department investigated the dogfighting charges, also beat back challenger James C. Judkins in Tuesday's election.
Poindexter and Brown did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press. |