Commonwealth's Attorney | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published June 11, 2019 at 8:35AM | Updated June 11, 2019 at 8:57AM

Polls Open for Democratic Primary — All Arlington voters can vote in today’s Democratic primary. Polls are open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. You can find your polling place and other information on the state elections website. [Twitter]

Politico Profiles Prosecutor Primary — “One sign that this era of agitated civic life is not merely a reflection of Donald Trump or Twitter is that the agitation has penetrated, of all places, into Arlington County, Virginia. In normal times, Arlington politics are polite and consensus-driven, almost proudly dull.” [Politico]

News

Candidate Essay: Theo Stamos

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2019 at 3:00PM

Incumbent Commonwealth's Attorney Theo Stamos is running for re-election

Here is the unedited response from Theo Stamos:

By now, you know the issues in this election. Rather than rehash them, it is important for you to know who I am, my leadership in the legal community, why Arlington is so important to me, and why I deserve your vote for Commonwealth’s Attorney.

News

Candidate Essay: Parisa Dehghani-Tafti

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2019 at 2:30PM

Here is the unedited response from Parisa Dehghani-Tafti:

My family and I are blessed to be part of this community. We are rightly proud of our schools, our local government, and the leadership role Arlington and the City of Falls Church have taken in the Commonwealth across a number of issues. The glaring exception remains our criminal justice system. But together we can change that and bring much needed reform to our Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office while keeping our families safe.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 6, 2019 at 7:30AM | Updated June 6, 2019 at 9:19AM

Campaign signs on medians near Columbia Pike during the heated 2019 campaign (file photo)

Arlington Tech Company Acquired — Silicon Valley cybersecurity firm Imperva has acquired Arlington-based bot mitigation startup Distil Networks. [TechCrunch, Imperva]

Permits Filed for B&E’s on Lee — Bob and Edith’s Diner finally applied for construction permits last month for its planned but delayed Lee Highway location. [Arlington Economic Development]

News

Inside the Fight Over Access to Criminal Case Documents in Arlington

By Airey

Published June 5, 2019 at 3:20PM

Arlington County's courthouse and police headquarters

An Arlington County policy on how defense attorneys access the materials they need to prepare their cases has become a hot topic in the already heated commonwealth’s attorney race.

Since Parisa Dehghani-Tafti launched her campaign to unseat Theo Stamos in the June 11 Democratic primary, discussions over the county’s discovery policy have featured in a candidate debate, a public endorsement, and a public letter opposing Stamos.

News

Campaign Ads for Commonwealth’s Attorney Race Show Difference in Money, Gender, and Geography

By Airey

Published May 31, 2019 at 3:55PM | Updated May 31, 2019 at 4:34PM

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Campaign ads for the commonwealth attorney’s race show differences in how the two candidates are spending money and aiming to win the upcoming primary election.

Incumbent Theo Stamos and challenger Parisa Dehghani-Tafti have spent differently when it comes to online advertising. Their campaigns have reached different populations as part of the hotly contested race for the county’s prosecutor office that’s been split by endorsements and support from lawyers.

Opinion

Peter’s Take: Theo Stamos for Commonwealth’s Attorney

By Peter Rousselot

Published May 22, 2019 at 2:30PM | Updated June 4, 2019 at 3:08PM

I enthusiastically support incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos for the Democratic nomination in the June 11 primary.

What is the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s role?

News

Commonwealth’s Attorney Candidates Disagree Over Role PACs Play in Campaigns

By Airey

Published May 16, 2019 at 3:00PM

Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, left, is challenging Commonwealth's Attorney Theo Stamos

The race to see who will be the next Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington and Falls Church has generated its share of fireworks, but the issue of campaign finance may ignite even more.

Incumbent Theo Stamos and challenger Parisa Dehghani-Tafti have already clashed over Tafti’s criticism of Stamos’ handling of cash bail and prosecution for some first-time marijuana-related offenses. Tafti also drew heat from county public-safety groups and her opponent for a campaign mailer they said mislabeled a fatal, officer-involved shooting as “police brutality.”

News

UPDATED: Police Association Demands Apology for Candidate’s ‘Police Brutality’ Claim

By Airey

Published May 7, 2019 at 10:05AM | Updated May 7, 2019 at 1:12PM

(Updated at 1 p.m.) Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate Parisa Dehghani-Tafti is facing calls for an apology after two groups representing police in Arlington County say she “falsely alleged” an incident of police brutality.

The Arlington County Police Department itself is now saying Tafti’s claim in a recent campaign mailer is “inconsistent with the facts.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 30, 2019 at 7:30AM | Updated May 7, 2019 at 10:09AM

Brush Fire in Park Near Columbia Pike — “Firefighters were called to Alcova Park a little after noon today to put out this small fire. No word on cause, but it’s an early season reminder to fully extinguish smoking & BBQ’ing materials before safely discarding them in a metal container & leaving the area.” [Twitter]

‘Walk for the Animals’ Tickets on Sale — “On Saturday, June 8, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., AWLA invites you to Walk for the Animals and celebrate our 75th anniversary of improving the lives of animals in our community… $35 Early Bird registration until May 1 (includes Walk registration and t-shirt)” [Animal Welfare League of Arlington]

News

Amid Primary Campaign, Defense Attorneys Sign Letter Opposing Prosecutor

By Airey

Published April 26, 2019 at 1:30PM | Updated May 7, 2019 at 10:09AM

(Updated at 3 p.m.) Dozens of local attorneys have signed a blistering letter criticizing the tactics of prosecutors in Arlington.

The letter — signed by criminal defense and civil rights lawyers — comes as Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, the county’s top prosecutor, is engaged in a primary election battle.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 25, 2019 at 7:30AM

Amazon Signs Another Lease in Crystal City — “Amazon.com Inc. has tacked on another block of space to its planned footprint at National Landing, less than a month after executing its first set of leases and purchase agreements with JBG Smith Properties for its second headquarters.” [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer Endorses Buttigieg — “Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg picked up his first endorsement from a member of Congress on Wednesday when Rep. Don Beyer from Virginia announced his support for the South Bend, Indiana, mayor.” [CNN]