Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
Release via Nelson CA Daniel Rutherford:
On November 22, 2016, I was sworn in as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Nelson County. I believe It is important to let the citizens of Nelson County know how I have operated the office with which I have been entrusted. Over the next few weeks I will providing an end of the year review of the accomplishments of my office. For this week I am going to focus on first priority when I took office: Vigorous Prosecution of Drug Dealers.
My office has worked alongside the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and the Skyline Task Force to vigorously prosecute the manufacturing and distribution of drugs. In pursuing charges, my office has thought outside of the box to ensure that drug dealers face substantial jail time. For the first time in Nelson County, and for the surrounding counties, my office has successfully prosecuted drug dealers for racketeering. More importantly, my office has forfeited drug dealer assets to ensure they do not have the means to continue to distribute drugs. In 2017, my office forfeited $172,408.14 in currency. A majority of these funds were forfeited to the Sheriff’s Office to provide for services or equipment that was not provided for within their budget. The funds forfeited represent the largest forfeiture by the Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office for a single year. Moreover, the 2017 forfeiture amount is larger than the amounts forfeited from 2009 through 2016 combined.
I am proud of the accomplishments by those in the law enforcement community. It has been my honor and privilege to work alongside them for the past year. As the Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will continue to prosecute those who distribute any narcotics within Nelson County vigorously and professionally.
Daniel Rutherford
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Nelson County
