RICHMOND, Va. -- Democratic State Senator Louise Lucas has brief comments as she arrived at Tuesday’s General Assembly special session to address the impacts of COVID-19 and criminal justice reform.
“I will be vindicated,” said Lucas.
The comments come one day after Portsmouth Police announced she and several other have felony warrants out for their arrest in connection to an incident in June when protesters in that city pulled down a Confederate statue, injuring one man.
WTKR has confirmed with Senator Louise Lucas' attorney that she was served in Richmond on felony charges on Tuesday and was released on bond.
While Lucas offered no additional comments Tuesday, she has tweeted thanks to those speaking in her defense, including Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax.
Thank you @FairfaxJustin for speaking your truth! I will see you in the committee when I present my bill on patterns and practices of local police departments. https://t.co/OODZOFfMI8
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) August 18, 2020
"I think it’s obviously easy to perceive it as an intimidation tactic," said Fairfax.
Fairfax says the charges are politically motivated and questions the timing of the announcement, one day before the special session where she is a chief or co-patron for several bills related to police reform.
"Shows both the irony and the fact that we have a long way to go. Four hundred years now of history in Virginia of oppression and racial injustice. So, I stand firmly in support of Senator Lucas and I hope that these charges at some point will be dismissed," he added.
State Senator Jennifer McClellan had a similar stance.
"I stand with Senator Lucas," McClellan said Tuesday. "I think the timing of all of that is a bit suspicious. For an incident that occurred a long time ago that she wasn’t even present for."
The Republican Party of Virginia said in a statement that Lucas should turn herself in immediately and that her behavior is “far from what leaders of our Commonwealth should strive for."
However, Republican Senators CBS 6 spoke to deferred comment on the matter.
"Actually, I’m not really up to speed on it, but I don’t really have any comments on that," said Sen. Bill DeSteph.
"In my other life I am a criminal defense attorney. I don’t try my own cases in the media and I’m certainly not going to be so presumptuous to say anything about her case," added Sen. Tommy Norment.