'Stay in your lane': Loudoun Co. Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj to AG Jason Miyares

by 7News Staff Tuesday, June 14th 2022

ASHBURN, Va. (7News) — After a Loudoun County judge removed Commonwealth Attorney's Office from prosecuting a burglary case, Buta Biberaj held a press conference Tuesday calling out Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares directly for making cases like this political fodder. ... "This is a specific message to Attorney General Jason Miyares, 'Stay in your lane'," Biberaj said. "Your lane is in Richmond. Your lane is being the Attorney General of Virginia. You are not the elected council attorney and definitely nor for Loudoun County. Since his election, he's been wanting to undermine the good work that we do as progressive prosecutors."

She said that her office is lowering crime in our communities, contrary to the stories Miyares chooses to tell. ... Biberaj said her office is also lowering the rate of incarceration in our community. ... "So we are not unnecessarily keeping people locked up in jail, in a box, in a cage, if they are not a threat to our community," she said. ... It’s true that the total amount of crimes in Loudoun County has declined since Biberaj took office – but that trend started years before she became the county’s CA, according to data from MWCOG.

Biberaj and her office was removed from the case by Circuit County Judge James Plowman. But Biberaj said the judge doesn't have the right to remove her. ... The case centers around 20-year-old Kevin Valle, who was arrested on multiple charges, including two felonies for burglary.

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In a letter, Miyares said, "it is clear from the Order that the Court has rightfully lost confidence in Ms. Biberaj, her deputies and her office’s ability and willingness to effectively seek justice in this matter. This is a situation of first impression for most in the legal community. Considering this unprecedented development, I wanted to offer to the Court the services of the Office of the Attorney General to either prosecute these cases or assist the Fauquier County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in that prosecution."

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Link to tweet

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