Good Afternoon -
My name is Kelly Hobbs and I'm a criminal defense attorney and a partner in the law firm of Dygert, Wright, Hobbs & Heilberg.
I'm also decidedly not a Democrat. You may, therefore, be wondering why I am speaking on behalf of the Democratic candidate for the office of Albemarle Commonwealth's Attorney.
Many people do not understand the function of the Commonwealth's Attorney in society, but the function of the Commonwealth's Attorney is vital to the execution of justice in our community. The Commonwealth's Attorney's desk is where all of the criminal prosecutions end up for the purposes of taking that criminal defendant to trial before the judge or the jury. It is the Commonwealth's Attorney who sees that justice is meted out on behalf of the victims of crimes in our community. We owe it to the police and the citizens of this community to see to it that the investigations of the police are handled by a competent Commonwealth's Attorney.
I am speaking on behalf of the Democratic candidate, because I believe that the citizens of this community need to have as their Commonwealth's Attorney someone of the highest legal ethics and ability, and therefore I am putting politics aside in favor of advocating for the most qualified candidate, Denise Lunsford.
I've spoken with many members of the community, including members of the bar, all of whom have expressed their respect for Denise as a citizen and as an attorney. In addition, I have spoken with many of the members of our law enforcement community and they recognize that Denise Lunsford is a worthy adversary who remains ethical in the performance of her duties. Some members of the law enforcement community have even expressed to me the potential benefits to the community of utilizing Denise's talents in prosecuting criminals.
I've known Denise for over ten years and have the utmost respect and confidence in her legal abilities and her integrity. She is highly intelligent, possesses common sense, and I know that she will place the law above all other issues.
