Criminal probe of county government continues

Virginia State Police have recently conducted interviews with at least two persons in the ongoing criminal probe surrounding possible misappropriation of Rappahannock County government funds, this newspaper has learned.

A State Police investigator just recently turned written reports of those interviews over to Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Walther for his review.

Reached this week, Walther had no comment on the investigation.

But a source familiar with the case said Tuesday that the commonwealth’s attorney is personally handling the investigation, which is proceeding “very slowly” but thoroughly. It is hoped that the investigation can be wrapped up by “next month,” the source said.

The same contact said last May that “one question [has led] to another” in the investigation.

Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey W. Parker signed a written order naming Walther as special prosecutor after Rappahannock County Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff recused himself, insisting that “he is so situated with respect to the accused in this matter that it would be improper for him to act . . .”

The probe was launched by the State Police in February 2017 after a letter that same month from Rappahannock County Treasurer Debbie Knick to the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors called attention to apparent instances of one or more employees failing to follow proper expense and payroll procedures, and not conducting sufficient oversight of the county’s spending.

Any such investigation is automatically triggered if there is suspicion of wrongdoing, intentional or not.