A Democrat Virginia Board of Supervisors’ member has been indicted on 82 mostly election-related felony charges a Commonwealth Attorney announced May 3.
“The Special Grand Jury indicted Trey Adkins and Sherry Lynn Bailey for several election related offenses,” said Commonwealth Attorney Zack Stoots in a Facebook statement. “Adkins was also indicted for embezzlement of public funds while being in a position of public office.”
“Trey Adkins was indicted for 82 felony offenses,” Stoots stated. “Sherry Lynn Bailey was indicted for 12 felony counts.”
Adkins is the current Knox District Supervisor for Buchanan County. Bailey allegedly helped him.
The Virginia State Police reportedly began investigating the two more than two years ago for election cycles dating as far back as 2011. Stoots was appointed special counsel for the investigation.
The grand jury was empaneled May 5, 2021, in Buchanan County, Virginia, and returned true bills against the pair May 2. The Knox Supervisor allegedly brought absentee application forms when he visited rural members of his town. The four-page grand jury report detailed witnesses saying absentee ballot requests in their names were signed by someone else because the signatures were not theirs. Others reported objections to reason codes that included travel outside the county or designated them as disabled, which are allegedly false statements.
Buchanan County Registrar Vickie Clevinger testified and explained to grand jurors the county’s absentee voting process. She explained that Adkins presented more Absentee Application Forms than other candidates for public office and her office records the initials of the person hand delivering the forms.
“During each election cycle, Mr. Adkins relied on a number of absentee ballot applications and votes,” Clevinger reportedly said. “He personally campaigned to a number of homes in the Knox District and in 2019, took hundreds of ballot applications to residents, filled them out and turned them in to the local Registrar.”
Grand jurors heard testimony and reviewed documents that several Knox District residents received gravel on their private driveways. They heard further testimony from the county administrator that such gravel delivery was only allowed to be placed on private driveways to repair damage done by a municipality.
Adkins reportedly responded to the allegations by claiming the charges were a show, adding he and Bailey will both be pleading not guilty.
According to a Johnson City Press report, Adkins alleged some of those absentee voters have been harassed, further noting the allegations are related to how the envelopes were witnessed. He explained none of the embezzlement charges accuse him of enriching himself, adding he will not resign from the board.
“There’s no chance in hell that I’ll step off the board of supervisors,” Adkins said. “Period. Let me be clear about that.”
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