Toward the end of the Aug. 13, 2024, Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting and following a closed session, the board voted on a vague motion, and county officials didn’t provide clarity afterward.
Courtland District Supervisor Drew Mullins made a motion to authorize County Attorney Karl Holsten to cooperate with the Virginia State Police in an ongoing investigation regarding the actions of a person subject to the oversight of a public body in the county.
The board unanimously supported the motion, and the meeting was adjourned.
There is now a bit more clarity, however, regarding the circumstances surrounding the vote.
Richard T. McGrath, the Chief Judge of the 15th Judicial District of Virginia, which includes the Fredericksburg region, was indicted Monday on a Class 4 felony charge of bribery of a public official.
The official in question was not identified. The alleged incident occurred on July 15, 2024, according to court records.
After the board’s vote in August, Spotsylvania Director of Community Engagement and Tourism Michelle McGinnis, who handles press inquiries for the county, said no officials would elaborate on the directive from the board because it was an ongoing investigation.
Virginia State Police Sgt. Brent Coffey said last summer he was instructed by the Bureau of Criminal Investigations not to elaborate on the situation, either.
A warrant was issued against McGrath, who presided over multiple cases involving Spotsylvania County Public Schools last year, following the grand jury’s decision to indict him Monday morning.
The date of McGrath’s court appearance was not listed in an online database containing case information.
