NORFOLK, Va. — A judge Monday heard arguments about a petition filed in circuit court seeking to have a grand jury empaneled to investigate Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi.
Last month, a group of people filed a petition asking a judge to summon a grand jury to investigate Fatehi as a "public nuisance," saying he has failed to adequately do his job.
Fatehi sought to have the petition dismissed during the hearing. A judge will rule at a later date.
Attorney Amina Matheny-Willard and a co-counsel argued Fatehi's office has lost several high profile cases, which put criminals back on the streets and has created a public nuisance.
"Basically, it's being incompetent in terms of doing his job as Commonwealth's Attorney, allowing violent felons to go free. Obviously, that creates a public harm to everyone in the city of Norfolk," Matheny-Willard said.
Among those who signed the petition is Arekeda Brehon. Her granddaughter was shot and permanently injured in 2020. Earlier this year, a jury found the man charged in the case not guilty.
"They failed to get sufficient evidence to convict him. I met with the Commonwealth one time before the court case," Brehon said.
Fatehi asked the judge to impose sanctions on Matheny-Willard and was vocally critical of her and her co-counsel Zachary Lawrence. At one point, Fatehi said Lawrence was "in over his head."
Matheny-Willard is a past political opponent of Fatehi and ran against him in 2021 to get the Democratic nominee to become Commonwealth's Attorney.
"It was a publicity stunt. It's cynically trading on the grief of victims, misusing them, weaponizing them, and tying up my time instead of doing the people's buisness," Fatehi told reporters after the hearing.
Fatehi has defended his job performance in interviews with News 3, including in January when he said a lack of witness cooperation continues to make prosecution difficult.
"I'm sorry they're unhappy, but ti doesn't change the facts of the case. It doesn't change the law and it doesn't change the court process works. I don't tell people what they want to hear. I tell them what they need to know," said Fatehi.
