Garrett's marriage issues continue to play out publicly
Pictures and documents show just how bad things are in the divorce.
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First, read the story from the Daily Progress about Garrett’s divorce. Then come back to this newsletter for more coverage. It is all below:
Ex-Congressman Tom Garrett accused of abuse in bitter divorce proceedings - Daily Progress
by Jason Armesto
At the same time ex-Congressman Tom Garrett has been mounting a political comeback, he and his wife Flanna Sheridan have been embroiled in bitter divorce proceedings, with court filings claiming the Republican strangled Sheridan, attempted suicide and thought of ways to kill his chief of staff.
In a 2019 complaint filed by Garrett, his counsel wrote that Sheridan abandoned him “without just cause or provocation.” Garrett, who won the GOP nomination and will almost certainly be elected to the heavily Republican 56th District’s seat in the Virginia House of Delegates this fall, has denied nearly all the claims.
More on Garrett:
A source provided Virginia Scope with a picture of Garrett holding a gun to his own head and police reports stating a welfare check was conducted in 2019. The sources say that Garrett’s wife ordered the picture to be printed at a CVS and the employee saw the photo and notified the police.
Even More: A joint effort from Virginia Scope and Engage Louisa resulted in receiving some of the documents from the Garrett divorce hearing earlier this year. You can view some of them directly below:
Address change puts Delegate Freitas in new district - WMRA
Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas aims to represent the newly drawn 62nd district – but does he live in it? WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports. With all of the 140 seats in the General Assembly up for election this year, many incumbents are navigating a very different race than those prior, thanks to the redistricting that was finalized in late 2021.
Freitas, a Republican, was first elected to the General Assembly in 2015 to represent what was then district 30, which included Madison and Orange counties and part of Culpeper. He's now running against Democratic challenger Sara Ratcliffe to represent the new district 62. Tax records show he owns a home just north of the town of Culpeper – but that property is in district 61.
Felony charges against Del. Fariss certified to grand jury - Cardinal News
by Markus Schmidt
The woman accusing Del. Matt Fariss, R-Campbell County, of purposely striking her with his SUV after a heated argument told a judge in Rustburg on Tuesday that she had feared for her life. “I was bruised, I was muddy, I was terrified,” Julie Miles, 56, said when she took the stand in Campbell County General District Court. “I was scrambling to get away from him. I was on my hands and knees, I thought he was going to shoot me. I was pretty stunned that he hit me with the vehicle.”
Fariss, 54, appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on two felony charges in an alleged hit-and-run that injured Miles in March and led her to obtain a protective order against him. He was also charged with a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving stemming from the same March incident.