Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams 'Retires'

Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams – dogged for more than six months by allegations of ethical lapses, fiscal mismanagement and gender discrimination – has announced his retirement, Attorney General Joe Foster said.

The long-time county attorney previously announced he would not run for re-election, but he tried to vigorously fight the Attorney General's office over the allegations.

Attorney General Joe Foster and the Rockingham County Commissioners' petitioned for his removal. Upon Reams' retirement, the Attorney General referred to the petition as "moot."

A trial to pursue removal from office was scheduled for early August.

"I want to commend the women who bravely came forward with their complaints of discrimination," Foster said in a statement. "They were steadfast throughout the course of this investigation and months of litigation. These women helped send an important message -conduct of this type cannot and will not be tolerated in the workplace.”

"I have the highest regard for the county attorneys of this State and for the difficult and incredibly important work they do on a daily basis. The decision to file a petition to remove County Attorney Reams was not an easy one and a decision I did not come to lightly. However, given the investigative findings and the power a county attorney holds, I determined that pursuing removal was warranted to protect the fair administration of justice."

The charges resulted from a complaint of workplace discrimination filed with the Attorney General's office in October 2013

The initial investigative findings not only corroborated the allegations, but also revealed evidence of financial improprieties and ethical violations by Reams, according to the Attorney General's office.

The Attorney General further said the investigation revealed that Reams failed "to comply with his legal and ethical obligations to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence to defense counsel in connection with a criminal prosecution, mismanaged fines due the county, and made material misrepresentations to the county commissioners when the mismanagement was discovered."

Foster's press release continued:

"Reams’s conduct, as revealed by the investigation, was inappropriate and simply unacceptable for the county’s chief law enforcement officer - an officer whom the electorate has entrusted with broad prosecutorial powers - and warranted the Attorney General taking the highly unusual step of filing a petition for Reams’s removal from office in order to protect the fair administration of justice. The County Commissioners, having been made aware of the investigative findings, supported the petition and decided to join that effort. Had Reams not decided to leave office today, the Attorney General and the County Commissioners would have continued to pursue removal. The trial was set to begin on August 4, 2014. By departing today, Reams no longer holds the position of county attorney and vitiated the need for a trial. Reams’s departure will allow the county attorney’s office to move forward and will relieve what has become a highly stressful environment for many of the employees."