County's Top Prosecutor Suspended

Rockingham County Attorney James Reams has had his prosecutorial powers suspended amidst an investigation into the management and operations of his office.

The move was announced Thursday morning at a press conference held by Attorney General Joseph Foster and U.S. Attorney John Kacavas. No details were released on the specifics of the allegations against Reams or how they might impact cases being prosecuted by the office.

Foster said his office began investigating after receiving a complaint from a former employee of the Rockingham County Attorney's Office about "managerial and operational issues" at the office. "The allegations were significant," he said.

The attorney general's office, in conjunction with the FBI, then interviewed the complainant and some other former employees. Foster said those interviews corroborated the allegations made by the initial complainant and raised other issues.

Based on that, Foster and Kacavas met with the Rockingham County Commissioners to report their findings. Foster said he informed the county commissioners that he had suspended the prosecutorial powers of Reams and Deputy County Attorney Tom Reid and would be conducting "a full and complete investigation" into the operations and management of the office.

He said the county commissioners have fully cooperated, and on Wednesday placed Reid on administrative leave and directed Reams to remain out of the office.

Senior Assistant Attorney General James Boffetti has been named interim Rockingham County Attorney, and Foster said the business of the office will continue as usual.

He said interviews of the staff and attorneys of the office began Thursday morning and will hopefully be completed "in short order."

Kacavas also stressed that the county attorney's office "remains open for business" and will continue to function "uninterrupted and unabated" during the investigation. He asked for the public's patience, and said further information will be released at a later date.