Breaking silence: Dumler to fight charge, stay on Board
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"I trust there will be a swift and favorable resolution to this charge," Dumler says.file photo by jen fariello
Breaking a self-imposed silence, but speaking only through a brief publicist's statement, embattled Albemarle County Supervisor Christopher Dumler vows to stay on the Board and fight the forcible sodomy charge that sent him to jail for two nights.
"I intend to plead not guilty to the charge against me and will offer a vigorous defense," Dumler says in a statement released October 25 by the Payne Ross advertising/public relations agency, which declined to expand on the 123-word release.
Asserting that he intends to "allow the legal process to work," the Dumler statement asserts that while he'll recuse himself from any upcoming votes that could pose a conflict of interest, he will not resign from the Board. He also says he has faith in the American justice system and hasn't tampered with it.
"I have neither requested nor been given special treatment by the officers of the court, city or county officials or law enforcement," Dumler says in the statement.
The 27-year-old lawyer/legislator was arrested on the morning of October 18 and charged with a single count of forcible sodomy, a crime that like other forms of what is widely called rape, is punishable by a minimum five-year prison sentence. Investigators have issued little information on their investigation, other than to confirm that the alleged offense against a woman occurred on October 4.
As news of the arrest reverberated through the County, allegations about the supervisor's behavior began lighting up comment boards at various news sites.
"That's to be expected given the high-profile of the accused," says Hook legal analyst David Heilberg. "There are rumors out there."
Heilberg says, however, that the only thing that will matter to prosecutors is what took place during the incident in question.
"That's the only thing that matters," says Heilberg. "The rest of this stuff is noise. None of it's relevant."
On Wednesday, a day before Dumler's statement, County spokesperson Lee Catlin revealed that Dumler was canceling that evening's town hall meeting with constituents as well as one slated for that Saturday. Asked about Dumler's status, Catlin notes that, other than resignation, state code provides that a Supervisor may be removed from office after all appeals have been exhausted following a felony conviction.
"Obviously, there's a lot of concern," says Catlin, noting that she had no information on whether Dumler would attend the next Board meeting which is slated for November 7. "The Board," she says, "remains focused on doing the best for Albemarle County."
–developing story; last updated (with Heilberg's comment) at 2:14pm on Tuesday the 25th–-
30 comments
I have faith in the justice system and know that in this country people are INNOCENT until proven guilty. I also feel badly for the alleged victim. I do not think he needs to resign from the board unless he is found guilty as charged.
Notice how the local Dems get all prissy about the presumption of innocence when one of theirs gets his rear end in a sling? Care to imagine the hysterical war dance they would be throwing right now if a local Repub were accused of anal rape? He would already be gone from public office, thanks to his party, not bailed out and protected.
ca,
Perhaps Chris should take a leave of absence. How is he going to feel sitting on the Board of Supervisors with thousands of people watching his every move? The power of public opinion is very great!
Karbunkle--this has to do with forcible sodomy not partisan politics.
Sorry ca, but unless the vice chair of the Democratic Party has a habit of pledging her house to spring rape suspects, then this is a partisan political matter. After all, the article is about Dumler's refusal to resign his political office. Which resignation the local Democrats would rightly demand of any Republican supervisor in a similar situation.
Well, what do you expect? democrats say in their 2012 party platform they're for that same-sex marriage crap. Now you know why........democrats ALWAYS prefer the BACKSIDE, even if it's a person of the OPPOSITE sex. They just don't know any better.
i have no personal interest in this person, etc., but let's all remember...innocent until proven guilty...'nuff said.
If he doesn't show up to meetings and other obligations, he's out. Do the job or resign, guilty or not. There is nothing preventing him from showing up to his obligations, embarrasment is not an excuse for absence.
deleted
Let's see...graduated with a degree in Molecular Biology, grad of UVa Law School...never joined a firm but "practices" out of an office in Scottsville...few, if any, local ties...runs for county supervisor in a wealthy county at the age of 27..part vice chair-chick bails him out on sodomy rap...live-in girlfriend works for ad firm that does his public relations cleanup work...Does this add up to aspiring career politician or what?
This guy has (had?) no interest in helping constituents. He just wants to "rise up through the ranks," gain power and line his pockets along the way. If you folks in southern Albemarle voted this guy in, you got the representation you deserve.
BTW, Jerry Sandusky is still declaring his innocence.
R.I.P.: Alex Karras
I love the picture used in the article and actually appreciate the fact you use an "innocent" looking picture and not the mug shot used by most media outlets. Dumler obviously has friends at the publication. but did you have to use his high school senior photo? if only her had a white tiger next to him and petting it would make the photo more ridiculous.
I love the picture used in the article and actually appreciate the fact you use an "innocent" looking picture and not the mug shot used by most media outlets. Dumler obviously has friends at the publication. but did you have to use his high school senior photo? if only he had a white tiger next to him and petting it would make the photo more ridiculous.
i think liberalace has a good focus on this matter.
the man acts and talks like an updated apparatchik .
instead of visiting the collective farm; he walks the route
that will be the bypass; and bravely gives back his scout badge.
what to watch for ; the silence of the democrats; party and people.
particularly women....
dumler says he will vigorously defend himself; i imagine he will drag
the woman through the mud.
will ms. galvin; ms. szakos or ms. smith say a word as that happens.?
liberalace is right.....you get the representation you deserve.
BTW, Mr. Carlin...thanks for speaking from the heavens. It thought "FM/AM" was awesome.
Another note on Dumler: I hear people in Scottsville (where I live, but not in Albie) praising this guy for helping the town. I have been here 15 years and it is still--and always will be--a revolving door of businesses. Go take a look at the Microbrewery in which he invested: the front looks like a warehouse, not even appealing to the eye. Do we think a corner restaurant that owners soaked over $1 million into will recoup that money in Scottsville? Nope. Too pricey. And another bar to open in the uptown shopping center. Folks, there are terms like "demand" and "saturation" to consider. If Sville could not become a hip, swinging, hotspot in the salad days of the 1980s and 1990s, what makes us think prettying up the streets will make it shake, rattle and roll now?
Hey, we always have Thacker Brothers!
R.I.P.: Dr. George Butler
My concern is that this man is doing work on behalf of citizens of the County. The facts of this case need to be determined quickly and without bias. If this man is guilty, he needs to be in jail, and not sitting on the dais at County Board meetings, wielding his vote. If he is innocent, we can move on without prejudice. Our focus should not be to accuse or defend at this point, but to press law enforcement for due process without any delays.
If he is blowing off meetings and not doing his job then he must resign. Guilty or not. Do your freaking job Dumler...
If he's guilty, here's hoping he'll get a chance to understand his alleged victim's experience every time he needs a shower.
If he's innocent the accuser needs to go to jail for making a false claim.
If he's guilty, here's hoping he'll get a chance to understand his alleged victim's experience every time he needs a shower.
If he's innocent, the accuser should be charged for the false accusation.
I'm surprised he's not stepping down for the good of the county. What a disappointment.
No doubt he will fight the charges. His first priority now has to be applying sufficient leverage to be able to plead the thing down to a misdemeanor battery conviction. Obviously he's hosed for the proximate future as far as holding office, but he's got to do what he can to secure his right to practice law and a felony takes down the shingle for a long time if not permanently. Second priority should be to deal with his "me so horny" problem.
Have the republicans deemed this a legitimate rape ? Did the victim rape easy ? By chance was GOD handing out a few GIFTS and the victim does not appreciate a precious RAPE-baby ?
Nothing says small government like a tranvaginal
All we know is that we don't know. We do know there is a victim and a perp. We don't know which is who. I don't know if it happend or not. Scottsville is a town full of problems that the "old families" work to keep under wraps. but drug and alcohol abuse, rape, domestic violence, racism, theft and the mentality of poverty is this little clubs finger print. why anyone would hang out in one of the three bars is beyond me. Nevertheless, The court system should play this out. I also feel the Hook, owned by a parasite with reporters who are bottom feeders are not going to get the story straight and go TMZ.
I don't usually agree with Liberalace but this time he took the words right out of my mouth:
This guy has (had?) no interest in helping constituents. He just wants to "rise up through the ranks," gain power and line his pockets along the way. If you folks in southern Albemarle voted this guy in, you got the representation you deserve.
BTW, Jerry Sandusky is still declaring his innocence.
Why has there been no reporting or commenting about why the CA took this case yet refuses legitimate rapes reported by others in the County -- was this entire arrest politically motivated?????????????
UPDATE: More problems arise after Dumlin tries to leave the jailhouse thru the backdoor without the permission of the Sheriff.
I think Dumler has shown he wanted to represent the people. Outside the county no one cares if your county supervisor. I do think Dumler was put in by the party, which he is a ranking member, when Dorrier decided not to run. Norwood was a loser and a dead cat could have beat him.
Thanks Liberalace for your comments. If you could, please tell us what office Dumler ever operated out of in Scottsville. I have never seen a lawyer who wanted or needed clients never ever hang a "shingle" somewhere. I find it very strange that his only visible presence to the world that he is a lawyer is through his website. He never had a publicly accessible office which raises a lot red of red flags to me. That coupled with the fact he does not own any property in the county and only saw fit to invest in a brewery makes his motives even more
Thanks Liberalace for your comments. If you could, please tell us what office Dumler ever operated out of in Scottsville. I have never seen a lawyer who wanted or needed clients never ever hang a "shingle" somewhere. I find it very strange that his only visible presence to the world that he is a lawyer is through his website. He never had a publicly accessible office which raises a lot red of red flags to me. That coupled with the fact he does not own any property in the county and only saw fit to invest in a brewery makes his motives even more suspect.
Dumler is not the only UVA09 Law grad who has a degree but no real practice. I know of a twin who writes letters to threaten people and posts around the web but he doesn't really practice law, either. It's a shame...there are many who are qualified to attend UVA Law school but don't get the chance because these bullies push their way in and take up the coveted slots. Maybe the women these men assaulted during their undergraduate years will emerge from their code of silence....
Great comment above about The Hook printing Dumler's Eagle Scout smile and not the mug shot.
Many thanks to Dumler for "allow(ing) the legal process to work". I thought he might disallow it. Public relations firms sure earn their dough!
For some reason a "vigorous defense" of forcible sodomy has a black comedic sense to it.
Maybe we can get Hr, Hawes and Mr, Heilberg to actually do their jobs, Surely Mr. Heilberg can give us some insight on how these charges play out in court when it is essentially a he said/she said issue. If we could just get that Biscuit Run tenacity from Mr. Hawes, I think we might get that answer.
Also Mr. Helberg, what if one of those noisy rumors turns into another allegation? I think that would speak loudly but would not really be noise-- rather a plea bargain maybe????
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@Albemarle Resident
Jim Norwood got 46% of the vote. I know Jim Norwood and he is a good man. Maybe you know him better. I would love for that same election to be held on November 6, 2012. Mr. Dumler certainly would have some explaining to do. Of course, he has some explaining to do now.