Black Lives Matter Protestors Stand Trial Against Sheriff Accused of Racism and Corruption in Western Virginia

    STAUNTON, VA, June 02, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Black Lives Matter protestors gathered outside of the Augusta County Sheriff's Office for nearly three months last summer in response to two police shootings in two weeks. For several weeks the police ignored the protestors who were permitted to protest without interference by the police, until reading explicit chat logs from the Sheriff's close friend's child sex solicitation arrest, which was immediately followed by the sheriff ordering arrests. Each protestor who dared to speak out about the Sheriff's corruption found themselves in handcuffs.

"I have never seen a case this ridiculous in my decades of practicing law. I've never seen a prosecutor move to disallow a defendant to call any witnesses," said Amina Matheny-Willard, Counsel for the Accused, Owner and Managing Director of Amina Law. However, I have seen all too often the root cause of the cancer infecting the Augusta County Sheriff and Commonwealth Attorney's offices. It's a culture and practice of white supremacy and targeted acts of violence to assert and maintain dominance. It has absolutely no place in American policing."

On Friday June 3, 2022, the protestors will each stand trial in the Augusta County General District Court. Each of the protestors have plead Not Guilty and plan to fight the charges on June 3rd. The protestors will introduce evidence that the Augusta County Sheriff regularly uses racial epithets, that he lied to federal agents, and that he hid his "close friend" from arrest on drug distribution charges. Current and former police officers familiar with the Sheriff's corruption will testify at the trial. The Commonwealth fought to keep the Defense from calling any witnesses, fearing that the Sheriff might be embarrassed. A judge has already ruled that Defense witnesses must appear at trial.

"I was arrested and jailed for saying a curse word - but in fact I was arrested and jailed because I had the nerve to ask questions about the sheriff's association with a convicted human trafficker with arrests for child sex solicitation. Nothing in the Constitution permits the Augusta County Sheriff's Office to place someone in jail for speaking out against the government's own corruption. The Sheriff likes to call me and my friends the n word," said Cameron Turley, Accused Activist. "I wish he would say it to my face. Racist cowards always find something to hide behind, and the sheriff hides behind his badge. If I don't fight now, then our very freedoms are at risk. How many people don't fight? I've decided no matter the cost, I simply have to stand."

The trial details are as follows:

WHAT: Trial - Commonwealth v. Turley et. al.
WHEN: June 3, 2022 at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Augusta County General District Court

Amina Matheny Willard and her clients are available for all media inquiries, including this Friday after the hearing.

About Amina Law

Amina Matheny-Willard PLLC stands apart from any other law firm in the country in that Amina specializes in fighting police corruption and misconduct. A fierce defender of the Constitution, Amina Matheny-Willard PLLC fights for justice and against systems of oppression to secure individual rights. You can learn more about Amina Matheny-Willard PLLC by visiting the firm's website at www.aminalaw.com.

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