Virginia Republican legislator Matt Fariss, 54, has been charged with malicious wounding, failing to stop after an accident, and reckless driving, according to news reports.
Allegedly Fariss struck a pedestrian with his SUV after becoming incensed by a series of events last Thursday that had culminated in the person bailing from his vehicle.
The former two charges are alleged felonies according to reports. If found guilty of malicious wounding, it has been stated that Fariss could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The injured person has reportedly since requested an order of protection against Fariss.
Fariss turned himself in on Friday and was released on bail.
We owe the story to Cardinal News, a recently formed local, nonprofit news outlet that first reported the arrest yesterday. The news story has since been picked up by AP and others.
“While I may have made some mistakes in my life, these charges are false. I look forward to clearing them in a court of law,” Fariss told Cardinal News yesterday.
Fariss's passenger Julie Miles, 56, reportedly stated in an affidavit that Fariss had been driving "excessively fast" before a tire blew on the SUV. Fariss telephoned a son to request help, but the son apparently responded that he didn't have a jack and did not appear in order to assist.
"His mood went dark and he was being angry and abusive,” the affadavit reportedly stated.
Miles said she then left the vehicle and headed on foot for the home of a relative.
As reported by the Cardinal News:
“He was screaming at me” to get into the car, she said. "I said a firm ‘no’ and kept walking,” she said in the affidavit.
Next, Fariss cut a 90-degree turn to the left toward where Miles was walking, and then hit her with his SUV and got out of the vehicle, yelling that “I should have gotten into the g——-d car,” Miles said in the affidavit. She said she was knocked to the ground, and her “sunglasses flew about 8 feet off my head.”
“Luckily a man across the street saw all of this and yelled,” Miles said. “Once Matt saw that there was a witness he got in his car and fled the scene.”
Miles's injuries apparently were minor.
A Republican, Fariss has represented Virginia's District 59 since 2012, per Ballotpedia. He prevailed in the 2021 election with almost 64% of the vote and is up for re-election this year. He serves on the legislature's public safety committee, among others. More (Wikipedia). More (official website.)
Fariss previously pleaded guilty and paid a $250 fine for a misdemeanor hit and run incident in 2016 that damaged a mailbox, a road sign, and some fencing.
About Cardinal News:
Cardinal News is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news site that serves Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Cardinal News was created in the summer of 2021, as legacy newspapers throughout Southwest and Southside Virginia were facing additional devastating staff reductions brought on by an out-of-state corporate owner.
Nonprofit news sites are increasing as regional and newspapers, as well as investigative reporting budgets, continue to decline. Other examples include ProPublica and States Newsroom.