A. Conrad Bareford III, 56, of Mathews, has announced his candidacy for the position of Mathews County Commonwealth’s Attorney in the Nov. 7 election. He is running as a Republican.
Bareford said if elected as the county’s chief enforcement officer, making decisions on what crimes to prosecute, he will be focusing on five problem areas in the county: drug dealing; school issues of bullying, drugs, guns in school, and disobedience; fraud in online scams; road safety; and police training.
“Drugs are here to stay,” said Bareford, pointing out that there will always be “stronger and better ones.” He said the county needs to be aware and vigilant, since drug problems “will spill over from neighboring communities.”
Bareford said the county has to pay per capita costs to lock people up in jail, and that jails are filling up. While some people deserve to be locked away forever, he said, people shouldn’t be over-charged for their offenses, and the prosecutor’s office needs to avoid vengeful or ...