Pulaski County’s Sheriff and Commonwealth’s Attorney have announced that they are leaving the Democratic Party.

An outside probe into how Virginia's government watchdog agency conducted an investigation of a controversial parole decision found no inappropriate political interference by Gov. Ralph Northam's administration and concluded the lead investigator was likely biased.

In a combative meeting last year, members of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's administration criticized the state inspector general over his ongoing investigation into the parole board and made clear they wanted to keep subsequent findings from being made public, according to an audio recording of the conversation.

Republican State Senator Steve Newman is expressing frustration over the Virginia Parole Board. In a post on Facebook Wednesday, Newman talks about a previously leaked email chain that allegedly shows a conversation between the former parole board chairwoman and a board employee. This week, Jennifer Moschetti, a state investigator working on the probe into the parole board was fired. For privacy reasons, OSIG cannot comment on personnel matters and investigations.”10 News also reached out to Roanoke City Mayor Sherman Lea, who serves on the parole board. He said the Code of Virginia prohibits him from talking about matters related to parole.

GOP leaders said all current Parole Board members should resign, or be fired by Gov. Republicans also want Martins parole immediately repealed and Martin returned to prison to await a new boards decision on whether he should be set free. Alena Yarmosky, Northam's spokeswoman, said the review was procedural and had nothing to do with the merits of the decision to release Martin, who served a 40-year sentence. Governor Northam has spoken with the new Chair of the Parole Board, and reiterated that he expects all notification procedures to be followed, period, Yarmosky's statement said. The things she did, the things this parole board did to us, and theres no recourse, Maureen Clements, one of Connors sisters, said in an interview.

RICHMOND, Va. A man who served decades in prison for the killing of a Richmond police officer and whose parole grant sparked a still-ongoing investigation by Virginia's government watchdog agency has been released from prison. Vincent Martin, who had been held at the Nottoway Correctional Center, was released on parole, Virginia Parole Board chair Tonya Chapman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. State officials said a temporary hold had been placed due to an ongoing administrative investigation by the Office of the State Inspector General into the Virginia Parole Board. The April decision to grant Martin parole sparked an uproar in the law enforcement community, and both Connors' family and Richmond's top prosecutor asked the board to rescind its decision. Former parole board chair Adrianne Bennett, who recently left that role to become a judge, released a lengthy statement defending the board's decision to release Martin.