Following the grand jury indictment of Del. Joe Morrissey on Monday, Del. Mark Keam issued the following statement:
“Late today, I learned that a member of the Virginia House of Delegates was indicted by a special grand jury on several crimes, including very serious felony counts of indecent liberties with a minor, possession of pornographic images of an underage female and distribution of child pornography.
As with all criminal allegations, the accused deserves to be treated as innocent until proven guilty by… a jury of his peers. But whether these charges ultimately prove to be true or not, one thing is absolutely clear — no person accused of such horrendous acts should hold a position of public trust.
It is a tremendous honor and privilege to represent our fellow Virginians in the state legislature. The job requires each of us to uphold the highest standard of ethics in order to earn and to retain our constituents’ trust in their government. Unfortunately, just in the past few years alone, we have seen too many members of the House and the Senate, and even a Governor, leave their positions under dark clouds of ethical lapses or criminal suspicions.
Virginians deserve better from their public servants. For the sake of the Commonwealth and its residents, I call on Delegate Joe Morrissey to resign immediately and to deal with his legal problems as a private citizen.”
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