Morrissey had faced charges that he presented forged documents during a court proceeding in a related case, in which he was accused of having sex with and sharing photos of a then-17-year-old receptionist at his law office.
During a hearing that coincided with April Fools’ Day, retired Alexandria judge Alfred D. Swersky ruled that a plea agreement reached in the case barred him from facing further charges, so he dropped the latest indictment.
“This is the very first time we’ve had the opportunity to give the judge our side of the story . . . and then he dismissed all of the indictments against me. There is certainly a great measure of vindication,” Morrissey said in a phone interview after the hearing.
Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos said the prosecution is considering appealing the judge’s decision. Stamos inherited the case from Spotsylvania Commonwealth’s Attorney William F. Neely, who drafted the plea agreement. “We’re going to move as swiftly as we can to see if there’s another avenue to have an appellate court look at the decision,” she said.
With a break in his latest legal battle, Morrissey is planning to run for state Senate, but he has hit a roadblock from leaders of the Democratic Party, whom he accuses of tossing out legitimate signatures he had collected to get his name on the primary ballot.
