Petersburg sheriff candidate denies voter-fraud charge

The candidate for Petersburg sheriff who was charged last week with committing voter fraud claims he was targeted by his opponent just days before Election Day.

Troy B. Fobbs Sr., 56, a native of Petersburg, is running against his former boss, Sheriff Vanessa R. Crawford, who is seeking a second term in Tuesday's election.

Since his Oct. 23 arrest, Fobbs has continued campaigning and highlighting a registrar's record that shows he has been registered to vote in Petersburg for the past 20 years.

He faces a misdemeanor charge of committing voter fraud in last November's election and has a court hearing Dec. 3. Virginia State Police officials said a month-long investigation led to them obtaining an arrest warrant, which states that Fobbs cast a ballot knowing he was not qualified to vote in Petersburg.

"These are false allegations. I am a registered voter of Petersburg and I am a resident of Petersburg," he said this week.

The records of the Petersburg registrar show Fobbs has been registered to vote in the city since at least 1989. He said he pays personal-property taxes in the city and lives in his father's Farmer Street home.

Chesterfield County real estate records show Fobbs and his wife, Barbara, own a house they purchased in 2006 for $411,999 in Stoney Glen South in Chester. Fobbs said his wife lives in the Chester home and his children attend Chesterfield schools, but he maintains his residency is in Petersburg.

Crawford, who asked the Petersburg commonwealth's attorney to look into Fobbs' residency, said this week that she did not want to comment on Fobbs' arrest. She said she did not inquire about any other investigation other than his residency status.

Fobbs worked for the Sheriff's Office for five years and during that time, Crawford said, he listed a Chesterfield address as his home.

Petersburg Registrar Dawn Williams said the charge has not changed Fobbs' eligibility to run for office.

"It doesn't change his status," she said, noting that Fobbs remains on the ballot and that the investigation is still ongoing. A misdemeanor conviction would not disqualify a person from seeking elective office.

Fobbs said of the charge: "Let's put this in perspective. These allegations arose one week prior to the election. The only person who stands to gain anything from this is the person who initiated this process, my opponent.

"Unfortunately for her, I am still in this race."

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .