Cumberland Commonwealth Attorney Patricia D. Scales has announced she is seeking re-election in the Nov. 5 election. Scales, a 1991 graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, has served as Cumberland’s prosecutor since June 1995.

“Working as Commonwealth’s Attorney for nearly 25 years has been a great opportunity to serve my home county and I plan to continue being a voice for justice,” said Scales, who grew up in Cumberland. “The county’s citizens are hardworking and deserve a Commonwealth Attorney who has compassion and who knows and cares about our community.”

Among her accomplishments, Scales initiated the video system in the courtroom so that the local jail saves money because it no longer has to transport incarcerated defendants to court for their initial court appearance and her office contributed seized drug-forfeiture funds to the sheriff’s office for the purchase of a drug dog used to combat drug abuse.

Scales also regularly hosts forums and speaks in the community on topics such as the opioid/addiction crisis, domestic violence, school safety, bullying, gang prevention, identity theft and child abuse prevention. Scales recently partnered with other agencies to create blue pinwheel gardens in the courthouse area and at the schools in observance of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

As the county’s only prosecutor, her duties include appearing in court to handle felonies and misdemeanors in Cumberland’s Circuit, General District and Juvenile & Domestic Relations Courts. She also coordinates the combined Sexual Assault Response Team and Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team, which was created to assist victims of adult and child sexual assault.

As for professional affiliations, Scales is a member of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys and the Prince Edward Bar Association. In the community, she is a board member of the Cumberland County Public Schools Foundation and is involved in a variety of church and volunteer activities such as the 5K Run for Education and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. In May 2015, Scales was chosen as one of Virginia’s Influential Women.

Scales is a graduate of Cumberland High School and Madison College (now James Madison University). Before becoming an attorney, she worked as a news journalist.