Alex Sharp VII, real estate broker and former member of Rappahannock’s Board of Zoning Appeals and Water and Sewer Authority, has been ordered to pay over $50,000 in back child and spousal support by the end of this month, or go to jail, a judge ruled in Rappahannock County Circuit Court Monday.
Sharp, 66, who lives in Washington, appeared in civil court where his former wife, Ashleigh Cannon, alleges in court records that Sharp is not abiding by the terms of their final divorce decree — dated March 1, 2021 — that requires Sharp to pay $816 a month in child support for their one minor child and $1,250 a month support to Cannon.
Judge James P. Fisher said in court that in total, Sharp owes $50,278 in back pay.
In March, Sharp was ordered to pay the total amount, or make some kind of payment by Monday, Aug. 12, or be found in contempt of court, which he did not do.
Fisher questioned Sharp, who was representing himself, as to why he had not made any “good faith” payments on the sum. Sharp said that he was under the impression, based on conversations with Cannon’s lawyer, William Ashwell, that the amount would need to be paid in full, and did not realize he could make payments on it.
Sharp told the judge that he has approximately $2 million in real estate assets but “has a large moat around them” preventing him from converting the equity into cash.
In 2023, one of Sharp’s properties, Copper Fox Antiques in Sperryville, narrowly avoided a foreclosure auction after a year-long impasse over $190,000 in principle that was owed on the property.
Sharp said that because of the “very public” near foreclosure and the cost of saving the property, he has been very tight on funds, and his business is just beginning to pick up again, with an auction scheduled for early October that would earn him a commission large enough to pay the debt.
Cannon’s legal counsel Lindsay LeHew said they have heard from Sharp about deals that were supposed to go through in the past, and have not ever received any kind of payment.
“I have not been given an explanation of how an individual with $2 million in equity can’t convert that to pay a $50,000 debt,” Fisher said. “[I’m] not going to kick the can down the road any further.”
Fisher ultimately found Sharp in contempt of court, and granted Sharp a delayed report, meaning he does not have to report to the RSW Regional Jail until Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.
Fisher also issued a purge bond, meaning that if Sharp pays the full $50,278 before that date and time, the order to report to jail will be revoked.
Sharp had no comment on the matter, and Cannon and her legal counsel could not be reached for comment.
Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.
Sign up for Rapp News Daily, a free newsletter delivered to your email inbox every morning.
Subtext 2024
