Former Culpeper supervisor must comply with court order, or face jail time
After a full day of trial, a Rappahannock County jury took less than 30 minutes to find a Woodville man not guilty of two sexual abuse charges in Rappahannock County Circuit Court Thursday.
Travis Wiley, 53, stood accused of four felony abuse charges — two counts of indecent acts with a child custodian, and two counts of sexual assault of a child aged 13-14 — when the trial began, stemming from allegations made by a minor female family member with whom he lived in Woodville. One count of each charge was stricken in the midst of the trial.
The alleged victim, who was described as having speech and emotional challenges, and learning disabilities in court, confided in school social worker Erica Jennejahn in February 2023 that Wiley had “touched her inappropriately” while the two were watching an episode of the series “Stranger Things” in his bedroom in the Woodville home, according to the prosecution. She was 14 at the time of the disclosure.
According to a criminal complaint filed March 2023, Capt. James Jones, an investigator at the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office, interviewed the girl after she disclosed to Jennejahn, and she recounted the same story to him.
Jennejahn testified that she observed a change in the alleged victim’s behavior during the time period she said the abuse was happening, including the onset of self harming behaviors and suicidal ideation.
The victim, now 15 years old, testified through a closed-circuit video feed from a room separate from the courtroom, clutching a teddy bear in one hand, and the hand of her therapist in the other. She answered many questions with “I don’t know” or “probably.”
Jennejahn explained during her testimony that the alleged victim struggles to express herself verbally, and vague phrasing is common for her. She tends to get confused, struggles to articulate her feelings and has delayed comprehension, Jennejahn said, and after working with the child for more than two years, she has learned that “probably” and similar phrases usually mean yes.
“These last three weeks before [trial] have been very hard for [the alleged victim],” Jennejahn said.
Ryan Rakness, Wiley’s defense attorney, called the alleged victim’s claims into question, stating that she was inconsistent in her answers and that she “constantly contradicted” herself.
Wiley’s daughter, 16, who is close with the alleged victim, was called to testify. In her testimony, she recounted a recent text conversation over Snapchat with the alleged victim, in which she asked point blank if the assault happened. She said the alleged victim answered “I don’t know.” Messages on Snapchat disappear after they are read, so she did not have the written response to present in court. The alleged victim said she remembered the online conversation during her testimony, but said she did not remember her answer.
Wiley himself was the last witness of the day, and during his testimony, said he was living in the house “to protect her” and “sees [the alleged victim] as one of his daughters.” He said he “would never have touched her.”
In closing arguments, Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff stressed the alleged victim’s communication and emotional challenges, and urged the jury to use “common sense” and show compassion. He said she has no reason to lie about the abuse.
Rakness countered Goff’s argument, reminding jurors that if they have any reasonable doubt of Wiley’s guilt, they should find him not guilty.
“[The alleged victim] has some unique issues that you all could easily pick up on. . .and it’s quite clear that she’s telling the truth. . .she has no motive to lie. In fact, he says he’s her hero,” Goff said. “There’s nothing like a jury to judge common sense.”
“‘Beyond a reasonable doubt;’ It’s just not there,” Rakness said. “Yes, she has challenges, and has been through a lot of things, I hope you show her compassion. . . but here is whether you can convict my client of a felony.”
After around 25 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned with not guilty verdicts in both the indecent act and sexual assault charges.
Judge gives Kathy Campbell one more chance
In court Friday, a judge gave former Culpeper County supervisor and realtor Kathy Campbell one last chance to comply with a court order, or she will be sentenced to jail time.
At an August court appearance, Campbell was held in contempt of court for failing to appear in July in relation to a lawsuit claiming she withheld sales commissions from Rappahannock real estate agent Julie Garrett.
Campbell-court-1.jpg
Former Culpeper supervisor and realtor Kathy Campbell, right, leaving the Rappahannock County Courthouse in August after being found in contempt of court.
Judge Charles Sharp had given Campbell until Aug. 23 to provide documentation outlining her financials, real estate assets and vehicle title information to Garrett’s lawyer, David Konick, or face further legal consequences.
On Friday, Konick said Campbell sent him an email with a link to electronic documents, and said she would send physical copies, but he never received them.
Konick said he was able to access the electronic documents only on the day they were sent to him, and the link expired the next day. He said some documents, like the title to a 2007 Hummer vehicle and paperwork on a cellphone tower lease, were not provided electronically.
“The hard copies never arrived,” Konick said. “I waited a week and sent an email August 29 or 30, and got no response. . .I think she’s still in contempt.”
Konick then filed a motion for sanctions on Sept. 6 with the circuit court, outlining Campbell’s noncompliance.
Campbell said she sent the documents over email “as soon as [she] left court” in August, and said she brought the physical documents with her to court.
Sharp told Campbell he is “not convinced that you are making a good faith effort” to comply with the court’s orders and provide “everything even close to related” to what was requested.
Sharp sentenced Campbell to 10 days in jail, which will be suspended if she provides all requested documentation, and turns over the Hummer vehicle to the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office, by Sept. 27. He also required that Campbell pay attorney’s fees accrued by Garrett, which Konick estimated to be close to $1,500.
“I don’t know how much clearer to you it can be . . .that the consequences are severe,” Sharp said. “Papers, cars, court fees. That’s all that stands between you and ten days in jail.”
