
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995                   TAG: 9505240067
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

HARTLEY SEEKS RE-ELECTION IN GILES

James Hartley will seek a fourth term as Giles County's commonwealth's attorney.

Hartley, 42, is unopposed so far. He first took office after being elected in 1983.

"We have restored the criminal justice system in Giles County to its rightful purpose. Punishment for criminals in our community is now swift and certain," Hartley stated in a news release. "There are no backlogs or significant delays in the trial of criminal cases. ... We have obtained long years of imprisonment for those who have committed murder and for those who have sold drugs here."

Hartley cited several significant cases his office has prosecuted which have set legal precedent for Virginia, most prominently the case against Barbara Jo Archie, who was convicted of first degree murder in the death of her boyfriend's daughter.

Hartley said the Archie prosecution was one of the few cases where a first-degree murder conviction was obtained in a case involving a battered child.

But despite past successes, more work needs to be done, Hartley said. "We continue to face the problem of drug sales in our community, and combating drug dealers will be an important part of our task in the next four years."

Hartley is president of the Pearisburg law firm of Hartley, Chidester and Steele, P.C. He has served as Pearisburg's town attorney since 1980, and also serves as town attorney for Rich Creek and Pembroke.

Hartley has been a member of the Board of Directors of Giles Memorial Hospital since 1980 and now serves as the hospital's president. He is a member of the Carilion Health Systems Board of Directors.

Hartley is a member of Child Help of Giles County, a multidisciplinary team formed to combat child abuse. He is a former president of New River Community Sentencing Inc..

Hartley received his law degree in 1977 from Washington and Lee University, where he also received his undergraduate degree.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB