THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 6, 1994 TAG: 9410060471
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Charles W. Vincent, the School Board member indicted on allegations that he sought political donations from businesses vying for school contracts, faces the loss of his seat and his freedom.
Vincent, 46, the first elected official in the city's history to be indicted on charges of public misconduct, asserted his innocence and blamed his misfortune on being unschooled in the ways of politics.
``It's a political minefield out there,'' he said. ``I've always said I was a political novice. But I'm learning, and I'm paying the price for not being knowledgeable in political arenas.''
He could get up to nine years in jail and $22,500 in fines if found guilty of all charges of violations of the Virginia Public Procurement Act, said Commonwealth's Attorney Robert J. Humphreys.
Conviction on just one of the charges would automatically cost Vincent his seat, Humphreys said, although he could stay on the board through any appeals.
The indictment alleges that Vincent wrote letters to at least nine architecture and building firms asking for donations to defray a $4,600 debt leftover from his campaign in the spring, the city's first School Board election. After taking office in July, Vincent was one of two board members named to a committee that screens building contract proposals and makes recommendations to the School Board.
A trial date has not been set, but Humphreys said he will ask that the charges be brought to trial soon.
Vincent said Wednesday afternoon that he had not yet been notified officially of the charges.
Vincent stepped down last week from the building projects committee. But he said he does not intend to resign from the board.
``I might get killed in the process, but yeah, I'm in for the count,'' Vincent said.
He said he did not intend to do anything wrong when he asked firms for money.
``It never occurred to me that there was a problem,'' he said.
Last week, when the investigation was announced, Vincent said he got an OK before soliciting the funds from a state Board of Elections official whom he did not identify.
``You're led by one agency to believe that what you're doing is correct and above-board and proper, and then you get hit by another agency with a technicality,'' he said. ``I'm not an attorney.''
Vincent's indictment was returned by a grand jury on Monday; it did not surface publicly until Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, Albert D. Alberi, the chief deputy commonwealth's attorney, was asked by the newspaper about the status of the investigation against Vincent. Alberi said there had been no new developments.
The indictments accuse Vincent of soliciting money from the following in his letters:
Harold J. Collins, Ballou, Justice & Upton and Associates Architects; John B. Maddux Jr., The Architectural Associates; John S. Waller, Waller Todd & Sadler, Architects; Mike Ashe, Walsh/Ashe Associates, Inc.; Dan Dills, Dills Ainscough Duff Architects; Aubrey Jackson, Aubrey Jackson & Associates; Roger Beale, Newbill & Beale Inc.; Camille Kattan, GEO Design Consultants Inc.; and Nelson Adcock, GEO Environmental Resources Inc.
According to Humphreys and Vincent, none of the companies made a donation to Vincent's campaign. ILLUSTRATION: Virginia Beach School Board member Charles W. Vincent accepted a
donation in June form an architectural firm that in August sought to
win a contract from the board. Story, page B4.
KEYWORDS: INDICTMENT VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD < by CNB