A former member of the Virginia House of Delegates has admitted guilt to serious gun and drug offenses, resulting in a sentence that corresponds with the time he has already spent in jail.
Matt Fariss, who held his legislative seat as a Republican since 2012 but faced defeat as an independent candidate last year, entered his guilty plea on a Wednesday. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine and the illegal possession of a firearm while in possession of the drug.
Judge Dennis Lee Hupp, presiding over the case in Campbell Circuit Court, sentenced Fariss to a total of three years in prison, but this was largely suspended, leaving him with just 20 days to serve.
His attorney, Chuck Felmlee, indicated that Fariss had already fulfilled 22 days in jail prior to this plea hearing. Court documents reveal that in late October, Fariss’s bond was revoked, resulting in his continued detention until the recent proceedings.
During the plea hearing, prosecutors disclosed that sheriff’s deputies had stopped Fariss on March 23. Upon conducting the stop, they discovered a hunting rifle inside his vehicle, and upon searching him, they located a bag containing methamphetamine.
Following his conviction, Fariss has forfeited his eligibility to hold any statewide office in Virginia and is now prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.
This plea agreement comes on the heels of an earlier incident where Fariss was found not guilty in March of felony charges related to hit-and-run accusations against him, as well as claims of malicious wounding concerning an incident involving his former girlfriend. He had been charged with striking her with his vehicle after a dispute but was ultimately convicted of a lesser offense pertaining to improper driving and fined $500.