Ed. — From the Sunday, April 14, print edition.
VIRGINIA BEACH — David Fowler, a former Virginia Beach sheriff’s sergeant who sued former Sheriff Ken Stolle in federal court, says he will not run for sheriff.
In February, Fowler formed a campaign organization to run for the office. Sheriff Rocky Holcomb, who has served since Stolle’s retirement this past year, is the presumptive Republican nominee in a November special election to complete the term Stolle began.
Fowler said he has filed a final campaign report and will not run for sheriff.
“We did file to create a committee, but we did that to explore the option of running,” he said during and interview on Thursday, April 11. “After weighing all the pros and cons, I decided it’s just not a good time.”
Fowler sued Stolle in federal court after he was not rehired in 2021 for what he characterized as political reasons, and a jury found that Stolle violated Fowler’s right to free association, awarding $10,000 in damages.
Fowler is married to state Del. Kelly Fowler, a Democrat, and he wasn’t rehired after his wife’s campaign used a picture of him in uniform in an ad. Stolle is a Republican.
Though the jury trial concluded, some matters remain in the suit. Among them is an effort by Fowler to be reinstated by the sheriff’s office, and the former sheriff’s effort to be protected by qualified immunity. Additionally, Stolle on Monday, April 1, argued in a filing that the evidence did not support the jury’s finding.
David Fowler has asked the court for a permanent injunction order for his reinstatement with the sheriff’s office, which Stolle has opposed, noting, among other things, that Stolle is no longer the sheriff. The court doesn’t have the authority to order this, Stolle argued, though Fowler’s side argued the opposite earlier this month.
Regarding the jury decision, Fowler in a statement said, “My attorney said it best that law enforcement should be about right versus wrong, not right versus left.”
During an interview, he added, “I just wish the whole thing wouldn’t have happened and I would still be a sheriff’s deputy.”
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Glad to hear he dropped out. His wife, Del. Kelly Fowler, is the very symbol of what’s wrong with our government right now. Her policy positions are so insane (and I use “insane” in the most literal sense) and so unsuitable for a serious public servant to hold that I find it impossible to believe he isn’t similarly off-base politically, ethically, and pathologically.