An Orange County politician has settled out of court with the man who accused him of drunkenly assaulting him over the summer.
Keith Marshall, a Republican who has represented the county’s 3rd District since 2021, was arrested Aug. 19 after a dispute with Christopher Arnold, a tenant at a Unionville property Marshall owns. Marshall was charged with public intoxication and assault and battery.
Marshall and Arnold agreed on an undisclosed settlement, and the Orange County General District Court accepted that agreement on Nov. 20.
“The victim and the defendant reached an agreement, and the case was resolved,” Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney Russ Rabb told The Daily Progress.
Rabb had to be brought in to serve as special prosecutor in the case due to Marshall’s position.
The prosecutor would not comment on the details of the settlement.
The charges against Marshall stemmed from an argument concerning Arnold’s tenancy and the dogs he kept on a property Marshall owns, according to a criminal complaint filed by Virginia State Police.
“Mr. Arnold stated that there was a verbal altercation between him and Marshall regarding living at the property and keeping dogs on the property,” the complaint reads. “Mr. Arnold stated that Marshall opened the enclosure to release the dogs and kicked one of them. Mr. Arnold stated that Marshall got back in his truck and began to drive away while yelling. Mr. Arnold told Marshall to ‘get out of the truck’. Marshall did so, approached Arnold, pushed him, then slapped him on the right side of the face.”
The state trooper who responded to the incident wrote that he saw a red mark on Arnold’s face and took photos.
The criminal complaint continues, “Mr. Arnold stated that after being slapped, he struck Marshall with his cane.”
Marshall told police that Arnold was in violation of his “living agreement” by keeping dogs on the property.
“Mr. Marshall’s breath exhibited a strong odor of alcoholic beverage,” according to the state police report. “He was slurring his words, unable to remember details of his interaction with Arnold and was consistently using foul language. Mr. Marshall informed me that he had consumed two beers earlier in the evening. He stated that he didn’t get within thirty feet of Arnold.”
Marshall was initially charged with assault, public intoxication and animal abuse. However, the animal abuse charge was dismissed prior to the Nov. 20 settlement.
According to court documents obtained by The Daily Progress, the court had some questions about Marshall’s income, questions that will likely go unanswered now that a settlement has been reached.
Documents obtained by The Daily Progress show Marshall claimed to make $15,000 a year.
Court records, however, say Marshall “appeared evasive regarding financial resources and his statement regarding that question may not be credible.”
This is not the first time Marshall has been accused of assault. He was charged with assault and battery on a family member back in 2011, but those charges were later dropped.
Marshall took his seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors in January of 2021, after he was appointed to fill the term of the late independent Supervisor Teel Goodwin. He won a special election later that same year, beating out independents Ellen Pitera and Donald Brooks with nearly 43% of the total vote. Last November, Marshall defeated Pitera again at the polls, but only by 14 votes.
Neither Marshall nor Arnold replied to requests for comment from The Daily Progress.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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