PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Virginia public defender who had been accused of vandalizing the Confederate monument in Portsmouth's Olde Towne is now a Circuit Court judge.
Portsmouth’s chief public defender Brenda Spry was appointed the position Tuesday after receiving 33 votes in the Senate and 51 votes in the House of Delegates.
A lone Republican “yes” vote in the House secured the win for Spry.
Spry has been a public defender in the city for three decades, leading the department for 13 years.
Charges were dropped in November against Spry and 18 others after a Confederate statue was vandalized.
Her eight-year judgeship begins next month.
