Atkins, represented by defense attorney Joseph Pricone, was accused of using the company credit cards from her former employer, Amissville-based Henselstone Window & Door Systems and Henselstone Estate, to purchase more than $8,000 worth of personal items like groceries, gas and meals at restaurants.
Mark Williams, an attorney for Donald Poe – one of five individuals charged by the special grand jury investigating the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority – said after a Friday preliminary hearing that “we want to go to trial as quickly as possible.”
“She has finality, and she can get on with her life and not have to deal with the stress of a pending felony trial,” Mr. Williams said. “She just wants to put this behind her, and I can’t blame her.”
Three felony charges, including second degree murder, were dismissed Friday in Culpeper Circuit Court—for now—due to incomplete evidence in the case accusing a local teen in the 2020 New Year’s Eve shooting death of another local teen.
The jury found Bruton not guilty on both counts. She faced up to 12 months in jail for misdemeanor resisting arrest and five years in prison for assault on a police officer if found guilty.