RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia state lawmaker who is working as a legislator and lawyer by day and returning to a jail cell at night said Thursday he is resigning but plans to run in a special election for his seat.
Democratic Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey accepted a plea last week on a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. According to prosecutors, the 57-year-old Morrissey and a 17-year-old girl who worked for him as a receptionist had sex multiple times at his law office in August 2013 and texted their friends about it.
At a news conference in his Capitol office, Morrissey struck a defiant tone, saying there is no precedent for a sitting lawmaker to be expelled from office for committing a misdemeanor crime. Several high profile Democrats had called on him to step down after he entered an Alford plea last week. The plea means a defendant acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a conviction but does not admit guilt.
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