When a man aiming to become Virginia’s next top law enforcement official is caught doing 116 mph on a major interstate, you’d expect the fallout to be fast and fierce.
But in the case of Democrat Jay Jones, the road to accountability has been paved with convenient delays, eyebrow-raising community service claims, and more than a few conflicts of interest — all of which now paint a picture as troubling as it is instructive.
According to court records and documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Jones — a former delegate from Norfolk and now the Democratic nominee for attorney general — was clocked driving 116 mph on I-64, a rural stretch notorious for reckless driving tickets. A violation of this magnitude could land most Virginians behind bars for up to a year. But Jones? He logged 1,000 hours of community service and walked away with a clean slate.
Half of those hours were served, according to letters submitted to the court, with his own political action committee, Meet Our Moment (MOM) — a PAC designed to recruit and train minority Democratic candidates. The other 500 were allegedly completed with the Virginia chapter of the NAACP. No time sheets were submitted to verify either claim, and the court accepted them on face value.
But the details grow more tangled. The letter from MOM was signed by Lesley Shinbaum Stewart, identified as the PAC’s executive director — a role she filled while receiving over $100,000 in payments from Jones’ campaign since 2020.
News reports from as recently as 2021 described her as Jones’ “unofficial chief of staff.” Just days after her letter was filed with the court, Jones’ campaign sent her an additional $6,000.
Jones’ service, if genuine, would have required roughly 20 hours a week for a full year — a tall order for someone simultaneously serving as a Justice Department prosecutor. Adding to the questionable timeline, his court dates were repeatedly delayed due to scheduling conflicts, personal matters, and pandemic-related complications, with Jones’ own attorneys submitting letters citing job responsibilities and family obligations.
Eventually, after a series of strategic postponements, the court accepted two letters as proof that Jones had met his 1,000-hour community service requirement. He also completed an online driving course and paid $1,601 in fines — and that was that.
For now, Jones’ campaign remains silent on the matter. So does the NAACP. The court accepted the letters without further inquiry. And voters? They’re left to wonder if the same leniency would be extended to a regular citizen caught driving nearly 50 miles over the limit on a Virginia highway.
