New candidate enters race for Danville commonwealth's attorney

James Martin, a former senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney, announced Wednesday he will be entering the race to succeed retiring Commonwealth’s Attorney William H. Fuller.

Martin brings to the position nearly two decades of experience with the Danville prosecutor’s office, as well as work in private practice.

“I certainly would be a vigilant prosecutor,” he said. “I believe in justice tempered with mercy.”

To make a good operation better, Martin said there are two overarching themes he would like to approach.

First, he would like to focus on a little bit of reorganization of the way the office handles cases to ensure whenever possible, one prosecutor handles the same case all the way through.

“With crime rates so high, it’s important that he or she become thoroughly familiar with a case,” Martin said.

His second goal is to achieve better cooperation between various departments and agencies in the city, including the police department, the sheriff’s office, the magistrate and social services.

“I think there needs to be some refinements and improvements,” Martin said. “We need to work together. We won’t always agree, but there needs to be more cooperation between these people.”

He said both his stints in private practice have made him a better prosecutor.

“I’m able to anticipate what the other side is going to do,” Martin said, but added that there doesn’t have to be animosity between each side.

Martin also said working in private practice has given him experience running an office and in working in different sectors of the law, notably in mental health, which he said is elemental in many criminal cases.

Martin said the most driving factor in his decision to run for the office is that he misses being a prosecutor.

“A prosecutor has to believe in the truth of what he’s doing,” Martin said. “The violence we’ve had around here is absolutely unacceptable. I will do everything I can to protect the people of Danville.”

In his two decades of experience, Martin said he’s seen a rise in “senseless” violent crimes, mostly symptomatic of social problems.

“But when push comes to shove, people have to take responsibility for their own actions,” Martin said.

He said he is interested in exploring alternative sentencing, particularly for first-time offenders on minor charges, but has “very little patience with violent offenders.”

Martin said he isn’t afraid to take on challenging cases. The Supreme Court of Virginia recently upheld his 2005 manslaughter conviction of a Danville man who gave a friend a cough syrup component that ended up killing him. The case was the first of its kind in the country.

Martin first came to Danville to work for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in 1987 after getting his law degree from George Mason University.

He also has a degree in music from the University of Maryland College Park.

Before going to law school, Martin was a freelance trombone player and currently plays with the Danville Symphony Orchestra. Martin and his wife, Susanne, both sing with the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Choir and he is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

• Contact Sarah Arkin at sarkin@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7983.