Today, James Reams announced his retirement as Rockingham County Attorney. As a result of his departure from office, the Attorney General's and Rockingham County Commissioners' petition for Reams's removal from office - based on ethics violations, financial mismanagement and gender discrimination - is moot.

Attorney General Foster said, "I want to commend the women who bravely came forward with their complaints of discrimination. They were steadfast throughout the course of this investigation and months of litigation. These women helped send an important message – conduct of this type cannot and will not be tolerated in the workplace."

Attorney General Foster also said, "I have the highest regard for the county attorneys of this State and for the difficult and incredibly important work they do on a daily basis. The decision to file a petition to remove County Attorney Reams was not an easy one and a decision I did not come to lightly. However, given the investigative findings and the power a county attorney holds, I determined that pursuing removal was warranted to protect the fair administration of justice."

In October 2013, the Attorney General's Office received a complaint against then-Rockingham County Attorney Reams alleging work place discrimination. As the chief law enforcement officer in the State, with supervisory authority over the county attorneys, the Attorney General believed that it was necessary and appropriate to investigate the allegations and assess the impact of the alleged conduct on the fair administration of justice. The initial investigative findings not only corroborated the allegations, but also revealed evidence of financial improprieties and ethical violations by Reams. A lengthy investigation followed, leading to findings that Reams failed to comply with his legal and ethical obligations to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence to defense counsel in connection with a criminal prosecution, mismanaged fines due the county, and made material misrepresentations to the county commissioners when the mismanagement was discovered. In addition, there was significant evidence of long-standing gender discrimination that affected office morale and workplace productivity.

Reams's conduct, as revealed by the investigation, was inappropriate and simply unacceptable for the county's chief law enforcement officer – an officer whom the electorate has entrusted with broad prosecutorial powers – and warranted the Attorney General taking the highly unusual step of filing a petition for Reams's removal from office in order to protect the fair administration of justice. The County Commissioners, having been made aware of the investigative findings, supported the petition and decided to join that effort. Had Reams not decided to leave office today, the Attorney General and the County Commissioners would have continued to pursue removal. The trial was set to begin on August 4, 2014. By departing today, Reams no longer holds the position of county attorney and vitiated the need for a trial. Reams's departure will allow the county attorney's office to move forward and will relieve what has become a highly stressful environment for many of the employees.