by RODERICK MULLINS

HAYSI, Va. – Dickenson County Court Clerk Josh Evans announced his candidacy for Commonwealth’s Attorney late Tuesday, following a judicial reshuffling that has triggered a special election for the county’s top prosecutor post.

Evans, a Republican, made the video announcement on his “Josh Evans – Circuit Court Clerk” Facebook page from the Haysi Riverfront Riverwalk just one day after Circuit Court judge Brian Patton officially ordered the special election for Nov. 3.

The vacancy was created after former Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Newberry was appointed by the General Assembly to a General District Court judgeship. That seat opened following the death of a local judge late last year.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer, a lot of time with my wife, and a lot of time with my family,” Evans said. “I just feel like in my heart that I can do more for Dickenson County. I want to be on my feet. I want to be in court. I want to be fighting for victims.”

Evans, who previously served on the Board of Supervisors and as an attorney for the Department of Social Services, leaned heavily on his background as a trial lawyer and guardian ad litem. He pledged a “shoulder-to-shoulder” partnership with law enforcement, citing his past record of funding police raises and school resource officers while on the board.

The candidate identified school safety and the drug epidemic as his primary targets, specifically promising “the stiffest and most severe penalties” for the distribution of methamphetamine and other narcotics.

“How you fix [addiction] is you take the drug dealers off the streets,” Evans said. “I intend to be as aggressive as I possibly can.”

Evans also proposed a more visible role for the prosecutor’s office, stating that he and his deputies would participate in “road work” with sheriff’s deputies and maintain a presence at crime scenes. He emphasized a desire to move the office beyond the desk and into schools for crime prevention and drug education.

Though Evans currently serves as the Clerk of Court—a position he described as a “job that I love”—he said the unexpected nature of the vacancy prompted his decision to run.

“This is not something that was planned or expected,” Evans said. “This was totally out of the blue.”

Evans confirmed he has already secured the Republican nomination for the seat. The special election will coincide with the general election on Nov. 3.