Va. Delegate Candidate Confirms Lesbian Relationship After Deposition Is Exposed
A candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, Linda Wall, who describes herself as a “conservative independent,” has confirmed a past inappropriate lesbian affair with a student.
"I've never tried to hide that I was in homosexuality,” Wall, who is now a Christian, told The Associated Press. “If anybody Google’s me, they would find that out there.”
Wall had testified in a 2006 lawsuit that she indeed had “sexual relations with a minor,” while serving as a junior high physical education instructor in the 1970s.
After leaving the school district and her teaching career, Wall said she became a Christian and turned away from drugs and her sexual orientation. She also served as a contract lobbyist for a pro-family organization for part of one legislative session in 2002.
“Forty years ago I was a different person. I was a heavy pot smoker with ... impaired judgment and made some bad choices," she said in the AP interview. "You do that out of college sometimes. Some people do, some people don't.”
Paul Jost, a former Republican candidate, filed a defamation suit in 2003 against Wall and Virginia Sen. Tommy Norment, over accusations made during a 2003 primary when Jost and Norment ran against each other.
In a sworn deposition, Wall was questioned by an attorney who asked her about the incident. Below is a portion of the transcript:
Question: Why were you asked to leave [the school district]?
Answer: A parent was upset with me, and they just felt like I should move on.
Question: And why were they upset with you?
Answer: They asked whether there was some misbehavior with their daughter.
Question: What was the specific misbehavior alleged?
Answer: Uh, they alleged that I had an affair with their daughter.
Question: Did you have an affair with the student or not?
Answer: Yes.
After Wall resigned she was never charged in the incident since the minor or her parents did not press charges. However, Wall’s legal problems may not be over with.
According to Virginia law, there is no statute of limitations on most felonies; therefore, Wall potentially could still face criminal charges if the woman were to come forward.
If it’s a felony – especially on a sexual offense – there’s not going to be an expiration on that,” Prince George County Police Sgt. Michael Taber told AP.
The Christian Post attempted to contact an attorney who represents the Commonwealth where the incident took place. A response was not received prior to publication.
Wall who unsuccessfully ran for the House of Delegates several years ago is now two weeks away from trying to fill a seat left vacant by Del. Watkins Abbitt, an Independent, who is retiring after 26 years in the House. Wall is facing a Democrat and a Republican in the general election.
Although the lawsuit was settled in 2006, the transcript of Wall’s deposition was not included in the legal filings in the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk’s office. The Associated Press, however, obtained Wall’s testimony from Jost, who now lives in Florida.
“I did it because it shows Linda Wall is not fit to hold public office,” Jost told AP.
The Christian Post attempted to contact Wall for this story but was unsuccessful in reaching her prior to publication.