Former Del. Matt Fariss waived his right to a preliminary hearing on felony drug and firearm charges on Tuesday, sending his case to a Campbell County grand jury.
Fariss was arrested March 23 during a traffic stop in Campbell County. Deputies found a hunting rifle in his pickup truck and ammunition and a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine in his pocket.
He was charged with felony counts of drug possession and possession of a firearm, as well as a misdemeanor charge of violating a protective order.
The grand jury will convene July 8 to consider indictments. If Fariss is indicted, a trial date will then be set.
Fariss’ attorney, Chuck Felmlee, on Tuesday said that Fariss has been a model citizen since his release on $5,000 bond March 28.
“Matt’s doing well,” the Lynchburg-based attorney said. “He’s clean. He won’t test positive for any drugs.”
Special prosecutor Erik Laub, chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Nelson County, on Tuesday amended several of the charges, including striking the phrase “on or about his person” from the felony firearm charge, since the police report said the rifle was on the seat of Fariss’ truck. While still a felony, that charge no longer carries a minimum prison sentence.
Judge Stephanie Maddox also granted a motion to amend the misdemeanor protective order charge to include possession of a firearm in the charge.
Laub dropped the traffic charges: failure to obey highway markings, improper tail lights, and failure to display license plates.
Fariss’ protective order charge originates from a March 2023 incident in which Fariss was charged with felony malicious wounding and leaving the scene of an accident that injured Julie Miles, a former girlfriend. He was acquitted of the felony charges but convicted of reckless driving. The protective order expires in August 2025.
Fariss, who turned 56 last month, represented the 59th House District (now the 51st) as a Republican from 2012 until January. He missed the filing deadline for the Republican nomination in the latest election cycle but ran as an independent. Republican Eric Zehr defeated him and Democrat Kimberly Moran in the November general election.
