A man facing 10 felony charges of attempting to possess bestiality materials has made the ballot for a seat on the Patrick County Board of Supervisors.
Malcolm Roach Sr., 70, of Stuart was arrested by the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office on June 9 and was released the same day on a $7,500 secured bond, Sgt. Michael Harris said via email on Thursday. Harris declined to provide the incident or arrest report, citing the ongoing investigation.
Roach filed the paperwork necessary to run for the board of supervisors seat on June 11, according to the Patrick County Registrar, two days after his arrest. The signatures, or petitions, he collected in order to make it onto the ballot were notarized on June 4, before his arrest. The State Board of Elections this week released the official list of who has made the fall ballot, confirming that Roach will be listed as one of two candidates in the Smith River District.
The sheriff’s office executed a search warrant at Roach’s home on Jan. 8, and computer devices were seized and analyzed by the Virginia State Police High Tech Crimes Division, according to a statement by Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith. Analysis of the devices showed that multiple bestiality websites were visited in February 2024 and that Roach allegedly attempted to delete content related to the websites.
Roach was indicted by a Patrick County grand jury on June 2 on 10 felony counts of attempting to possess bestiality materials, Patrick County Commonwealth’s Attorney Dayna Bobbitt said via email.
The indictments allege that between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, 2024, in Patrick County, Roach attempted to produce, distribute, publish, sell, transmit, finance, possess or possess with the intent to distribute obscene material depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal, Bobbitt said.
Each offense is classified as a Class 6 felony, which carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500 or both. The investigation is ongoing, and Roach’s next court appearance is a scheduling hearing slated for Aug. 6, she said. The case had not yet been set for trial as of Thursday.
The bill that created the statute against bestiality and bestiality materials was introduced by state Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022.
Both Roach and his opponent, Richard Swink, are listed as independent candidates for the Smith River District board of supervisors seat. The Patrick County Republican Party did not put forth a Republican candidate in the race, county party chair Lynne Bogle said in June.
“He is a committee member but he is not running as a committee candidate,” Bogle said of Roach. “The [Patrick County] Board of Supervisors generally all run as independents.”
Swink, 40, of Woolwine, declined to comment on the charges leveled against Roach.
“I don’t know anything about it other than what’s been in the news and I don’t feel comfortable talking on something that I’m not well versed in,” Swink said.
He is new to Patrick County and moved from Blacksburg in September in search of a locality with lower taxes and a lower population. Swink joined the Woolwine Volunteer Fire Department and Smith River Volunteer Rescue Squad in early 2025. He decided to run for the seat currently held by county Supervisor Doug Perry after encouragement from friends. Perry said time constraints led to his decision not to seek reelection.
Roach previously served as a Republican appointee and chair to the county board of elections, but he was automatically removed from that position when he qualified as a candidate for the county board race, Bogle said. His name was listed as the electoral board chair on the county’s website as of Thursday, however.
“You can charge anybody with anything, but until it’s proven — I would not have removed him from his position based on charges,” she added.
Roach did not respond to voicemails or emails from Cardinal News.
He told The Enterprise newspaper in June that authorities seized his computer while investigating the death of his wife, Angela Laprade Roach.
“On the computer they found pornography. I’m not denying it, it’s there. But I counseled with a young guy who was on meth, and he come to my house quite often, would spend an entire day, and he’s doing well,” Roach told The Enterprise.
He added that the man used his computer and that he caught the man looking at pornography.
Cardinal News is working on posting a complete list of candidates on our Voter Guide. Given the volume of names, this will take some time. We’ll post an update when that work is completed.
