daily(de)press.com
Candidate: 'I did the right thing'
Four years after an accident, Troy Farlow walked into a Richmond police station and turned in himself and his father.
BY KIMBALL PAYNE
September 21, 2007
YORK
The court documents have all the components of political scandal - a fresh, young candidate for the House of Delegates with a 12-year-old misdemeanor conviction for hit-and-run.
But when Democrat Troy Farlow starts talking about that night in Richmond in 1995, it becomes abundantly clear that this isn't your typical case of a past indiscretion coming to light on the campaign trail.
Farlow was in the car that October night in 1995, but the man behind the wheel was his estranged father - Thomas Farlow. Then 24 years old, Troy Farlow was just rekindling a rapport with a father he had barely known since his parents' divorce when he was 4. The elder Farlow ran a red light and smashed into another car. After stopping briefly, the Farlows drove off into the night.
"He basically begged me not to turn him in," Farlow said in an interview Thursday.
"I would have been walking away from him forever if I walked to the cops."
The case languished unsolved for nearly four years. Farlow said it wore heavily on his conscience until 1999 when his father and stepmother went through a difficult divorce.
Farlow said his stepmother began to rehash the incident to vex her soon-to-be ex-husband.
That, Farlow said, is when he realized that the accident would never fully be in his past if he didn't get it off his chest, so he borrowed enough money to hire a lawyer, walked into a Richmond police station and turned himself in.
"I was a 28-year-old kid, scared and left hung out to dry by my father," an emotional Farlow said Thursday.
"I literally sat there crying turning my dad in."
Farlow was initially charged with felony hit-and-run, because under Virginia law if the driver refuses to own up to the crime then any passengers are required to report the accident within 24 hours.
The charge was eventually reduced to a misdemeanor because there were no serious injuries.
Farlow was fined $250.
Thomas Farlow was charged with felony hit-and-run, but his case never went to court, according to records.
Attempts to reach Thomas Farlow in Richmond this week were unsuccessful. Troy Farlow said he had never discussed the conviction with fellow Democrats or the press before because he was unsure how to broach the subject and was reluctant to relive the family pain. "I don't think there's a good answer for how to handle this," Farlow said. "I wasn't driving, I did the right thing."
The case came to light earlier this week when court paperwork surfaced on a conservative Internet blog.
The past conviction puts Farlow in a tough spot in an already uphill battle in the 96th District, which traditionally favors Republican candidates. Word of the conviction spread further on the Peninsula when a source faxed the court documents to a reporter at the Virginia Gazette earlier this week.
The newspaper account said the source was not directly related to the campaign of Farlow's opponent - Republican Brenda Pogge.
But rumors about Farlow's conviction have been running through Republican circles since mid-August, and Farlow believes political operatives circulated what they thought was juicy, damaging gossip.
Pogge did not return repeated calls for comment Thursday.
"Everyday people are seeing this for the smear tactic that it is," Farlow said.
"This type of politics is getting us nowhere."
http://www.dailypress.com/dp-26351sy0sep21,0,3080602.story=========================
Tony is one of the nicest guy's I've ever met. I proudly displayed one of his sign in my front lawn.
And I honestly don't believe that there are many rethugs who'd do such a courageous thing as Tony did. My hat's off to you sir, in case you're reading this.
-d
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