Commonwealth's Attorney
The county's chief local prosecutor: the office that prosecutes felonies and serious misdemeanors, advises law enforcement around the clock, and runs victim and witness support programs.
Who holds it
Erin B. (Bumgarner) Barr was elected Commonwealth's Attorney in November 2023 and took office in January 2024, becoming the first person in over 30 years to win the office in Chesterfield without a political party affiliation. She grew up in Amherst County, Virginia, the daughter of a state trooper and a critical care nurse. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and sociology, magna cum laude, from Randolph-Macon College in 2006 and a law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond in 2009. After law school she clerked in Norfolk Circuit Court, then joined the Chesterfield Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in 2010, where she spent roughly a decade as an Assistant and later Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney. In 2020 she became a Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Colonial Heights, focusing on domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse cases, and she also served briefly as Interim Commonwealth's Attorney for Dinwiddie County in 2022. She has publicly emphasized that prosecution should be guided by the law and the facts rather than political ideology.
What this office does
The Commonwealth's Attorney is the county's chief local prosecutor, responsible for prosecuting all felonies and certain misdemeanors that occur in Chesterfield County. The office provides 24-hour legal advice to law enforcement and magistrates, runs victim and witness support programs, and participates in community crime-prevention and regional drug-task-force efforts.
Services residents use it for
- Prosecution of criminal cases
- Victim/Witness Assistance Program (including domestic violence and sexual assault support)
- Pretrial Services Program for non-violent offenders
- Bond hearing coordination
- Answering citizen questions about criminal law and the court process
Contact
Term and next election
Virginia constitutional offices appear on the ballot as partisan races, but the county does not publish current officeholders’ party affiliations on its official pages, so we do not list one here.