By Staff Reports
Martinsville Commonwealth’s Attorney Patrick Flinn has concluded there are valid grounds for a citizen petition to remove Mayor LC Jones from office to proceed.
The review, he said, was complicated because many individuals involved had “lawyered up. … A chief complaint in the petition highlights actions that happened behind closed doors, with attorneys present. I have spoken to, or attempted to contact, at least three separate law firms that currently represent the City of Martinsville. There are several other pending legal matters that involve the City of Martinsville or individuals involved in this situation. This results in even more attorneys being involved,” Flinn wrote in an email late Tuesday.
He added that his “primary goal in reviewing this petition was to find the truth. However, those efforts were frustrated by limited cooperation or outright refusal to cooperate with my review.
“… Regarding any of the allegations in the notice that may be construed as criminal, I must remind the public…all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Second, a Special Prosecutor has already been appointed to handle any criminal investigation and prosecution of any allegations that may be related to this petition.”
The 10-page Notice of Commonwealth’s Review attached to Flinn’s email and submitted to the court “details allegations from eyewitness testimony and documentation that was provided to the Commonwealth during the review of the petition, and would otherwise be presented to the court, should the court accept this notice and this process proceeds,” the document stated. Portions of the testimony and/or documentation included in the filing are listed below:
Hot tub
In September 2024, Eric Payne, who was City Attorney designee at the time, visited then-city manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides’ residence and saw a hot tub in the rear of the home. Payne asked about it, and she “responded that she was going to give” it to Jones. In December 2024, Payne observed a new, still-in-the-box hot tub at Jones’ home. When asked again, Ferrell-Benavides said, “something to the effect of” it was easier to buy and deliver a brand-new hot tub than give him her old one. During a closed City Council session on July 23, 2025, Jones said the hot tub was for his significant other, Nikima Robinson. He was cautioned that this created a conflict of interest.
Airfare
On April 22, 2024, Ferrell-Benavides’ city credit card was allegedly used to purchase airfare for Jones and Robinson to travel to Las Vegas. Then Executive Assistant Karen Roberts repeatedly sought reimbursement from Jones. “The city was not reimbursed until June 25, 2024, in which Ms. Robinson paid via check.”
Employment
In spring 2025, Ferrell-Benavides allegedly tried to secure employment for Jones at her former workplace, the City of Petersburg. Payne indicated she had previously offered positions at Petersburg to staff in the Community Development Office.
Free legal advice
Also in spring 2025, Payne was summoned by Ferrell-Benavides to speak with Jones on the phone regarding his employment situation with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Ferrell-Benavides asked Payne to provide legal advice. He declined, saying he was not barred in Virginia, but offered what he described as “non-legal observation” at her insistence.
Shared attorney
The notice also details communications to City Attorney Steven Durbin and other council members, indicating Jones and Ferrell-Benavides knowingly shared the same attorney.
Failure to disclose, disqualify, and exclude
In March 2025, during a closed session, the City Council “gave some level” of authorization to Jones to finalize Ferrell-Benavides’ compensation increase. An offer letter was dated the following day, and an employee action form listed an effective date of April 1, 2025.
Rob Fincher, in his capacity as Interim City Manager, reviewed email accounts “related to the City Manager and found in the draft email folder a blank email with an attached document. The attached document was a Word document that appeared to be a draft of the offer letter,” the notice stated.
Additional sections of the notice outline concerns regarding closed council meetings to discuss an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), filings with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, and other disclosures required of local officials.
The notice concluded that if all allegations are true, Ferrell-Benavides “offered and conferred multiple pecuniary benefits to Mr. Jones, or in the alternative, his significant other, Ms. Robinson, in the forms of gifts, legal advice, and offers of employment.
“The failure to disclose, disqualify, or exclude himself from these matters led to the City of Martinsville continuing an employee relationship, with significant monetary increase, that was ultimately terminated for cause. Additionally, this failure led to the City Council making legal decisions without the benefit of legal counsel,” the notice stated.
If the petition proceeds, in addition to Jones, Fincher, Robinson, Payne, and Roberts, Flinn wrote that he would seek subpoenas for other council members – Vice mayor Kathy Lawson, Rayshaun Gravely, Julian Mei, and Aaron Rawls — as well as Chief Finance Officer Richard Stanfield, and Peyton Nibblett, Assistant to the City Manager/Deputy City Clerk.
Jones could not be reached for comment.