LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin grants pardon to Loudoun County dad whose daughter was sexually assaulted at school.

Governor Youngkin has granted pardon to Scott Smith, the Loudoun County father who was convicted of disorderly conduct in August 2021 after he showed up to a Loudoun County School Board meeting.

“Scott Smith is a dedicated parent who’s faced unwarranted charges in his pursuit to protect his daughter. Scott’s commitment to his child despite the immense obstacles is emblematic of the parental empowerment movement that started in Virginia,” said Governor Youngkin.

The governor issued an executive order on his first day in office to start an investigation into the sexual assaults in Loudoun County.

“In Virginia, parents matter, and my resolve to empower parents is unwavering. A parent’s fundamental right to be involved in their child’s education, upbringing, and care should never be undermined by bureaucracy, school divisions, or the state. I am pleased to grant Scott Smith this pardon and help him and his family put this injustice behind them once and for all.,” said Governor Youngkin.  

Following the Attorney General’s incriminating investigation into the sexual assault cover-up, Superintendent Ziegler has been fired.

After the issuance of the pardon by Governor Youngkin, Smith made the following statement:

“What happened to my daughter was a horrible, but preventable tragedy that she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. And the way the public school system, the School Board, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office SRO Department & the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office handled this situation was abhorrent and completely unacceptable. My family has been living a nightmare that no family in America should have to endure. But rather than sit quietly and take it, I decided to stand up against the government– and for that, I was branded a ‘domestic terrorist’ and charged with crimes I did not commit, I want to thank Governor Youngkin for his declaration that I am innocent, and for his absolute and unconditional pardon,” said Smith.

“While I was extremely confident in my lawyers’ abilities to defend me in court, I am grateful that the governor recognizes that our justice system has been both weaponized and politicized to the point where my ability to receive a fair trial was in jeopardy. And while this pardon closes one chapter in this ongoing battle, a new chapter has now begun. I will continue to fight for parents and their children who are affected by these misguided and dangerous school policies. My family intends to pursue legal action in the federal courts to hold the Loudoun School public school system accountable for putting its own interests above the safety of my daughter, the families, and the communities that it was supposed to serve. And I intend to pursue other legal remedies in order to hold those elected county officials who pursued this malicious prosecution of me accountable for their malfeasance. And, let me be clear. I’m not a ‘domestic terrorist’, I’m just a father who will go to the ends of the earth to protect his daughter. I will not ever give up in that endeavor until my family is both protected and fully vindicated,” he added.

Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj also released a statement regarding Governor Youngkin’s pardon of Mr. Scott Smith:

“This political stunt by Governor Youngkin is an unprecedented and inappropriate intervention into an active legal case. “He chose to interfere in the legal process not for justice but for political gain. If the Governor truly believed that the evidence would show that the Republican sheriff lied about the facts and wrongfully arrested Smith, that the Magistrate wrongfully issued the arrest warrants, and that the Republican Special Prosecutor was wrongfully prosecuting him, Youngkin would have permitted the case to go to trial and let the truth be told. That is the system in America. The justice system does not work when a Governor becomes the judge and jury,” said Biberaj.

“With early voting less than two weeks away, the Governor’s decision to issue the pardon is an intentional attempt to influence the elections. I will proudly stand with law enforcement to ensure that they protect our citizens, that they are safe on the job, and that anyone who harms our law enforcement is held accountable. I will also continue to stand with victims of sexual assault to ensure cases are fully prosecuted, which is why my office tripled the number of prosecutors dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault cases. It is deeply disappointing that Governor Youngkin continues to play politics and try to divide Loudoun County,” he added.