Longest-serving Virginia prosecutor to retire at year’s end

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - Virginia’s longest-serving prosecutor will retire at the end of the year.

The Washington Post reports that 81-year-old Paul B. Ebert announced Tuesday that his more than 50 years at the helm of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Prince William County are drawing to a close.

Having served 13 terms, the Democrat says he “would keep on cracking” but health problems preclude another run.

During his time in office, he presided over high-profile prosecutions such as Beltway Sniper John Allen Muhammad and Lorena Bobbitt. He’s sent more defendants to death row than any other prosecutor in state history. In recent years, he was faulted for withholding evidence favorable to the defense, which resulted in the overturning of a death penalty conviction.

Ebert has yet to endorse a successor.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com