Criminal case against Virginia Beach pastor John Blanchard may reopen amid new information:

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Months after prostitution charges against a Virginia Beach pastor were withdrawn, the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney says the case may move forward.

Stacey Davenport spoke briefly in front of the Chesterfield County courthouse Thursday morning, announcing that, in the last 48 hours, her office received new information related to the case against John Blanchard.

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Blanchard, the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, was arrested and charged for solicitation of prostitution in Chesterfield County in 2021. He was one of 17 people arrested in the sting.

Blanchard's charges were withdrawn last fall. The case was ruled as nolle prosequi, meaning there is insufficient evidence in a case to prove the defendant guilty, meaning the charges could be brought back. Blanchard recently filed to have his record expunged.

Davenport says she's moving that the court appoint a special prosecutor to determine whether the case against Blanchard should now be prosecuted.

“Due to the repeated comments and unfounded political attacks levied upon my office by both Chesterfield County Police Chief Jeffrey Katz and Delegate Tim Anderson, I cannot ethically make any decisions on whether or not this new information should impact future prosecutorial decisions in this matter," said Davenport, who then left the roughly minute-long press conference without taking any questions.