Sheriff’s office: Morrissey’s privileges to visit jail suspended after leaving kids unattended in lobby

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - A Henrico Jail has suspended Joe Morrisey’s visitation privileges after deputies say he left his three young children unattended in the jail’s lobby for hours Saturday morning.

The Henrico County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday that state Sen. Morrisey arrived at Jail West on Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. with his three young children. The statement says Morrisey left the three unattended in the jail lobby while he and an associate met with an inmate.

Deputies say the children were playing with the light switches in the lobby, according to a staff alert sent by Lt. Carey. A deputy then went to get the senator to explain the situation. Morrisey went to the lobby to tell his children to sit down and color, and if he has to come back to the lobby, they would be in big trouble.

Moments later, Morrisey returned to his visit, and the children continued to play in the lobby area, according to the statement. The youngest of the three was then seen by a deputy walking around the facility’s parking lot.

Lt. Carey informed Morrissey that he could not leave his children unattended in the lobby and offered to retrieve his belongings from the back. Morrissey allegedly stated, “No, I’m going back to finish meeting with my client for another 15 minutes. You need to work this out. Why can’t you watch them? Are you going to be out here?”

Carey then informed Morrissey he would not be watching his children and that he could not leave his children unattended in the lobby.

Morrissey then sent his children to wait alone in the car while he continued his meeting, according to the sheriff’s office statement. The senator was then denied access to the building due to the children being left alone in a vehicle in the parking lot.

According to the statement, once Morrissey was denied entry, he walked aggressively toward Lt. Carey and asked, “Did you tell them not to let me in?” He responded, “Yes, sir, you can not leave children unattended in the parking lot.”

Lt. Carey then says Morrissey started yelling expletives at him, walking toward him aggressively. Carey then says the senator threatened to call the sheriff.

Morrisey called Sheriff Gregory, who also told him he could not leave his children unattended in the jail lobby or unattended in the car, according to the statement released Tuesday. He then sent the associate he arrived with to watch the children in the car while he finished his meeting.

The sheriff’s office says Morrissey’s privileges to visit Henrico’s Jail West and Jail East facilities will be suspended for 90 days.

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