Jim Reams Can Return to Work

Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams can return to work Wednesday, after a Superior Court order April 29 granted him permission to do so amid Attorney General Joseph Foster's pending petition to remove him from office for alleged misconduct.

The order, however, "expressly limits and proscribes his authority to make personnel decisions."

"From the start of this matter, an important goal of our Office was to protect employees from retaliation or other adverse employment actions arising from their cooperation in our investigation," Foster said in a statement. "By entering this agreement as an order, County Attorney Ream's obligation to fairly treat all of his employees is clear. The order should help guarantee discrimination and retaliation will not occur."

Read the court order.

Foster said the order provides "no hiring, firing, demotion or other adverse employment actions can be taken against any Assistant County Attorney without notice and approval of the Attorney General, or against any other employee of the Rockingham County Attorney's Office without notice to and the consent of the County Commissioners."

"The Attorney General's investigation also revealed alleged ethical lapses. To address that concern, the Order reaffirms the Attorney General's statutory and common law supervisory authority over prosecutions in Rockingham County and expressly provides that an Assistant Attorney General can remain on site to monitor and if necessary supervise the prosecutorial operations of the Rockingham County Attorney's Office."