PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A former Portsmouth police officer who is under investigation resigned from the force and was banned from working in Virginia law enforcement.
Brent Stokes resigned from the Portsmouth Police Department on May 27, according to department officials. He was decertified as a police officer in Virginia three days later, meaning he can no longer work in law enforcement in the state.
Documents provided by the Department of Criminal Justice Services cite the reasons for Stokes’ decertification as “sustaining untruthful documentation” during the course of his duties as a Portsmouth police officer.
Portsmouth police confirmed they are conducting an ongoing investigation into Stokes, but in two emails to 10 On Your Side, officials refused to confirm if the probe is internal or criminal. Portsmouth Police Chief Renado Prince also declined to sit down with our investigators for an on-camera interview.
WAVY-TV 10 Executive Producer of Investigations Adrienne Mayfield took her questions about Stokes directly to Prince on Wednesday, ahead of a public forum. At that time, Prince confirmed the department has conducted both criminal and internal investigations into Stokes.
As of Thursday, Stokes hasn’t been charged with any crimes as the result of either investigation.
10 On Your Side reached out to Stokes for comment but received none. A phone number our investigative team has used to communicate with him in the past was disconnected, and he did not respond to a social media message.
Stokes was also the spokesperson for the Portsmouth Fraternal Order of Police. The FOP did not respond to 10 On Your Side’s request for comment on Stokes’ decertification.