taking this situation and these allegations seriously. What has been best for Virginia Beach has always been a priority for me. I would never intentionally put Virginia Beach's or TowneBank's integrity in jeopardy. I plan to do a thorough review of these allegations, but it's going to take time to sort through the various votes since I've been Mayor. Until I have the opportunity to do that, I'm sure you can understand that I cannot offer any additional comments at this time." The following day, it was announced that Commonwealth's Attorney Colin Stolle was recusing himself from the potential investigation into the Pilots report and that he was requesting the Circuit Court to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the matter. Stolle cited probable conflicts of interest including the fact that his brother, Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle, was on the board of TowneBank and that his wife worked at a bank branch for four years. On November 14, 2014, Mayor Paul Fraim of Norfolk and Mayor Linda Johnson of Suffolk announced that they were resigning from their positions as directors of TowneBank so as to eliminate the perception of a conflict of interest. By the following day, Sessoms had given notice his intention to forfeit his seats on TowneBank's corporate Board of Directors, its Virginia Beach community board, and its Financial Services board. Sessoms had earlier that week had his position as president of the bank's Financial Services division suspended with pay. On November 18, 2014, Sessoms returned to his first city council meeting since the Pilots report during which he twice abstained from votes connected TowneBank. The next day, Commonwealth's Attorney Michael R. Doucette of Lynchburg, Virginia was appointed as special prosecutor and Sessoms hired a team of criminal defense attorneys. On December 24, 2014, Sessoms announced his resignation from his position as president following TowneBank's policy change prohibiting senior bank management from holding any elective office. On November 4, 2015, Sessoms was charged with five misdemeanor counts of violating the state's Conflict of Interest Act for votes he cast that benefited borrowers of TowneBank. A trial date was tentatively set for December 7, 2015. On December 3, 2015, it was reported that the trial had been delayed to December 28 as none of the General District Court judges in Virginia Beach would hear the case citing the potential for conflict of interest as Sessoms was still mayor.