Father of New Kent supervisor banned from premises after making threats against board chairman

A heated exchange between New Kent Board of Supervisor members Thomas Evelyn and Jordan Stewart at a May 29 work session over the budget has resulted in ramifications that led to the banning of one supervisor’s father from all New Kent County premises.

Richard D. Stewart, the father of District 5 representative Jordan Stewart, has been barred from all New Kent County owned property and has been issued a protective order after making threats against Evelyn.

At the May 29 work session, Jordan Stewart and Evelyn got into a heated debate over a two-cent tax increase for the county. At that meeting, Evelyn commented that he was blindsided about Stewart’s stance after talks about the budget. What normally would be a 90-minute meeting spilled into the afternoon after a recess after Evelyn moved to hear Jordan Stewart’s proposal to reduce the budget so that no tax increase would occur. The argument between the two led to Evelyn telling Jordan Stewart, “You’re not a leader, you’re a politician.”

Sometime after the meeting, Richard Stewart made a threat against Evelyn. According to a letter from New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway sent Richard Stewart a notice of trespassing, saying in the letter, “This action is being taken after the County’s discovery that you threatened the life of Mr. Thomas W. Evelyn, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of New Kent County.

“This action is also being taken because of the County’s discovery of an active protective order issued against you by the General District Court of the County of New Kent, Virginia, on behalf of Mr. Evelyn.”

The protective order bars Richard Stewart from all New Kent County offices, all fire stations (unless it’s an emergency), refuse sites, and all parks. Richard Stewart may conduct in-person county business only with a scheduled appointment and being accompanied by a county deputy. He must also surrender any firearm while the protective order is issued against him.

Under the law, any attempt by Richard Stewart to enter county property will result in prosecution of a Class 1 misdemeanor in trespassing, resulting in a 12-month sentence and/or a $2,500 fine.

The protective order against Richard Stewart will remain in place until June 11, 2026.