PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — On Tuesday, Former Portsmouth City Councilman and Virginia Delegate Steve Heretick (I) officially filed for candidacy as he received more than the required number of signatures for the Nov. 4 election.

Heretick announced May 21 his plans to enter the race for Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney in the November 2025 election.

“With the overwhelming support of residents across our city, I’m proud to take this next step in returning real leadership to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office,” said Heretick. “I’m grateful to everyone who signed, volunteered, and believes—as I do—that Portsmouth deserves a prosecutor who knows the law, understands our community, and has the backbone to take on crime.”

According to his announcement, Heretick believes the office of the Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney has been in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons and aims to bring experience, accountability and integrity back to the position.

“With crime on the rise and confidence in our city’s criminal justice system continuing to erode, Portsmouth deserves a prosecutor who puts public safety and justice first and is willing to show up every day ready to do the work,” Heretick said. “As your next Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will rebuild trust in the office, ensure violent criminals are held accountable, and work every day to make our streets safer for families and businesses alike.”

Heretick noted charges dropped in high profile Portsmouth cases as one of the reasons he is running. WAVY News 10’s Andy Fox aired a special report in 2023 on this subject.

“I can tell you that as a former federal prosecutor and as a practicing attorney today, what we see here are failure after failure after failure of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to abide by basic legal principles, to to afford to finish their basic constitutional rights. And what we have seen over and over and over are cases dropped murderers walking free,” Heretick said.

For example, in 2023, the Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney Office dismissed the 19 child abuse/neglect charges brought against Dewanna Markita Seward, who allegedly ran an unlicensed childcare facility that caught on fire while she was away in 2022.

Seven kids were injured in the incident, with some children reportedly jumping out the window.

The case was then dismissed by prejudice, meaning that further prosecution is barred, according to the Code of Virginia.

Above: 10 On Your Side’s Andy Fox sat down for an interview with Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate Steve Heretick.

WAVY’s Andy Fox read to Stephanie Morales, the current commonwealth’s attorney, what Judge Brenda Spry said to her Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney before dismissing the case with prejudice, and it’s not just this case.  

“I will say, within a month, we’ve had four or five cases that have dealt with this. Your actions are gross negligence…The prosecutor acknowledged his office had not met the burden of care when producing the witness list.”   

Morales was first elected as the Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2015.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree from William & Mary University and his law degree from Villanova University, Heretick served under a federal judge in Philadelphia before entering private practice in Norfolk.

He was also elected to the multiple terms in both the Portsmouth City Council and the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served on the House Courts of Justice Committee.

Heretick’s “tough but fair approach to criminal justice” has earned him a reputation as one who gets results and numerous awards, including the Justice Department Award for Public Service. The award is only held by three percent of all attorneys, according to his announcement.

He is convinced that his path to victory will come from Democrats who are not happy with what they see in the management of Stephanie Morales’ office, and certainly from Republicans.

“Our city needs a prosecutor who knows the law, understands our community, and has the backbone to take on crime,” Heretick said. “I’m ready to do the job on day one, because Portsmouth deserves justice.”

WAVY has reached out to Stephanie Morales’ office for comment on having Heretick as a challenger in November. In a statement from the Portsmouth office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, it said it would continue to serve residents in Portsmouth while protecting victims of crime, and it would “uphold the independence of the justice system from the influence of political discourse.” The full statement is below:

“The Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office remains steadfast in our mission to administer justice by upholding the law with fairness, integrity and a deep commitment to public safety. Our office will continue to serve the citizens of Portsmouth through fair and diligent prosecution of criminal cases while protecting victims of crime.

The Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will continue to uphold the independence of the justice system from the influence of political discourse. To that end, this office will not comment on campaign-related matters. The work of this office continues without interruption or distraction from political rhetoric. The Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office remains fully devoted to holding offenders accountable, supporting victims and their families and collaborating with law enforcement partners to promote the safety of our community.”

— Portsmouth Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney