A week after being released from jail for charges related to his sexual relationship with a teenage girl, Virginia Democrat Joe Morrissey traveled to Georgia to be present as the girl gave birth to a child many believe to be his.
Morrissey was sentenced to a six-month jail sentence in December on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Prosecutors initially sought to pursue felony charges that would have put Morrissey behind bars for 41 years but instead reached a plea agreement that has allowed Morrissey to maintain both his political and legal careers.
Though Morrissey maintains that there was no sexual relationship between himself and teen Myrna Pride, he confirmed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch that she gave birth to a boy this past weekend, and that he was present for the birth.
"I can confirm that Myrna had a beautiful, healthy 7 lb. 8 oz. baby boy," Morrissey wrote to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I was with Myrna and she is absolutely thrilled … I am too!"
The prosecutor assigned to Morrissey's case revealed that Pride was pregnant when the plea agreement was first announced and added that Morrissey was "perhaps" the father.
Despite the sex scandal that forced Morrissey to run a political campaign from a jail cell, he won reelection to the Virginia House of Delegates and due to a work release program was able to participate in the legislative process during his sentence. He even voted against a bill that would prohibit inmates from possessing pornographic material.
Morrissey's legal troubles, however, are far from over. Evidence presented by Henrico County investigators indicates that Morrissey used forged documents during his legal team's effort to reach a plea agreement.
Morrissey is scheduled to go to court on multiple counts of perjury and forgery later this year.