Meet Tim

Tim Martin is the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Augusta County. He was elected in 2015, and began his service in January 2016. Immediately upon taking office, Tim worked with investigators from the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office to take on a cold case homicide which occurred in 2003, thirteen years prior. Charles Melvin Spencer was convicted of the murder of his wife, and received a life sentence. The very next year, Tim again partnered with ACSO to prosecute a cold case homicide. Once again, the defendant was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This excellence in prosecution has continued, with countless convictions for serious, violent crimes and appropriately significant sentences.

Tim has assembled an outstanding team of prosecutors. These women and men work hard every day to keep this community safe. Many of them have become experts in their fields, ranging from animal cruelty to sexual abuse of both adults and children. As the challenges facing the law enforcement community have grown, Tim has increased the number of professional prosecutors in his office. Including Tim, there are now ten full-time attorneys working with our law enforcement community for the benefit of the citizens.

Tim has a unique, personal connection to crime victims and their families. When he was a teenager, Tim’s older brother, Edward Martin, was robbed at gunpoint and shot in the head. Edward’s girlfriend, Sheryl Stack, was fatally shot. This random attack, perpetrated by strangers against completely innocent victims, was a defining moment in Tim’s ultimate career path. Although he sustained significant and permanent brain damage, Edward survived and remains both a support and an inspiration to Tim. It was this violent incident and the subsequent trial and conviction of the perpetrators, that motivated Tim to attend law school. He graduated with honors from the University of Richmond TC Williams School of Law in 2007.

The first seven years of Tim’s legal career were spent in the City of Richmond prosecutor’s office. In that time, he prosecuted virtually every conceivable kind of crime. Eventually, his role shifted to a focus on violent crime. It was during this time that Tim developed his considerable skill as a trial advocate. Tim’s reputation for excellence in trial is well known. His results in trials before both juries and judges demonstrate this excellence.

Among Tim’s proudest achievements is the creation of a unique and innovative program for non-violent, first time offenders. In this program, rather than face a criminal charge, offenders give back to the community by collecting roadside garbage. If they perform the requisite number of hours of service, and stay out of trouble in the meantime, they can keep a completely clean record. This has tangible benefits for the offenders and community. To date, participants have cleaned up many tons of trash from our local roadside. There is even a hotline citizens can call to report garbage and request a cleanup.

In 2013, Tim and his wife, Melinda, moved into the Augusta County community. Tim served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Staunton for approximately two years prior to his election in Augusta. Tim has dedicated his entire legal career to public prosecution. He also serves as an adjunct professor of criminal justice. He has taught at the University of Richmond, James Madison University, and Mary Baldwin University.

Tim and Melinda have four children, whose ages now range from two to seven. They are members of Holy Cross Presbyterian Church in Staunton. Tim enjoys cycling, tennis, running, skiing, and watching the Washington Commanders (painful as that may be).