Virginia pharmacy board member ousted over protest access

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has ousted a Virginia Board of Pharmacy member and civic activist accused of using her credentials to access a closed site near the Mountain Valley Pipeline route.

The Roanoke Times obtained April emails through a Freedom of Information Act in which Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson told Freeda Cathcart she was dismissed from the board for misconduct. But Cathcart said Tuesday that she told Forest Service officials she was a volunteer and only used her state ID to identify herself April 9.

She said state officials didn’t hear her side of the story before removing her.

She was arrested the day of her visit for violating a closure order, and pleaded guilty to the petty offense July 23. She was fined $150.