Source. Virginia DCIS + CIS, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Last refreshed May 2, 2026
Cases of record · 2025180

Brent Shelton appeared as defense counsel of record in 180 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.

Court level
92 % District · 8 % Circuit
Primary jurisdiction
Danville · 121 cases
Most common charge
Reckless Driving · 14

Case outcomes

Resolved cases — 118 of 180. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.

Convicted of original charge
33
28%
Dropped
47
40%
Nolle prossed
31
Dismissed
16
Reduced to a lesser charge
23
20%
To Improper Driving
9
Within charge family
14
Acquitted
15
13%

Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.

Plea vs trial

Of 71 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.

Pled guilty
5679%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
1521%
15 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
100%
15 of 15 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.

Top charge — Reckless Driving

Brent Shelton's most common charge category in 2025 (14 cases of record · 12 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.

Convicted of original charge
0
0%
Dropped
4
33%
Reduced to a lesser charge
7
58%

Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Reckless Driving page for jurisdiction-wide context.

Cases like yours

Brent Shelton's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.

Charge Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Reckless Driving Danville 10 10 0
Larceny / Theft Danville 9 8 1
Weapons Offense Danville 9 7 2
Drug Possession Danville 7 7 0
Assault & Battery Danville 4 4 0
Failure to Appear Danville 4 4 0
Property Destruction Danville 4 4 0
Reckless Driving Pittsylvania County 4 4 0
Trespassing Pittsylvania County 4 4 0
DUI / DWI Danville 3 3 0
Driving Suspended Danville 3 3 0
Obstruction Danville 3 2 1

Each row links to Brent Shelton's charge × jurisdiction page where outcomes for that combination are visible site-wide.

Reduction targets

When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.

Defective Speedometer
6
Improper Driving
6
Improper Driving
2
39/25 Sp
1
75/45 Sp
1
Assault & Battery
1
Defective Equipment Generally
1
Defective Equipment Generally
1

Where cases were heard

Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.

Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Danville 121 107 14
Pittsylvania County 53 53 0
Halifax County 3 3 0
Martinsville 2 1 1
Henry County 1 1 0

Case mix by charge

Charge categories Brent Shelton appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.

Charge category Cases Resolved Convicted Dropped Reduced
Other 61 32 4 17 7
Traffic Infraction 36 29 11 5 8
Reckless Driving 14 12 0 4 7
Larceny / Theft 11 10 4 6 0
Weapons Offense 10 6 3 1 0
Drug Possession 7 3 0 3 0
Assault & Battery 6 5 3 1 0
Trespassing 5 3 0 3 0
Obstruction 4 1 1 0 0
Property Destruction 4 3 0 2 0

Other attorneys with cases in Danville

Listed by case volume in Danville, 2025.

Attorney Danville cases Total (statewide)
M Lee; Ii Smallwood 446 446
Yerisbel Jimenez 314 314
Baker N Williams 234 290
Jason Eisner 226 512
Anne-Charles Moreau 226 226
Baker Williams 201 266
Daniel Rouleau 188 541
William Meyer 173 275

View all attorneys with cases in Danville →

What this data does not show

  • Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
  • Federal court cases — state-court records only
  • Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
  • Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
  • Quality of legal representation
  • The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.

Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.

Common questions

Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.

Brent Shelton appeared as defense counsel of record in 180 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 165 in District Court and 15 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Danville, with 121 of 180 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Brent Shelton's case record was Reckless Driving (14 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 118 resolved cases: 28% convicted of original charge (33), 40% dropped (47 = 31 nolle prossed + 16 dismissed), 20% reduced to a lesser charge (23), 13% acquitted (15). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 71 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 56 (79%) resolved by guilty plea and 15 (21%) went to trial — 15 acquittals and 0 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.

Looking for representation in Danville? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.

Methodology

Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.

Citation

VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Brent Shelton — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/brent-shelton. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.

Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.