Source. Virginia DCIS + CIS, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Is this you? Claim profile Last refreshed May 2, 2026
Cases of record · 202584

Joshua Hatchell appeared as defense counsel of record in 84 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.

Court level
56 % District · 44 % Circuit
Primary jurisdiction
Mecklenburg County · 45 cases
Most common charge
Drug Possession · 6

Case outcomes

Resolved cases — 40 of 84. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.

Convicted of original charge
9
22%
Dropped
18
45%
Nolle prossed
15
Dismissed
3
Reduced to a lesser charge
12
30%
Within charge family
12
Acquitted
1
2%

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 · Circuit Court

Of 6 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial. General District Court records do not distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction, so this record is limited to Circuit Court, where the distinction is recorded.

Pled guilty
583%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
117%
1 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.

Cases like yours

Joshua Hatchell'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
DUI / DWI Mecklenburg County 4 4 0
Assault & Battery Mecklenburg County 3 2 1
Drug Possession Charlotte County 3 2 1
Drug Possession Mecklenburg County 3 3 0
Fraud / Forgery Charlotte County 3 0 3
Larceny / Theft Mecklenburg County 3 3 0
Weapons Offense Charlotte County 3 3 0
Weapons Offense Lunenburg County 3 0 3
See also

DUI / DWI outcomes in Mecklenburg County — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for DUI / DWI cases in Mecklenburg County, using the same definitions as above.

Reduction targets

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

Defective Equipment Generally
5
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
2
30/25 Sp
1
44/35 Sp
1
Drug Possession (Schedule I/II)
1
DWI, First Offense
1
Speeding 79/70
1

Where cases were heard

Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.

Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Mecklenburg County 45 30 15
Charlotte County 25 14 11
Lunenburg County 12 1 11
Halifax County 2 2 0

Case mix by charge

Charge categories Joshua Hatchell appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.

Charge category Cases Resolved Convicted Dropped Reduced
Other 37 12 1 10 1
Traffic Infraction 8 8 1 0 7
Drug Possession 6 0 0 0 0
Weapons Offense 6 2 1 0 0
Assault & Battery 4 4 2 2 0
DUI / DWI 4 4 1 0 3
Fraud / Forgery 3 2 0 2 0
Larceny / Theft 3 2 0 2 0
Obstruction 3 2 2 0 0
Sex Offense 2 0 0 0 0

Other attorneys with cases in Mecklenburg County

Listed by case volume in Mecklenburg County, 2025.

Attorney Mecklenburg County cases Total (statewide)
Joseph E Taylor 281 372
Gregory Waddell 193 694
Kathryn Todryk 189 211
Charles G Butts 158 170
Charles Crowder 119 172
Katherine Hollister Moore 111 111
Gregory A Ullom 92 92
Clinton R Clary 87 87

View all attorneys with cases in Mecklenburg County →

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.

Joshua Hatchell appeared as defense counsel of record in 84 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 47 in District Court and 37 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Mecklenburg County, with 45 of 84 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Joshua Hatchell's case record was Drug Possession (6 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 40 resolved cases: 22% convicted of original charge (9), 45% dropped (18 = 15 nolle prossed + 3 dismissed), 30% reduced to a lesser charge (12), 2% acquitted (1). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 6 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict (Circuit Court is the only level where Virginia records distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction), 5 (83%) resolved by guilty plea and 1 (17%) went to trial — 1 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 Mecklenburg County? 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. "Joshua Hatchell — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/joshua-hatchell. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.

Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly. For statewide outcome context, see the 2025 Virginia Criminal Court Outcomes report.