Town public works director’s DMV forgery case continued to April

The Town website front page on the Public Works Department

FRONT ROYAL – A preliminary hearing in the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles felony forgery cases against Town of Front Royal Public Works Director Carl James “Jimmy” Hannigan, Jr. has been continued to April 3, at 2 p.m. Hannigan and his attorney Eric Wiseley were in Warren County General District Court for the second time on Tuesday, February 27, on the 2 p.m. docket. The continuance came at the defense’s request.

The delay to April was due to the availability of DMV Special Agent R. A. Brooks. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Fleming told Judge W. Dale Houff that Brook’s calendar was locked up through March. As during another brief January 24 hearing, Hannigan was present but not called for any testimony.

The three felony counts the 38-year-old Hannigan is charged with revolve around the purchase and sale of a car identified by his attorney as a 1998 Honda C-RV, now with about 200,000 miles on it. It was an object of dispute in Hannigan and his ex-wife Danielle’s 2016-17 separation and divorce case. “Jimmy” Hannigan was arrested and charged on the three forgery-related counts surrounding the vehicle on January 8, 2018.

Following the brief January hearing, Wiseley presented his client’s side, stating, “Mr. Hannigan went through a nasty divorce last year, and his wife was not happy with the Court’s decision regarding an automobile that belonged to my client. Not happy with the Court’s decision, she filed criminal charges that are a bit overblown.”

However, Danielle Hannigan is not the complainant listed on the three criminal warrants against her ex-husband, rather, DMV Special Agent R. A. Brooks is. The language used by Brooks to justify the felony “Forged Title” and “Forge and/or Utter” criminal complaints states that, “Carl James Hannigan, Jr. reassigned a title (title #) in the name and signature of Danielle Hannigan without the knowledge or consent of Danielle Hannigan and transacted said title to Avery Burroughs.” The date of the alleged offense is listed as “on or about September 7, 2017”.

Hannigan, who lives in Middletown, remains employed by the Town of Front Royal pending resolution of the case.