Prince William County, Va. - The race for the GOP nomination in the 11th congressional district continued to get ugly Friday as news of an assault conviction in Keith Fimian's past came to light.
Fimian, a Oakton businessman faces Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity in a primary Tuesday.
The winner will square off with Rep. Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly, a Democrat, in the district, which includes parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties.
Fimian was convicted of assault in 1976 while a student at the College of William & Mary, according to the circuit court clerk's office for Williamsburg and James City County.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail with all but seven days suspended, and fined $200.
Fimian doesn't dispute the details of the incident. But he accused Herrity of trying to use it to smear him.
"Now he is faxing around court documents about a college incident in 1975 -- 35 years ago," the Fimian campaign said in a statement Friday, though word of the assault was provided to the News & Messenger anonymously. "Herrity has surrendered his personal integrity."
The Fimian campaign's statement said that when Fimian was a freshman, a "dorm water fight spun out of control" and Fimian "injured another male student."
"Keith Fimian was wrong and remains sorry that it occurred," the statement said. "Keith Fimian has apologized to the other person in the fight and regrets it to this day."
The Fimian camp also said that Herrity is down in the polls, and that his campaign is "spinning into a disaster."
"This is what politicians do when they are desperate -- smear character when they cannot defend their policies," the statement said.
Reached Friday, however, Herrity said he didn't want to comment about the conviction.
Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.
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