ATTORNEYS
The Amherst Commonwealth's Attorneys Office employs six full-time prosecutors, each of whom is responsible for handling dockets in General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, including cases such as traffic offenses, Domestic Violence cases, and DUIs, as well as trying felony cases in Circuit Court.
W. Lyle Carver
Commonwealth's Attorney
The Commonwealth's Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer of Amherst County. He is responsible for prosecuting all felonies, in his discretion, prosecute Class 1, 2 and 3 misdemeanors, or any violation of law that carries a penalty of confinement in jail or a fine of $500 or more, and enforcing forfeitures, as well as additional duties as described in the Virginia Code.
Lyle Carver is a 2002 graduate of the University of South Florida and a 2008 graduate of the Liberty University School of Law. He first joined the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in 2007 as an extern during his third year of law school. Mr. Carver served as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in this office from 2008-2015. He was named Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney in 2015. Later that year he was sworn in as Acting Commonwealth's Attorney. He was elected as Commonwealth's Attorney on November 3, 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. Lt. Col. Carver also serves in the Virginia Army National Guard as a Judge Advocate. He is qualified to serve as a sexual assault investigator for the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations.
Education
J.D., Liberty University School of Law, 2008
B.A., University of South Florida, 2002
Trainings:
2009: Trial Advocacy Program 2009: Spring Institute 2010: Advanced DUI 2010: Top Gun (Drug Prosecution Training) 2010: Spring Institute 2011: Spring Institute 2012: Cold Case Analysis Training 2012: Spring Institute 2013: Spring Institute 2014: Spring Institute 2015: Prosecuting Homicide Cases 2015: New Constitutional Officer Training 2015: Spring Institute 2016: Spring Institute 2016: Executive Conference 2018: Spring Institute 2018: Executive Conference 2019: Spring Institute 2019: Executive Conference 2019: Summer Conference 2020: Spring Institute 2021: Spring Institute 2022: Spring Institute 2022: Summer Conference 2022: Executive Conference 2023: Spring Institute 2023: Summer Conference 2024: Spring Institute 2024: Summer Conference
Amber Drumheller
Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney
The Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney is hired at the discretion of the Commonwealth's Attorney and is responsible for assisting the Commonwealth's Attorney in the execution of his duties under the Virginia Code. Her duties include trying cases as well as supervising Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys, and she also has authority to make executive decisions for the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
Amber is a graduate of Nelson County High School, a 2003 magna cum laude graduate of Bridgewater College, and a 2007 cum laude graduate of West Virginia University College of Law. While in law school, she was a member of the National Moot Court team, the Region IV Champion Moot Court team, and President of the Moot Court Board. She was inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers at graduation. Amber clerked in the law offices of Kay, Casto & Chaney, PLLC, in Charleston, West Virginia, while in law school. Upon graduation, she began working with W. Thomas Berry, Esq., in Nelson County and later opened a solo practice. Amber remained in private practice from 2007 to 2016, when she joined the Commonwealth's Attorneys Office.
Education
JD, West Virginia University College of Law, 2007
B.A., Bridgewater College, 2003
Trainings
2016: Virginia Criminal Procedure 2016: Prosecutor Summer Conference 2017: DUI-D for Prosecutors & LEO 2017: Advanced DUI Prosecution 2019: IMPACT (Initiating Meaningful Prosecution at Critical Times) 2019: Murder I: Prosecution of Homicides 2019: Executive Conference 2020: Trauma to Trial - Investigating & Prosecuting Adult Non-Stranger Sexual Assaults 2021: Preparing Juvenile Victims for Court 2021: Overcoming the Odds: Tools for Difficult Child Sexual Abuse Cases 2021: Executive Conference 2022: Murder II: Prosecution of Homicides 2022: Executive Conference 2024: Trial Advocacy
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys are hired at the discretion of the Commonwealth's Attorney in order to assist him in executing his duties under the Code of Virginia. Each Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney is responsible for prosecuting cases in General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, and Circuit Court, as well as advising law enforcement and handling other duties as required.
