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Like many kids in Virginia Beach, Colin grew up in a Navy family. His father, Ed Stolle, proudly served in the Navy for 22 years. The family moved to Virginia Beach in 1971, when Colin was one year old, as a part of his father’s last duty assignment. The family has resided here ever since.
Colin is the youngest of six kids. He has four brothers and one sister. He attended Star of the Sea Catholic School growing up and graduated high school at Cape Henry Collegiate in 1988. Colin then attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1992.
Upon graduating from VCU, Colin - like two of his brothers had previously done - entered into the Virginia Law Reading Program. Virginia is one of a few states where you can still become an attorney by "Reading Law." It is the same process Thomas Jefferson completed to become an attorney, and it is still in place today. While Colin studied law in the evenings, he worked during the day in the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney.
Colin served as the "Habitual Offender Coordinator," helping prosecutors remove the most dangerous drivers from our roads. It was at this point that Colin decided that the only thing he wanted to do with his legal career was be a prosecutor. Before even taking the bar exam, the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney trusted Colin enough to allow him to try cases on a weekly basis, even a jury trial, under a statute that allows law students to practice law under a supervising attorney.
Colin passed the bar and was hired as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in 1996. Since that time, he has handled every type of case from speeding to capital murder. He has served on the Property Crime Team, Precinct Trial Teams, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Team, and the Vice and Narcotic Team. Colin worked his way up in the office by constantly handling one of the most heavy and serious caseloads in the office.
In 2004, Colin was promoted to Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney and supervised a trial team that consisted of both the 2nd and 3rd Police Precincts. Colin continued to carry a heavy caseload while taking on a management role in the office. In 2005, Colin was promoted to Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney.
As Chief Deputy, Colin supervised 34 attorneys, 18 paralegals, and with the rest of the staff a total office of 86 dedicated public servants. Colin's duties also involved overseeing and managing a multi-million dollar budget consisting of both state and local funds. Colin was elected as the Commonwealth's Attorney in November of 2013 and continues to serve in that role today.
Colin is dedicated to keeping Virginia Beach the safest city of its size. Colin is proud to serve as member of the Executive Board for the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys and the Chesapeake Bay Alcohol Safety Action Program. Additionally, Colin belongs to the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL).
Colin met his wife Denise while they attended VCU together. They have been married for over 20 years and have two sons, Colin Jr. and Ian.