The chief prosecutor in Portsmouth caused a stir this week when his office shredded the credibility of a jailhouse snitch in the case of ‍Ryan ‍Frederick. ‍Frederick, 29, faces capital murder and other charges in the death of a Chesapeake police detective during a drug raid last year.

   It wasn’t the first time Mobley, a stickler for truth, justice and fairness, has caused heartburn for his allies in law enforcement. No one who knows him will be surprised that he came forward, or that he and an assistant were subpoenaed to testify Friday in Chesapeake.

   Before ‍Frederick testified Thursday, Mobley’s comments to special prosecutors shook up the proceedings. After reading news accounts of the trial in The Pilot, Mobley and others in his office noticed that Jamaal N. Skeeter had testified .. .. against the defendant. On Tuesday, Skeeter claimed ‍Frederick told him in the Chesapeake jail that ‍Frederick saw police outside his house and shot at them intentionally.

   “The only thing he said he heard was ‘Police, open the door,’ ” Skeeter testified.

   Not so fast, according to Bill Prince, Mobley’s spokesman. “This guy is not credible at all,” Prince told me. In the middle of the trial, Mobley “immediately called [special prosecutor Paul] Ebert.”

   Mobley, speaking to me later Friday after he wasn’t called to testify, noted why he’d come forward. “We have a sworn duty as prosecutors to make sure there’s a fair proceed .. .. ing,” he said. “You have to disclose everything under the rules.”

   Skeeter, while facing his own criminal charges, had tried to cut deals for himself in Portsmouth, but his information was unreliable, Prince said. Skeeter apparently never made it to the stand in Portsmouth to testify against others.

   Mobley’s office also sent a letter last year to the Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney after learning that Skeeter was scheduled to testify against a homicide suspect there. Norfolk did not use Skeeter as a witness, according to a report in The Pilot. Court records show that, since 2004, Skeeter has been sentenced to prison for convictions .. .. on larceny, grand larceny and drug charges.

   I’ve been impressed with Earle Mobley since I met him in 2001, when the Republican ran for the commonwealth’s attorney post and sought The Pilot editorial board’s endorsement. (He got it in 2001 and 2005.)

   Mobley is courteous to a fault. He’s obsessive when it comes to following legal rules and procedures. The Portsmouth native and graduate of Portsmouth Catholic High School brings a refreshing outrage to criminals who prey on the elderly and who deal drugs. In one of his initial acts after taking office, he ordered fewer plea bargains in felony cases.

   He also has been known to call out law enforcement officials he believes are neglecting their duties. He’s filed court papers against police officers who missed hearings. Mobley prosecuted ex-Sher .. .. iff Gary Waters on misdemeanor charges related to the oversight of campaign money in a re-election bid. And he’s expressed displeasure with the quality of work of some Portsmouth deputies who had taken over police duties.

   “He treats prosecutors and defendants exactly alike, all parties involved in the case,” said Bryan Meals, a civil litigator who’s also chair of the Portsmouth GOP. “When I read the article about the informant I was not surprised at all that he came forward. In fact, I would’ve been surprised if he hadn’t done that.”

   Ditto that. Portsmouth’s chief prosecutor doesn’t play favorites. Citizens — and even defendants — should be grateful. .. ..