DUI defendant who claimed assault by police found guilty

A Chesterfield County man, who claimed New Kent deputies assaulted him after he crashed his car into a wooded area in the county and attempted to flee on foot, now says he cannot recall what actually happened and how he sustained a three-inch gash to his forehead.

Deputies involved, however, deny the assault accusation and theorize the defendant, James Wilbur Katcham, ran into a tree in the dark. Deputies found the defendant unconscious and lying face down at the base of a tree.

Katcham, 43, of 10300 Lenadoon Drive, stood trial on March 3 in New Kent Circuit Court on one count each of driving under the influence (fourth offense in the last 10 years) and driving on a revoked license after three DUI convictions in connection with the Nov. 9, 2006 incident. Both charges are felonies.

Katcham was subsequently charged with failure to appear in court after he missed a court date last Aug. 27.

As part of plea deal reached last week, Katcham pleaded guilty to the DUI fourth offense charge while the driving revoked count was dropped. Judge Thomas B. Hoover then found the defendant guilty on the failure to appear charge.

Hoover followed plea deal terms in sentencing Katcham to five years in prison with all but one year, two months suspended for the next 20 years. The judge also imposed a $1,000 fine. On the failure to appear count, 60 days in jail were imposed.

In a summary of evidence, prosecutor Linwood Gregory told the court deputies were dispatched to a residence on Crump’s Mill Road in response to a domestic disturbance call and a report shots may have been fired. A woman at the scene told police Katcham was her boyfriend who had come home drunk and had a handgun stuffed in his belt. She said she asked him to leave and said she heard a gunshot as he left.

Deputies arrived around 8:30 p.m., they spotted Katcham’s car and saw the vehicle leave the road and crash into trees. The defendant then fled on foot into nearby woods where they later found him out cold. Katcham’s blood/alcohol was determined to be .20, more than twice the legal limit for driving drunk.

Katcham claimed to suffer short-term memory loss as the reason for missing the Aug. 27 court date, but a medical evaluation ruled otherwise.

At last week’s trial, Hoover opted to test the defendant’s memory, asking Katcham how he sustained the gash to his head.

Katcham replied that he couldn’t remember, adding, “All I know is I woke up and police officers were standing over me.”

The defendant has been held in jail since September when he was picked up on the failure to appear charge.