Defendant in high speed chase convicted in NK

A Hampton man who led a State Police trooper on a seven-mile, high-speed chase has been convicted in New Kent Circuit Court on a charge of felony eluding.

Kacee Johnson, 22, of 49 Continental Drive #B, pleaded guilty on Jan. 11 to the charge and is being held in jail until sentencing in March after the judge in the matter, Thomas B. Hoover, revoked the defendant’s bond.

Last April 17 shortly after 3 p.m., Trooper Jonathan Miles took off in pursuit of a Chevrolet Impala that came through radar at 85 miles per hour on Interstate 64 westbound near the James City County line. Miles told the court that speeds reached in excess of 100 miles per hour. A camera mounted in Miles’ police cruiser recorded the incident.

Video showed Miles’ cruiser swerving into the breakdown lane to pass a number of other vehicles. The Impala could only be seen as a speck in the distance, but it also resorted to the road’s shoulder to avoid other vehicles.

“At one point, the vehicle almost caused a multi-car accident,” the trooper told the court.

Reaching the Route 33 West Point exit, the Impala came to a stop. Miles hopped out of his cruiser and at gunpoint ordered the Impala driver to exit the vehicle. But the driver failed to obey, instead speeding off onto eastbound Route 33.

As the renewed chase reached the stoplight at the Route 33/30/249 intersection, the Impala took the turn lane onto Route 30 and then made a sudden u-turn before coming to a stop. The driver got out, whereby Miles ordered the suspect onto the ground at gunpoint.

Johnson admitted he panicked and sped away because he feared going to jail for driving on a suspended license, Miles said. There was a female passenger in the car with Johnson.

Prosecutor Linwood Gregory remarked that Johnson has no criminal history, but the defendant’s driving record is another matter. Hoover noted that Johnson’s driving status with DMV stands at minus-19.

“After viewing that tape, he is a danger to the community,” Hoover said in revoking the defendant’s bond. “I’m not comfortable with him being on the road.”

In other cases on Jan. 11:

–Robert Ferguson Scott, 23, of 3 Baldwin Place, Newport News, pleaded guilty to one count of cocaine possession. Last Aug. 17, he was a passenger in a car stopped for speeding on I-64. The investigating officer detected marijuana odor emanating from the vehicle, and a subsequent search turned up three bags of the drug along with a small plastic bag with crack cocaine inside. Scott said the crack was his, Gregory told the court. Hoover placed the defendant on first offender status, meaning 100 hours of community service and one-year probation. If Scott abides by probation terms, the charge could be dismissed after one year.

–Jennifer Nicole Brown, 21, of 1920 Swinson Dr. Apt. 11, Charlottesville, pleaded guilty to feloniously passing a bad check. Under a plea deal, four other charges were dropped. Last Aug. 12, Brown and another man passed a check for $667.40 made payable to New Kent Aviation, but on a closed account. Hoover imposed five years in prison, all suspended for the next 10 years. The money has been repaid.

–Thomas Edward Harp Jr., 48, of 9601 Sherwood Dr., Quinton, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor larceny by bad check. A plea deal lowered a felony uttering count to the misdemeanor while a felony forgery charge was dropped. Last Aug. 17, Harp signed his uncle’s name to a check and passed it. Hoover sentenced Harp to 12 months in jail with all but four months suspended for the next five years and ordered the defendant to pay $819.47 in restitution.

–Howard Bowen Hankins Jr., 27, of 107 Rivers Edge, Williamsburg, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on each of three cocaine distribution charges. Hoover suspended all but three years, one month. Hankins pleaded guilty to all three in October. The charges stemmed from separate sales totaling $410 the defendant made last March to an informant working with the Twin Rivers Narcotics Task Force.

–Steven Joseph Bilski Jr., 28, of 9420 Townsend Road, Providence Forge, was sentenced to five years in prison each on convictions for identity theft and obtaining utility service without paying. Hoover suspended all but nine months and agreed to consider reducing the charges to misdemeanors and reducing active jail time if restitution of $3,216.84 is paid in full within 21 days.