Defendant in NK ambulance drug thefts cuts plea deal

A New Kent man, who was turned down as a fire/rescue volunteer, has pleaded guilty to stealing narcotics from an ambulance drug box plus separate charges of unlawful entry and grand larceny stemming from a break-in at a private residence.

Clayton Douglas Musselman, 22, of 7249 Airport Road, entered the pleas on Nov. 15 in New Kent Circuit Court. As part of a plea deal, a second misdemeanor count of narcotics theft along with a pair of controlled substance possession charges were dropped. Musselman had been indicted on a burglary count relating to the residence break-in, but the plea agreement lowered the charge to unlawful entry.

Judge Thomas B. Hoover sentenced Musselman in accordance with the plea deal, imposing five years in prison, all suspended for the next 20 years, on the grand larceny count and 12 months in jail on each of the two misdemeanors, suspending all but one month for the next five years.

In a summary of evidence to the court, prosecutor Linwood Gregory said a volunteer at the Company 2 station in Quinton noticed a broken seal on an ambulance drug box last May 4. Inspection revealed 30 milligrams of morphine as well as a beta-blocker missing. A similar occurrence took place on May 12 when a small amount of Valium was taken.

The thefts resulted in authorities performing drug tests on close to 120 fire/rescue personnel. Musselman, however, was not among those tested since he had been rejected earlier for membership at Company 2, Chief Tommy Hicks said in June. Hicks said Musselman had access to the station since the defendant’s father was a member.

The residential break-in occurred June 14 at the home of Shane Matthews. Gregory said Musselman and Matthews were friends and one-time roommates. Musselman entered through an unlocked window and stole computer games and equipment, later selling most of the items. Hoover ordered the defendant to pay $1,355 in restitution to Matthews.

In another, unrelated case on Nov. 15, a Hampton woman pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanor child abuse counts after Hoover agreed to a defense motion to strike felony versions.

Defense attorney Katherine Giannasi successfully argued that the child abuse charges lodged against her client, Pamela Yvette Canty, 43, of 13 Langston Boulevard, did not rise to the felony level.

Last July 2, two witnesses in separate vehicles followed Canty’s car as it traveled erratically along Route 60, starting in James City County. Canty’s two children, ages 3 and 10, were in her car at the time.

One witness testified that Canty’s vehicle almost ran her car off the road and then drove east in the westbound lanes of Route 60 in James City before eventually turning around and heading in the right direction into New Kent. A New Kent deputy fell in behind Canty’s vehicle at Windsor Shades before eventually making a traffic stop near Providence Forge.

Giannasi argued that the bulk of Canty’s reckless driving occurred in James City and only erratic speeding up and slowing down took place in New Kent. Hoover agreed, striking both felony counts and proceeding on misdemeanors.

Canty pleaded guilty to both misdemeanors as well as misdemeanor driving under the influence. Sentencing is scheduled for February.