Georgia man to serve 19 months for eluding state police in New Kent

A Georgia man who fled Virginia State Troopers during a 30-mile chase that began in New Kent will spend a total of 19 months in jail.

Lawrence Lenard Campfield, 47, of the 2500 block of Norton Boulevard, Augusta, learned his sentence during Jan. 23 proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

Last Nov. 21, Campfield entered guilty pleas to one count each of felony eluding police, misdemeanor reckless driving, misdemeanor driving without a license, failure to have a vehicle inspected, operating without insurance, and failing to obtain proper vehicle registration.

On May 21, 2016, Virginia State Trooper Jonathan Miles received a radio call from another trooper while monitoring traffic westbound on Interstate 64 near the 217 mile marker. Information forwarded to Miles indicated five motorcycles were traveling at a high rate of speed and assistance was needed to initiate a traffic stop. As the state trooper prepared to enter the pursuit, one motorcycle zoomed past Miles, who elected to pull out in front of the other four motorcycles to slow them down.

As an assisting trooper was able to slow down two of the motorcycles behind Miles, two others accelerated, initiating a chase. After several attempts to block the bike riders from passing, the two motorcycles decided to split apart to prevent any additional barrier by Miles. The state trooper elected to pursue one of the motorcycles, a Hyabusa, that had its turn signal continuously on during the chase.

Speeds of the encounter reached nearly 150 miles per hour over the 30-mile chase. Miles tracked the vehicle as it made its way through the remainder of New Kent and into Henrico. The Hyabusa slowed briefly for construction at mile marker 192 in Henrico, but accelerated onto Interstate 95 North in downtown Richmond.

Speeds dropped down to 80 miles per hour before it appeared the vehicle would come to a halt after other troopers joined in on the pursuit. As the motorcycle pulled to the right shoulder it quickly accelerated again, restarting the chase for an additional three miles before the driver was ejected at the Brook Road exit.

During formal sentencing, Campfield apologized to the court, saying that his actions were “out of character.”

Campfield received a five-year sentence, with three years, nine months suspended on the felony eluding charge (one year, three months to serve). He will serve four months on the reckless driving conviction, and pay a total of $1,700 in fines on the misdemeanor and infraction charges.