Bedford man admits guilt to attempting to sell cocaine

A Bedford man entered a guilty plea to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it during Monday afternoon proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

Tyler Steven Bell, 27, of the 5400 block of Forest Road, entered a straight guilty plea to the charge as part of a bench trial.

In a summary of evidence presented by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on Sept. 4, 2018, a Virginia State Trooper was patrolling Interstate 64 near mile marker 212 in New Kent when he noticed a passenger in a vehicle toss an item out a window. After the officer conducted a traffic stop due to the vehicle having a hanging rear-view mirror and following a semi-truck to closely, the officer detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Bell, was searched with the trooper recovering a baggie with a white powdery substance in it. The defendant admitted that it was cocaine and he was intending to sell it. Bell was arrested and taken into custody.

Formal sentencing for Bell is scheduled for Sept. 30 as the defendant will be evaluated to see if he can participate in the CCAP program.