Drunk driver carrying child to serve 17 months in jail

A man who operated his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and his son inside as a passenger will now spend the next 17 months in jail.

James Nicholas Fray, 34, of 5635 Yellow Jasmine Terrace, Providence Forge, accepted a plea deal during July 29 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. Under the agreement, the defendant pled guilty to one count of felony child abuse, and one count each on misdemeanors of driving under the influence (second offense), driving without a license, refusal of taking a breathalyzer test, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident.

In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, a witness spotted Fray’s vehicle driving on Route 60 in Quinton with only three wheels on March 19. New Kent deputies tracked the vehicle and were able to pull the vehicle over. Further evidence implicated that state troopers received a call about the vehicle as well on Interstate 64 heading westbound. Fray’s vehicle apparently went down the exit ramp in the wrong direction before turning around and in the process, clipped a highway sign, dislodging it. The felony child abuse charge stems from Fray having his son in the vehicle during the escapade.

The defendant received five years in jail with four suspended on the felony charge. He will also serve five months out of a possible two and a half years for the misdemeanor charges and pay $500 in fines and $1,062 in restitution.

Other proceedings in New Kent Circuit included:

–Amanda Renee Roberts, (address unknown), was convicted on three counts of prescription fraud. A few weeks earlier, Judge Thomas B. Hoover offered the defendant an opportunity to enter an alternative program to meet the requirements of first offender status. Roberts subsequently was removed from an alternative treatment program, resulting in her returning to court and being convicted. Roberts will be formally sentenced on Sept. 30.

–Simone Latrea Worrell, 20, of 223 W. Oceanview Avenue, Apt. 5, Norfolk, accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to five counts of forging a public document. In a summary of evidence, Worrell was pulled over on July 11, 2012 at a rest area for reckless driving. The trooper also discovered improper child seat restraints and the defendant was not wearing a seat belt as well.

During the stop, she did not have identification and signed five traffic summonses in the name of a family relative. After a state trooper ran a background check on a computer database, he realized that the woman pulled over was not the name signed on the summonses. An investigation turned up Worrell’s name, revealing she had outstanding warrants and had a suspended license.

Under the agreement, she will receive either one year in prison or a total of one year in the detention and diversion programs.