Charles City man receives 33-month sentence for 2015 high speed chase

Despite pleas for leniency to be sentenced towards the lower end of recommended guidelines, a Charles City man will spend nearly three years in prison stemming from a 2015 high speed chase in the county.

Andrew Leroy Williams, 35, of the 7000 block Church Lane, received a five-year sentence with two years, three months suspended on one count of felony eluding of police charge (two years, nine months to serve). Ten years on felony hit and run, and one year each on misdemeanor reckless driving and driving revoked were suspended.

On Mar. 25, Williams accepted a plea deal presented by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler to the aforementioned charges. During that trial, a summary of evidence presented showed that on May 20, 2015, Williams fled from Capt. Jayson Crawley during a routine traffic stop on Route 5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway). Speeds eclipsed the 100-mile per hour barrier as both vehicles approached the intersection of The Glebe Lane and Route 5. There, Crawley was joined by then Deputy Charlie Hargis, who was exiting from Haupt’s Store (located on Route 5) to join the chase.

As Hargis pulled out, the deputies’ vehicles collided with each other, along with a third vehicle. Williams’ vehicle continued before crashing at the intersection of John Tyler Memorial Highway and Route 155 (Courthouse Road), about a half-mile away, with the defendant taking off on foot.

Nearby county schools went on lockdown with police tracking the suspect near the rear of the high school’s track. Neighboring law enforcement officers as well as SWAT team members and helicopters joined the search. Williams was apprehended shortly before 7 p.m. at Niceview Farm located on South Lott Cary Road and about three miles away from the accident scene.

A pre-sentence report was prepared as part of the plea agreement with the recommendation that Tyler would not ask for more than two years, nine months to serve, something that he strongly pushed for during argument over sentencing.

“This man is like a criminal renaissance,” the commonwealth’s attorney said as he held up Williams’ criminal record. “He has done a little bit of everything. If you look at his record, he’s been found guilty of rape, drug possession, traffic infractions, not to mention other crimes.”

Defense attorney Vaughan Jones countered, asking for a year and a half max sentence as his client’s upbringing factored into his behavior.

“He’s not used to being in this type of area and atmosphere,” Jones said. “We admit that he has a long record but he wasn’t used to the type of law enforcement officers here compared to growing up in Baltimore.

“These officers are really nice guys and he just made one slip-up,” the defense attorney concluded.

Williams also elected to speak, pleading to Judge B. Elliott Bondurant for a lighter sentence.

“I want to apologize to everyone because on that day it was a stupid decision,” Williams said. “I know I had a bad record and once I got out of prison in Maryland, I moved to Virginia to get a change.

“I never had this many opportunities back in Baltimore,” the defendant continued, talking about how he was able to gain employment. “I just made a bad decision on that day. I don’t know what I was thinking.

“Because of that experience, I was humiliated,” Williams said in his final attempt for mercy. “I was on television, my picture in the newspaper; I was really embarrassed. I can’t do two years, nine months and if you let me have a shorter sentence, I promise you will never see Andrew Leroy Williams in this court ever again.”

Bondurant, however, wasted little time sentencing Williams to the maximum time listed in the plea agreement. The judge also advised the defendant he should thank his lawyer for the work on his behalf.

“I have to look at the facts of this case,” Bondurant commented. “I had two deputies to get severely injured all because of the fact you didn’t want to stop because you were driving suspended.

“You should be glad you and your counsel worked it out with the Commonwealth because I would’ve given you more time,” the judge concluded.