Joyride in stolen car results in grand theft auto conviction for Richmond woman

What started out as a joyride for a defendant ended up as a guilty conviction after a contested trial Monday afternoon in New Kent Circuit Court.

Carsheeka Chantel Kimbrough, 25, of the 2300 block of Bainbridge, Richmond, was found guilty on a single count of grand theft auto. She was found not guilty on two charges of credit card theft and a lone charge of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

On June 16 of this year, Di’mon Solomon was attending a graduation party at a hotel in Henrico. Around 2 a.m., she attempted to leave but could not locate her keys. After calling her grandmother to bring her a spare set, she walked outside to find that her car was missing from the hotel’s parking lot.

Two days later (June 18), Sheriff J. Joe McLaughlin Jr. saw a white vehicle parked on the shoulder of the exit 214 offramp (Providence Forge). He noticed two individuals walking from the car carrying a gas can. After calling dispatch, Captain J. Joe McLaughlin III responded, stopping the two near Poindexter Road. The captain was able to identify Kimbrough as one of the individuals and identified the juvenile as well.

Meanwhile, the sheriff received a return call from dispatch and said the vehicle had been stolen. That information was relayed to the captain, who began questioning the two individuals seen walking from the car. When the juvenile began to speak up about the vehicle, Kimbrough told the juvenile to be quiet. The two defendants were arrested and when the juvenile stood up, a key was found underneath him. With a third officer now on scene, the two individuals were returned to the car and the captain tested the key inside the vehicle. The key’s shape matched both the door and ignition according to the captain’s testimony.

Solomon came to the scene and identified the vehicle as hers by pointing to the items inside of it. She also noted that it was excessively damaged.

“I had only liability insurance,” the victim said. “I was paying about $487 a month on it and paid a down payment of $2,000 on it.”

According to Solomon, she had purchased the 2018 Honda for about $16,000 in brand new condition one month before the incident. Registration inside the vehicle confirmed that it belonged to her.

Kimbrough elected to testify on her behalf, saying that she didn’t steal the vehicle and that the juvenile committed the offense.

“He picked me up on June 18 and it was the first time I’ve seen him,” she said. “He pulled up and picked me up.

“I was driving the car, but I didn’t know it was stolen,” Kimbrough continued. “I didn’t know where I was going. I just got on the highway and drove, and the car ran out of gas where it did.”

Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory pointed to the defendant’s criminal history and pointed to her reactions and tone while testifying. Judge B. Elliott Bondurant agreed, saying that her story didn’t make any sense.

“Here, we have a credibility issue with the defendant,” the judge said, pointing to the three felonies on Kimbrough’s record. “I have never heard of a story of a 17-year old pulling up for her to get in the vehicle.

“Why would she drive if he drove down there to pick her up,” Bondurant continued. “Her story makes no sense and she admitted she has known the juvenile for a long time. You’d think she would know what type of car he has. How many 17-year olds do you know own a new car? I find her guilty of the grand larceny of the vehicle.

Formal sentencing for Kimbrough is scheduled for Dec. 17.

In an unrelated case, a Sandston man accepted a plea agreement and entered guilty pleas to three counts of credit card larceny.

David Chase Wilson, 22, of the 600 block of Reese Drive, admitted to stealing a Suntrust Card, a Chase credit card, and a J.C.Penney card belonging to Aaron Britton and his mother, Shannon Britton. In a summary of evidence, on June 17 a New Kent deputy received a call about items being stolen from a truck on Pine Fork Road. An investigation obtained information about the credit cards being used, with photographs being taken of the subject the times they were used. Aaron Britton was able to identify the defendant and said he had let him borrow his truck that night. Wilson admitted to the crimes when he was interviewed about the incident.

Wilson will receive formal sentencing on Jan. 7, 2019. Under the agreement, he will receive a sentence no more than nine years with an active term no greater than one year, two months.