Man accepts last minute plea deal in New Kent Circuit Court

A Portsmouth man accepted a plea deal just prior to what was scheduled to be a contested trial during Monday afternoon proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

Noah Edwin Riddick, 34, of the 3400 block of George Washington Highway, entered guilty pleas to two counts of assault and battery on a family member (third offense), two counts of misdemeanor violation of a protective order, and one charge of strangulation. Three charges of misdemeanor violation of a protective order, and one charge each of assault and battery of a family member (third offense) and abduction were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

In a summary of evidence provided by special prosecutor Clay Blanton, on July 8, 2017, Riddick was living with the victim, a relative, at her home in New Kent. On that night, the victim was attempting to work on some documents, but Riddick refused to allow it to happen. An argument ensued followed by a physical confrontation that saw the victim having her fingers bent, being slapped in the face, and cold coffee tossed on her.

The victim went to the bathroom to temporarily escape the attack. The defendant entered later, dumping the documents into the tub and then pushing the victim into the living room, grabbing her by the throat as she fell beside the couch. The following day, the victim contacted her mother who noticed a change in her voice due to the strangulation.

On Dec. 13, 2017, Riddick and victim had allegedly reconciled from their earlier disagreement. The victim asked Riddick to drive her to run errands because she had just had surgery. According to Blanton, the two were returning to New Kent via Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) when another argument began. As Riddick drove, he slammed on breaks, causing the victim to hit her head against the dashboard. He also slapped the victim and the constant stopping caused her stitches from the surgery to break and force her to bleed. The victim contacted her mother again and a protective order was issued.

The defendant violated the protective order twice. A few days later, he sent a text message to the victim to wish her a Merry Christmas. In January, a text message with apologetic language was received by the victim.

Defense attorney Adam Jurach said while most of the information was correct, he emphasized that Riddick and the victim had a toxic relationship. The lawyer added that the protective order was in place prior to the Dec. 13, 2017 incident and that the two attempted to work out their discrepancies due to the victim needing assistance after her surgery.

A pre-sentence report is being prepared as part of the plea agreement. According to sentencing guidelines, it recommends that Riddick serve jail time between one year, two months to three years, six months. Formal sentencing for Riddick is scheduled for Jan. 7.