Co-defendant in Charles City robbery receives five-year prison term

A New Kent man who assisted with a robbery in Charles City County will spend the next five years in prison.

Ahmad Amir Hutchins, 22, of the 9800 block of Tunstall Road, received formal sentencing on a single count of robbery during Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court.

Hutchins was a co-defendant in a case involving Michael DeVaughan Gordon, 31, of the 500 block of Deter Road, Richmond and Alexis Wells-Elliott, 23, of New Kent. On Feb. 16, 2018, the trio pulled into the yard of Newsome Green with Gordon and Hutchins emerging from the vehicle to commit the robbery.

At a Jan. 4 jury trial for Gordon, Hutchins testified that he assisted his co-defendant when they got out of the vehicle and approached the front porch of Green’s home. When the door open, a younger relative staying with Green held a shotgun in his hand. Gordon ordered the weapon to be handed over as Green was held at gunpoint. The relative gave the gun to Hutchins before the victim broke away from the grip of Gordon. The defendants attempted to escape in the van Gordon drove, but it got stuck in the mud. The defendants left on foot with Hutchins being picked up by his mother and later returned to the crime scene.

After an investigation and several conversations with authorities, Hutchins explained that he and Gordon committed the crimes because Wells-Elliott didn’t want to trick [prostitute] with a man who was supposed to be at the residence but wasn’t, and instead wanted to rob him.

After hearing Hutchins apologize to the victims, the court, and his family, Judge B. Elliott Bondurant offered him some strong words of advice.

“I sit up here every day and you come from a good family,” he said. “But when a good person gets hooked up in the drug culture, they unfortunately end up where you are.

“This could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be,” Bondurant continued. “One time I represented a defendant in New Kent where he was the driver of a planned armed robbery. He remained in the car while three others went up to the back door to rob the home. The homeowner used his shotgun and shot all three men, with one of them unfortunately dying.”

Hutchins received a 25-year prison sentence with 20 years to serve.

In an unrelated matter, Tiffany Nicole Bowen, 33, of Sandston, entered a guilty plea to one count of grand larceny as part of a plea agreement. A lone count of intent to sell stolen property was dropped.

In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, on July 12, 2016 a set of silver was stolen from the home of Bowen’s aunt. In late 2018, a Charles City investigator was in a pawn shop and discovered the items that had been part of a cold case. Information submitted during the sell showed that Bowen had sold the items and when confronted about it later, she confessed to the crime.

Under the plea agreement, sentencing has been continued for nine months as the defendant will enter into a drug rehabilitation program. She must complete the program and pay $4,500 in restitution. If successful, the charge may be considered to be reduced to a misdemeanor and she must pay the remaining balance of $9,103.04 in restitution.