Quinton felon receives five years in prison for possessing firearm illegally

A Quinton man will spend the next five years in prison after he entered into a plea agreement Tuesday afternoon, averting a trial in New Kent Circuit Court.

Kyle Robert Crews, 22, of the 1200 block of Quaker Road, entered guilty pleas to one count each of possession of a weapon by a violent convicted felon, possession of a cell phone by a prisoner, and providing a prisoner with a cell phone.

In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on Aug. 25, 2018, a New Kent deputy passed a white Thunderbird on Waterside Drive in New Kent. The officer saw the driver and was able to identify him as Crews, who was currently wanted on warrants. The deputy conducted a traffic stop on Route 60 and identified the defendant by his identification card. Upon interviewing crews, the officer noticed a marijuana cigarette, giving him probable cause to search the vehicle. That search reaped the discovery of Smith and Wesson rounds in the center console and a black Glock .40 caliber handgun in the glove box that was loaded. Crews was arrested and transported to Henrico Jail East in Barhamsville.

Crews asked to speak with another deputy after arriving to the jail. During that conversation, he showed the officer video from his cell phone of another convicted felon shooting the firearm that was discovered. On Aug. 28, 2018, the deputy went to retrieve the phone to enter it into evidence, but a guard at the jail told the officer that the phone wasn’t turned in as part of Crews’ belongings.

In September, a guard discovered that Crews was somehow making calls despite having phone restrictions. An investigation resulted in Crews admitting he had using the phone and then providing it to another inmate. The phone was retrieved from that inmate, who said Crews had sold it to him. An extraction of the phone’s content along with content from the other convicted felon revealed an exchange of text messages, photos, and videos of the handgun being fired. The final discovery of the investigation resulted in a letter written to Crews inquiring about the security code of the telephone.

Under the plea agreement, Crews received five years on the possession of a firearm by a violent convicted felon, with all of that time being the mandatory minimum under state statute. Five years on each the possession of the cell phone by a prisoner and providing a cell phone to a prisoner were suspended.