New Kent man innocent of crimes after being caught in middle of drug transaction bust

A New Kent man who was allegedly caught in the middle of a drug transaction has been found innocent on two charges of possession of a Schedule I/II drug with intent to distribute.

A jury rendered two not guilty verdicts against 20-year-old Bray Douglas Wiggins over a two-day trial that took place July 29-30 in New Kent Circuit Court. One charge of conspiracy to violate the drug act was dropped prior to the start of the trial.

On Mar. 9, 2020, Wiggins rode with Mason Hurley to pick up Wiggins’ friend, Robert Gibson, to go fishing in King & Queen County. In opening remarks by defense attorney Martin Mooradian, Wiggins had only recently met Hurley and did not know of his background and criminal history.

After the trio went down to the pond, they left the area only after 20 minutes after Hurley said the equipment had rusted out.

Hurley took the stand to testify, saying that while they were driving on the road that he had drugs in his pocket, and they were making him feel uncomfortable. Hurley placed the substances in the console of the passenger side door and handed Wiggins a digital scale. However, testimony from Hurley and Gibson said that the defendant didn’t look at the object before sliding it below the radio inside the center console.

As the trio drove, unbeknown to Hurley was that he was being targeted by the Twin Rivers Task Force. The trio arrived at the 7-Eleven near Interstate 64 where Hurley was set to meet a confidential informant. When they pulled up for the arranged buy, several officers pulled up to apprehend the subjects inside. When they were asked why they were at the store, occupants in the vehicle claimed that they were going inside the 7-Eleven for drinks before heading to Richmond for miscellaneous events.

A search of the car yielded a pill bottle, smoking devices for marijuana, and a cutting agent that is used to help expand drugs by a gram or more.

Detective Brent Thomas of New Kent Sheriff’s Office testified on the execution of the arrest.

“This was a control buy where the purpose of the informant was to make a purchase,” the detective said. “The informant makes a purchase and then we come out for the arrest. Our target was Mason Hurley.”

Hurley, Gibson, and Wiggins were all detained when Hurley was searched. Hurley had $530, mainly consisting of 20-dollar bills, consistent of the cash tendency used to purchase drugs.

Special prosecutor Matthew Kite said that Wiggins was part of the exchange, getting into something that he was not, which was a drug dealer.

Kite had Sheriff J. Joe McLaughlin Jr. testify, speaking about the conversation that he and the defendant had during his transport to the jail.

“I was providing assistance to the arrest team,” he said. “Wiggins was aggressive, belligerent, excited, and upset.”

Body camera footage showed Wiggins using profanity at the officers, claiming that he was grabbed in unnecessary areas upon his arrest.

“As we drove to the jail, he asked me ‘Why is Kyle going to jail? He is a good kid. It’s all mine [the drugs]. I will testify to that in court.’”

A taped interview with New Kent Detective Ryan Shobe questioned Wiggins about the drugs and where he found the cocaine and the heroin. Wiggins did not answer the detective’s question about the cocaine, but when he said heroin, Shobe testified that the defendant’s response was “Heroin? Really?”

On the defense’s side, Hurley took the stand, testifying that neither Wiggins nor Gibson knew about the drug transaction.

“We met at a party and the drugs were mine,” he said. “I told them we were going to 7-Eleven to get drinks, but I was planning to make a sale.”

Wiggins elected to take the stand on his own defense, saying his conversation with the sheriff was to protect his friend.

“I said everything was mine, but I did not know what was in the car,” Wiggins claimed. “I was just trying to cover for Kyle.”

While Kite’s prosecution continued to emphasize that Wiggins had an association due to his fingerprints being on the digital scale discovered in the vehicle, defense attorney Mooradian countered by saying that Wiggins only knew about the marijuana in the car at the time and not any other substances.

After less than an hour in the deliberation room, the jury agreed with the defense team, siding with facts that Wiggins did not know of the transaction.