West Point man sentenced to alternative program as part of plea deal reached in New Kent Circuit Court

A West Point man will enter into an alternative program as part of a plea agreement reached Monday afternoon in New Kent Circuit Court.

Damian Austin Musante, 21, entered guilty pleas to two amended charges of possession of a controlled substance (originally distribution of a controlled substance). One additional charge each of distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy to violate the drug act were dropped as part of the plea deal.

In a summary of evidence, Musante was the target of an investigation by New Kent Sheriff’s Office. On Feb. 20, 2020, the investigation led authorities to the 7-Eleven in Eltham where it was discovered that the suspect had a white powdery substance inside a dollar bill, later determined to be cocaine. On Mar. 3, 2020 at the Circle K near Interstate 64, Musante was located once again, with officers recovering a pill bottle that had methamphetamine in it.

Under the agreement, Musante will enter into the First Offender Program for one year that will assist with his rehabilitation. If the defendant fails to complete the program successfully, he will receive a five-year sentence on each charge, with four years, nine months suspended (three months to serve on each charge for a total of six months).

In an unrelated case, a Charles City woman agreed to the terms of a plea deal stemming from possessing cocaine.

Melissa Lash Carter, 42, of the 8800 block of Old Elam Cemetery Road, pled guilty to one count of possession of a Schedule I/II drug.

In a summary of evidence, on May 18, New Kent deputies received a call for service for a wellness check of someone who appeared intoxicated. Upon arriving to the scene, they located the defendant to inquire about her condition. Carter told police officers that she had used narcotics recently. Deputies began to process her information, resulting in the discovery of a warrant for her arrest out of Henrico County. Carter was taken into custody, with a subsequent search on her discovering a dollar bill with white substance located on it. The dollar was sent to the forensics lab, with it testing positive for having cocaine on it.

Under the plea agreement, Carter received three years in jail with all but one day suspended on the conviction.