New Kent man sentenced to seven months in jail for striking deputy in eye

A New Kent man will spend seven months in jail for assaulting a law enforcement officer after he was taken into custody.

Casey Rockford Lewis, 29, of the 10000 block of Mt. Prospect Road, entered a guilty plea to one count of assault on a law enforcement officer and a no contest plea to an amended charge of misdemeanor assault and battery on a family member (originally strangulation) as part of a plea agreement reached during Monday afternoon proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. A no contest plea indicates that evidence that would have presented during a trial would be enough to convict the defendant of the offense.

In a summary of evidence by New Kent Commonwealth Attorney Scott Renick, on Mar. 19, a New Kent deputy responded to a call for service at a residence on Mt. Prospect Road. When the officer arrived, the victim told the officer that they had been punched in the face and held down on the bed forcefully.

A few moments later, the defendant, later identified as Lewis, returned to the residence, yelling and cursing. After calming the defendant down, the officer detained Lewis. When the preliminary investigation was complete, the deputy attempted to adjust Lewis’ handcuffs. But during the adjustment, the defendant became agitated, pulling away from the officer and swung his free arm, striking the deputy in the left eye. The deputy was able to regain control of the situation and re-handcuffed Lewis. The officer was treated for minor injuries.

Under the plea agreement, Lewis received a five-year sentence with four years, five months suspended. Of the seven months of active time he must serve, six of those months are mandated time to be incarcerated under state law. All 12 months on the misdemeanor assault and battery conviction were suspended.

In other circuit court proceedings:

–Stephen F. Im, 37, of the 900 block of N. Main Street, Suffolk, entered guilty pleas to one count each of possession of a Schedule I/II drug and felony failure to appear.

In a summary of evidence, on Dec. 18, 2021, a Virginia State Trooper monitoring traffic westbound on Interstate 64 noticed a vehicle speeding near the 211-mile marker. When the officer made contact with the driver, they noticed signs of impairment. The officer conducted a field sobriety test on the driver, identified as Im. The defendant failed the test and was taken into custody. When the officer returned to the vehicle to inspect in, they noticed a needle with a white substance in the center console. The needle was sent to a forensics lab for analysis, where it was determined that the substance was methamphetamine. Im was charged for illegally possessing the drug, and was later charged with failing to appear for a scheduled court date on the aforementioned charge.

A presentence report is being prepared on the case, with formal sentencing scheduled for Jan. 23, 2023.

–Michael Anthony Johnson, 50, of Fredericksburg, received formal sentencing on a single count of strangulation stemming from a Sept. 5, 2021 incident.

During an Aug. 15 trial, Johnson entered into a plea agreement and admitted that he got into a physical altercation with the victim. During that altercation, Johnson grabbed the defendant around the neck before placing both hands around their neck. A subsequent investigation along with an analysis by medical personnel at the doctor’s office depicted signs of strangulation, with medical staff citing redness caused by broken blood vessels.

Johnson received a three-year sentence with all time suspended on the strangulation conviction. However, he must pay $130.91 in restitution.