Colonial Heights man sentenced to seven months for forging name on document in Charles City

A Colonial Heights man who wrote another person’s name on an official document after being investigated by law enforcement officers will spend seven months in jail.

Rodney Dean Bowman Jr., 28, of the 300 block of Moorman Avenue, received formal sentencing during Friday afternoon proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court.

During a Sept. 6 contested trial, testimony from Charles City Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matthew Miller testified that on Mar. 30, he responded to a call for service about a suspicious individual being underneath a van at Tiny Little Children’s Daycare. A be-on-the-lookout was issued for a red vehicle leaving the area, which was later located parked on the side of the road. As Miller approached the vehicle, one of the passengers, identified as Bowman, was standing outside the vehicle. The deputy also testified that Bowman said, “I don’t want to deal with any of the mess.”

After questioning the driver and another passenger, those two were placed under arrest as Miller was joined by another officer, who placed Bowman under arrest. A search of the trunk resulted in the discovery of a backpack that had two identification cards and catalytic converters.

Bowman was transported to Charles City’s Sheriff’s Office where he was questioned by First Sergeant Floyd Miles Jr. Prior to the interview, Miles had Bowman sign a written Miranda Warning acknowledgement. On that document however, Bowman wrote the name “Dustin Kebler”, initiating those letters throughout the document.
More investigation took place after the conclusion of the interview, revealing that the identification in the backpacks were different. While one of the cards was Bowman, the other was not, with that name not being the defendant nor the name he inscribed on the Miranda Warning. Because of that, Bowman was charged with the felonies.

Despite arguments by defense counsel at that trial, Judge B. Elliott Bondurant commented that due to Bowman signing the Miranda Warning document in several places and knowing that he had two different IDs in the backpack, the defendant knew what he was doing and was found guilty of the aforementioned crimes.

Bowman received a five-year sentence with four years, five months suspended (seven months to serve) on the forgery chare. All five years on the uttering conviction and 12 months on the misdemeanor false identification to a law enforcement officer were suspended.

In an unrelated case, a Providence Forge man entered a guilty plea to one count of destruction of property as part of an agreement.

David Wayne Trull II, 50, of the 12000 block of Green Oak, admitted to the crime stemming from a June 4 incident.

In a summary of evidence provided by Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Tyler Klink, at 8:34 p.m. a Charles City deputy responded to a residence on Green Oak Road. There, witnesses said that a Yellow SUV was driving through a five-acre tract of cotton belonging to Justin Tench. When the officer approached the defendant, now identified as Trull, he first denied that he was not the one behind the wheel of the vehicle. Eventually, the defendant confessed to the crime.

Under the agreement, a modified presentence report is being prepared, with a recommendation that the defendant serve three months in jail. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2023 as the defendant remain on bond as he works to pay off $1,700.13 in restitution.