Providence Forge man found guilty for threatening to burn vehicle, home in Charles City

A Providence Forge man who threatened to burn down a vehicle and home of a woman has been found guilty of the charge.

Richard Gene Wray Jr., 47, of the 14000 block of Crumptown Drive, was rendered guilty verdicts to one count each of making a bomb or burn threat, and misdemeanor destruction of property following Friday morning’s contested trial in Charles City Circuit Court.

On Sept. 11, 2022, Wray and Tiffany Talbert were residing in the same residence when the incident occurred. On that day, Talbert was standing around a bonfire in the barrel when Wray approached her. Talbert did not want to speak with Wray at the time, and testified to what happened afterwards.

“He threatened me and told me that he was going to burn every (explicit) vehicle in my driveway and burn the (explicit) house down,” Talbert testified. “He grabbed a can of gasoline and said he would burn the truck first.”

Talbert continued, saying that when Wray started pouring gasoline on the truck, she took off running and locked herself inside on of her vehicles. Wray followed her, trying to attempt to open the locked door.

“When he couldn’t get in, that’s when he picked up a truck battery and hit it up against the passenger side glass window,” she added. “That’s when I drove away.”

Cross-examination from defense attorney Martin Mooradian asked about the sobriety of Talbert at the time. Talbert responded that she had a couple of drinks and that Wray had one as well. Mooradian followed up with a question the time of the event, which Talbert could not recollect the specifics about.

Wray elected to testify on his behalf, saying the incident stimulated from circumstances that took place earlier in the day as he had to walk from his home to his job in Providence Forge.

“I walked to her and sought an apology,” the defendant testified. “It probably wasn’t the right time to do it.”

When Mooradian asked Wray about his words of a threat, the defendant offered his explanation of what his words meant.

“I said do you want to burn this (explicit) to the ground,” Wray said. “I was talking about the relationship.”

The defendant continued, saying that he dumped gasoline on the asphalt and grass and not on the truck. Furthermore, he added another explanation regarding why he damaged the vehicle.

“I picked up the battery and hit the side of the window to prevent her from driving drunk,” Wray said.

Charles City Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Tyler Klink pointed to Wray’s criminal history, referencing that this wasn’t the first time he did something like this.

“It comes down to credibility,” Klink told Judge William Shaw. “You have to decide whose story you believe.

“Here is a woman with nothing to gain if she made this up,” Klink said. “On the other hand, you have a convicted felon whose story is deduced around facts that don’t make any sense.”

Shaw agreed, pointing to testimony from the defendant that varied.

“As I sit here and listened to the defendant testify, I noticed bits and pieces of his story changed,” the judge said. “Frankly, I don’t believe the defendant and I find him guilty as charged on both offenses.”

Formal sentencing for Wray is scheduled for Apr. 7.