Social media post links Williamsburg man to New Kent chase, results in 18-month jail sentence

An old saying used to warn people that if you didn’t want everybody to know your business, don’t put it out on the street. In today’s generation, if you don’t want everybody to know your business, don’t put it on the internet. For one Williamsburg man, he learned that the hard way.

Devon Christopher Woolard, 24, of the 3800 block of Staffordshire Lane, entered guilty pleas to two counts of felony eluding of police during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court.

In a summary of evidence provided by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on July 31, 2023, an officer operating radar on Interstate 64 eastbound near the 220-mile marker noticed a maroon Honda speeding and pulled behind the vehicle. As the officer was running information on the plate as they trailed the driver, information in the database revealed the license plates did not match the car it was on. The officer turned on their emergency lights to execute a traffic stop, but the suspect accelerated to 125 miles per hour, driving on the shoulder of the road to elude the officer.

Later on, the officer used information from the plate to track down a possible suspect. The information led to Woolard, whose social media page had a post about the chase. The officer obtained information on the defendant’s home and went there. Upon arriving, they noticed the license plate that had been on the maroon Honda was now on an orange Dodge, which was the correct vehicle. The officer also noticed a maroon Honda in the suspect’s residence as well, similar to one they had pursued. Upon a further investigation, Woolard was arrested for the offense.

Less than six months later, on Dec. 1, 2023, a Virginia State Trooper conducting radar on Interstate 64 eastbound noticed a vehicle traveling 111 miles per hour in a posted 70 miles per hour zone. When the officer went to execute a traffic stop, the vehicle accelerated, and a pursuit ensued. The chase went from mile marker 215 in New Kent to mile marker 235 in James City County, with speeds reaching 122 miles per hour. The pursuit came to an end after spike strips were deployed. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Woolard, was arrested for the incident.

Under the plea agreement, Woolard received a five-year sentence with three years, six months suspended (one year, six months to serve) on the first felony eluding conviction. All five years on the second felony eluding conviction were suspended, and the defendant has to pay $1,000 in fines.

In an unrelated case, two individuals who attempted to have drugs delivered to Henrico Jail East in New Kent entered guilty pleas as part as an agreement.

Darrell Lashawn Witcher, currently of Henrico Jail East, and Zanobia Rentavia Pettus, 27, of the Atlantis Apartments, Virginia Beach, each admitted to their part of the crime during their afternoon trial.

In a summary of evidence, on Oct. 10, 2023, a Henrico investigator reviewed a phone call between Witcher and Pettus. During that call, Witcher had instructed Pettus to send him items while he was incarcerated. Those items were intercepted by Henrico Jail East employees, later determined to be strips with suboxone on them.

Under the agreement, Witcher entered a guilty plea to one count of delivering drugs to a prisoner with an additional charge dropped. He received a five-year jail sentence with four years suspended (one year to serve). Pettus entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of possession of a Schedule III drug (originally delivering drugs to a prisoner), while an additional charge of distributing a Schedule I/II drug was dropped. Pettus will be formally sentenced on June 10, with the plea agreement calling for one month to serve.

In other circuit court matters:

–Natasha Marie Carter, 40, of the 100 block of Round Oak Circle, Ashland, entered a guilty plea to one count of embezzlement as part of a plea agreement.

In a summary of evidence, on June 1, 2023, a New Kent deputy was called to the McDonald’s at Bottoms Bridge by a regional manager about a possible embezzlement. The regional manager pointed out inconsistencies in deposits during shifts where Carter was a store manager. The regional manager confronted Carter about the situation which she denied. However, the regional manager conducted a check on deposits to find a substantial difference in what should have been deposited. Law enforcement took over the investigation, resulting in Carter’s arrest.

Under the plea agreement, Carter received a 20-year prison sentence with all time suspended. She must pay restitution in the amount of $7,848 to McDonald’s.

–Nicholas Danforth, 35, of the 3400 block of 38th Northwest, Apt. 810, Washington D.C. entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of possession of a Schedule III substance (originally possession of a Schedule I/II drug) as part of an agreement.

In a summary of evidence, on June 23, 2023, a New Kent deputy operating radar at mile marker 211 in New Kent clocked an SUV speeding 86 miles per hour in a 70 miles-per-hour zone. After a traffic stop was executed, the officer noticed a black capsule with white powder on the center console. When the officer went back to their vehicle to call for assistance, they returned to the suspect’s vehicle and noticed the items were gone. The deputy asked the driver, later identified as Danforth, to step out the car and asked about the substance. The officer noticed orange capsules and additional white substance in the vehicle and arrested Danforth. The defendant was searched, revealing the earlier black capsule in their pocket, with the powder being tested and coming back as an illegal substance.

Under the plea agreement, Danforth received a 12-month sentence with all time suspended. He must pay a fine of $500.

–Aaron Andre Hopkins, 46, of the 2500 block of Fourth Avenue, Richmond, entered guilty pleas to one count each of felony eluding of police and misdemeanor petty larceny as part of an agreement.

In a summary of evidence, on Nov. 7, 2023, former New Kent County Sheriff J. Joe McLaughlin Jr. noticed a gray Nissan sitting on the side of the road. Information had been reported earlier that the ABC store in Quinton had been robbed and that a vehicle matching that description fled the scene. As McLaughlin went to investigate the vehicle, it sped away and a chase began eastbound on Interstate 64 at speeds reaching 115 miles per hour. The suspect’s vehicle exited at the West Point exit and continued eastbound towards West Point. After the suspect’s vehicle failed to execute a U-turn, it eventually struck a utility pole. Another deputy assisted McLaughlin on the arrest, and a review of tape by an investigator responding to the robbery showed Hopkins and another individual stealing Don Julio Tequila.

Under the agreement, Hopkins received a five-year sentence with three years, four months suspend (one year, eight months to serve) on the felony eluding conviction. All 12 months on the misdemeanor petty larceny were suspended, but the defendant must also pay $1,000 in fines.

–Rheannon Lee Montez, 31, of Providence Forge, entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of possession of a Schedule III drug (originally delivering drugs to a prisoner) as part of a plea agreement.

In a summary of evidence, on June 30, 2023, a Henrico investigator intercepted a jail call where an attempt to deliver drugs to a prisoner was taking place. Montez was instructed to put drugs in a bathroom at the jail, with someone else picking it up. The defendant was arrested on the charge after the investigation.

Under the agreement, Montez received a 12-month sentence with 10 months suspended (two months to serve). She must also pay a fine of $1,000.