Carrollton man gets sturdy lesson, warning in NK court

Despite having his charges reduced in accordance to a plea agreement, a Carrollton man is learning the hard way on how driving under the influence has impacted the lives of children, as well as his pockets.

Reginald Lamont Dickson, 37, of 13192 Windward Place, entered guilty pleas to two amended charges of misdemeanor simple assault and one charge of driving under the influence in New Kent Circuit Court proceedings Monday afternoon.

In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on March 8 around 9:30 p.m., Dickerson’s car struck the vehicle that the victims occupied which had stopped on the side of the road for repairs. The impact of the crash sent both victims, who were in the back seat of the car for safety, forward into the floor of the front seat, causing injuries. The boys were pulled from the vehicle shortly after, as it, along with the defendant’s car, became engulfed in flames.

When a state trooper arrived at the scene, Dickson took a field sobriety test, passing only one of the five issued tests and registered a blood alcohol content level of .10, which is higher than the .08 legal limit. The injuries were severe enough to cause the victims to miss attending school for the remainder of the year.

As Dickerson wept in the courtroom, Judge Thomas B. Hoover asked the defendant if he realized the severity he may have caused if the victims were killed. Dickerson, who has three kids of his own, responded as he continued to shed tears.

“I didn’t think I was that impaired,” said Dickerson, a retired veteran from the military who admits his actions were out of character. “I usually stay at a hotel if I do something like that. I don’t pride myself on anything I did that night.”

Hoover, however, made sure that the defendant understood the pain he caused the injured parties by reading one of the victim impact statement.

“I was scared to be in the car. I had a concussion, blurred vision, had to be home schooled, and I missed my fifth grade graduation,” read the judge. “I couldn’t ride in a car because I would get a headache.

“The worst thing was not hearing the drunk driver saying he was sorry,” concluded Hoover’s reading of the message.

“Drunk driving is not a sport, it’s not a game,” continued Hoover to the defendant. “Do you know you could be here on two charges of DUI manslaughter?”

Hoover then questioned the defendant about his medical history, which included asthmatic problems. Dickerson acknowledged he was aware that his medication was not to be taken with alcohol.

“Every year I get a DUI manslaughter case where the defendant is crying like you are,” added the judge. “Unfortunately, in those cases, the victim is just as dead if someone put a bullet through their head.”

Under the agreement, Dickerson received 12 months in jail with 10 months suspended on the DUI charge. Twelve months on each of the two simple assault charges were suspended. The defendant must also pay for all medical bills incurred by the victim, which totals $15,000 at the moment and may increase.

In an unrelated case, a Richmond man pled guilty to multiple driving offenses stemming from a May 28, 2012 incident.

Joseph Junior Boyd, 44, of 1505 Tree Ridge Road, entered guilty pleas to an amended charge of driving with a suspended license (second offense), felony eluding police, and misdemeanor hit and run. Two charges of misdemeanor reckless driving were dropped.

Judge Richard Atlee heard the case after an initial plea agreement of two years was rejected by Hoover on Sept. 9. In a summary of evidence, a New Kent deputy executed a traffic stop on Interstate 64 and pulled over Boyd. When Boyd handed the officer an identification card and not a license, the deputy proceeded to his vehicle to look up the information on the driver. Boyd took off in his vehicle and a chase ensued, heading westbound before Boyd used the emergency crossover to return in the other direction. After Boyd stopped again, the officer again got out his cruiser but Boyd executed a U-turn maneuver and headed westbound in the eastbound lanes, forcing the officer to terminate the pursuit. During the pursuit, Boyd clipped another officer’s vehicle.

Boyd’s guilty pleas call for a presentence report to be prepared. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, but he must pay $264.75 in restitution for damage to the police vehicle.

In other New Kent Circuit Court proceedings:

–David Paul Clark, 38, of Northern Neck Regional Jail, received an active sentence of 18 months after accepting a plea agreement in August on four counts of uttering and one count of obtaining money under false pretense. Clark admitted at his trial that he stole checks and cashed them at Stewart’s Grocery and Lanexa Plaza. On the first uttering charge he received the time to serve with a total of 23 and a half years suspended on the remaining charges.

–Roger Wayne English, 56, of 9900 Old Quarter Lane, New Kent, agreed to a plea deal to serve nine months in jail on one count of abduction. English admitted that on Aug. 16-17, 2011, he held his ex-wife at bay with a shot gun and boarded doors and windows before taking her out for a ride in a car to a field. While the offense occurred several years ago, the charges returned to the court due to English violating a protective order.