Richmond man reaches plea for drug distribution in NK

A Richmond man indicted by a multi-jurisdictional grand jury accepted a plea deal Monday morning during New Kent Circuit Court proceedings.

James Claude Whitehurst, 66, of the 4000 block of Sharon Court, entered a guilty plea to one count of manufacturing and distribution of heroin. An additional charge of manufacturing and distribution was dropped.

Whitehurst was one of six suspects involved in a Twin Rivers Drug Task Force operation conducted last November. Undercover informants helped conduct a series of controlled buys, with Whitehurst the only suspect selling heroin. The other alleged suspects, Michael Anthony Winston, Reavell Lovonachek Williams, Jenna Danielle Bley, Patrice A. Inge, and Calvin Terrell Worthington, all of Richmond, are facing cocaine distribution charges and set to appear in New Kent Circuit Court in the upcoming months.

In a summary of evidence by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, Whitehurst sold heroin to an informant at the intersection of North Henpeck Rd. and New Kent Highway. Video evidence showed the defendant making sales on two different days.

Under the plea agreement, Whitehurst received a 40-year prison sentence, with all but three years, six months suspended. He must also pay $400 in restitution.

In other Monday morning court proceedings:

–Arica Robbins Thomas, 28, of the 200 block of Robbinwood Lane, Sandston, accepted a plea deal to one count of possession of cocaine. In a summary of evidence, last Oct. 4 a New Kent deputy received a call about two individuals acting intoxicated at a New Kent Food Lion. When the deputy arrived, he observed the alleged suspects in the parking lot returning to their vehicle. Upon an interview, the deputy detected alcohol on the duo. An inspection followed, with the deputy inspecting Thomas’ purse. Inside, the deputy recovered drug paraphernalia, including syringes and cocaine residue. Under the agreement, Thomas will enter the first offender program and upon successful completion, the charge will be dropped.

–Garrett Adam Mertz, 30, of the 800 block of Cedarwood Court, Chesapeake, accepted a plea deal to one count of possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone). Mertz admitted he possessed the substance last July 16. Under the agreement, he will also enter the first offender program and upon successful completion, the charge will be dropped.