Man Sentenced to 3 Years After Flock Alerted Police to Stolen Truck He Used to Crash Into State Trooper, Civilian During Pursuit

NORFOLK, Va. — James Jerold Yoder Jr., 24, was sentenced to serve three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to five felonies — including eluding the police and assaulting a law enforcement officer — after a Flock notification helped police catch him driving a stolen truck last year.

On Nov. 11, Mr. Yoder was driving down North Military Highway in a Ford F-350 that had been reported stolen. The Flock license plate recognition system alerted Norfolk Police officers to the truck’s location, but when officers went to pull over Mr. Yoder, he sped off and got on the highway. While Mr. Yoder drove westbound on Interstate 264, a Virginia State Trooper saw him and joined the Norfolk officers’ pursuit of Mr. Yoder. The trooper tried to get in front of the F-350 to create a rolling roadblock, but Mr. Yoder rammed the truck into the trooper’s car multiple times and continued eluding. As Mr. Yoder exited the interstate at Waterside Drive, he crashed into a civilian’s vehicle and continued to flee by running red lights and weaving through traffic lanes. Mr. Yoder’s reckless driving eventually caused the truck too much damage to continue fleeing, and Norfolk Police and state troopers were able to take him into custody.

Mr. Yoder pleaded guilty on May 20 to felony assault on law enforcement, felony eluding, felony property damage, felony receipt of stolen goods, and felony hit and run. After taking Mr. Yoder’s plea under advisement pending his sentencing hearing, Judge Robert B. Rigney found Mr. Yoder guilty of each of the charges and sentenced Mr. Yoder to serve three years in prison. Judge Rigney suspended another seven years on the conditions that Mr. Yoder complete three years of supervised probation and pay restitution to the Virginia State Police.

“Once again, the Flock camera system led the police to arrest the right person at the right time, all without unnecessary stops or investigations of innocent people,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Yoder should have stopped. By eluding, he endangered other people and increased his own time in prison.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony J. Balady prosecuted Mr. Yoder’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Virginia State Trooper Matthew Demoss led the investigation.

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