Man Sentenced to More Than 1 Year for Breaking Into Cars Parked on ODU Campus
NORFOLK, Va. — Derek William Britton, 32, was sentenced to serve one year and two months in prison on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to felony credit card theft and multiple misdemeanor larceny and vehicle tampering charges from breaking into three cars parked on the Old Dominion University campus earlier this year.
On March 15, March 16, and March 19, Mr. Britton broke into cars parked on the ODU campus: one inside a garage on 43rd Street, one parked along 43rd Street, and another on 45th Street. Among the items Mr. Britton stole from those cars were a tablet, tools, laptops, and the contents of those victims’ wallets, which included cash, IDs, and credit cards. Video surveillance from the parking garage and nearby buildings showed Mr. Britton committing each of the thefts as well as the car he was driving.
Mr. Britton’s identity was not initially known to ODU Police, and he was not a student at the university, so ODU Police put out a BOLO with Mr. Britton’s description. On March 22, an ODU officer noticed Mr. Britton’s car parked improperly in a lot outside a campus restaurant and questioned Mr. Britton while he was sitting in the driver’s seat. When the officer confirmed that Mr. Britton was the person of interest from the BOLO, the officer arrested Mr. Britton. The police searched the car and recovered many of the items Mr. Britton had stolen.
Mr. Britton was charged with felony credit card theft, three counts of misdemeanor larceny, and three counts of misdemeanor tampering with a vehicle.
On Thursday, Mr. Britton accepted an agreement to plead guilty as charged to each of the seven offenses and be sentenced to serve one year and two months in prison, with another one year and 10 months in prison suspended on the felony charge and all jail time suspended on the misdemeanor charges conditioned on his uniform good behavior for three years and compliance with probation for two years following his release. Judge Mary Jane Hall accepted Mr. Britton’s plea agreement and sentenced him per the agreement.
“Too many people have their belongings stolen from their cars. While it is difficult to catch the people who are doing the stealing and many go uncaught, case high-quality cameras and good police work allowed the Old Dominion University Police Department to solve these cases,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Britton will now serve a prison sentence for his offenses, and I hope that he spends his time in custody preparing to do better on his release.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney A. Robinson Winn prosecuted Mr. Britton’s case, and ODU Police Detective Adriane N. Martin led the investigation.
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