Man Sentenced to More Than 1 Year for Eluding Norfolk Police in Stolen Vehicle
NORFOLK, Va. — Marquise Devonte Thomas, 21, was sentenced on Monday to one year and three months in prison for being in receipt of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding last year.
On Aug. 9, a Norfolk Police officer received a FLOCK alert that a 2012 Hyundai Sonata reported stolen from Hampton the previous day was near the intersection of East Princess Anne Road and Monticello Avenue. When officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, the driver, Mr. Thomas, fled at a high rate of speed through heavy traffic, making a pursuit impossible. Minutes later, other officers spotted the vehicle near East Brambleton Avenue and tried to conduct another traffic stop that Mr. Thomas fled. Another officer was able to detain Mr. Thomas after he had to stop at a Light Rail crossing on Bute Street. The Hyundai Sonata had had its steering column and ignition tampered with, consistent with the “Kia Challenge” method of auto thefts.
On Monday, Mr. Thomas pleaded guilty to being in receipt of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding, and Judge David W. Lannetti accepted his plea with an agreed sentence of one year and three months in prison. Judge Lannetti suspended another three years and nine months in prison on the conditions that Mr. Thomas complete two years of supervised probation and uniform good behavior following his release.
“Good police work and the FLOCK license plate camera system continue to produce quick arrests and solid convictions in auto-theft cases,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “But as we have seen too many times, Mr. Thomas made his situation much worse by fleeing the police, adding a second felony to the one he had already committted. We are fortunate that he did not hurt himself or other people. If the police attempt to pull someone over, that person simply must stop.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney W. Joshua Holder prosecuted Mr. Thomas’ case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Officer Thomas W. Bowen led the investigation.
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