Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Eluding After Speeding Away from Norfolk Police in Stolen Car Causing Pursuit into Portsmouth
NORFOLK, Va. — Blake Victor Butler, 36, pleaded guilty to felony eluding following a 2023 incident where he sped away from police in a stolen car, causing a pursuit through the Downtown Tunnel and into Portsmouth.
On Oct. 23, 2023, Norfolk Police patrol officers attempted to pull over a vehicle that had been reported stolen when they saw it being driven near the intersection of 27th and Church streets. The driver — later identified as Mr. Butler — did not pull over, accelerated to speeds up to 90 mph, and eluded the police while driving through multiple red lights at busy intersections and, at times, veering into opposing lanes of traffic. The officers pursued Mr. Butler south from Church Street, east on Princess Anne Road, south on Tidewater Drive, and west on Interstate 264 through the Downtown Tunnel before terminating the chase in Portsmouth near the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway due to unsafe conditions.
After losing the police, Mr. Butler drove to the 1900 block of County Street in Portsmouth and abandoned the car facing the wrong side of the road with the driver’s door open. Officers received a description of the driver and found Mr. Butler, who matched the description, at a nearby grocery store. Officers also obtained surveillance footage which confirmed that Mr. Butler was the person who had exited the car.
On June 16, 2025, Mr. Butler pleaded guilty as charged to felony eluding with no plea agreement. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted Mr. Butler’s guilty plea and set Mr. Butler’s sentencing out for Dec. 12 while Mr. Blake undergoes treatment for his substance-use disorder.
“Once again, we see a situation where, no matter how bad the situation may be, running from the police makes it worse,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Butler endangered himself, the police, and the public. I am glad that he is undergoing substance-abuse treatment, but any drug problem he had when he committed this offense does not excuse the danger to which he exposed himself and others. Should Mr. Butler complete his drug treatment, we will recommend a sentence that accounts both for his dangerous behavior and for his effort to make amends and do better.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bailey C. Ottinger prosecuted Mr. Butler’s case, and Norfolk Police Officers David B. Eberhardt and Jacoby Dean led the investigation.
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