Trigger Warning: Opioids
Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Meth, Will Be Screened For Drug Court
NORFOLK, Va. – On Monday, 43-year-old Lacal Javon Richardson pleaded guilty in Norfolk Circuit Court to possessing cocaine and fentanyl and, as part of his plea agreement, will be screened for the Court’s therapeutic dockets.
On March 8, 2023, Norfolk Police officers arrested Mr. Richardson on a warrant from Norfolk and Chesapeake. The arresting officers searched Mr. Richardson and seized cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine (all Schedule II controlled substances) from his person. Mr. Richardson has a criminal record that reaches back to the 1990s.
Mr. Richardson pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of possessing Schedule II controlled substances, and Judge Robert B. Rigney accepted his plea. Mr. Richardson also pleaded guilty to violating his probation for charges for which he was sentenced in 2004. As part of the plea agreement, Mr. Richardson will be screened for the Norfolk Circuit Court’s therapeutic dockets. There is no other agreement on Mr. Richardson’s sentence.
“It is important to hold people accountable for their actions, but we must also offer treatment and diversion wherever possible to help break the cycle of suffering, arrest, and incarceration for people in the justice system with substance use disorder and mental illness,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “The Norfolk Alternative Treatment Docket helps its participants do better and helps us live in a safer and fairer world.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jessica L. Terkovich is prosecuting Mr. Richardson’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Shauna P. Freeman served as the lead investigator.
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