Man Sentenced to More Than 1 Year Following Jury Conviction of Attempted Grand Theft Auto, Possessing Burglarious Tools During 2023 Car Break-in

NORFOLK, Va. — Kevin Mark Hall, 56, was sentenced on Friday to serve one year and five months in prison after a jury found him guilty of attempted grand larceny of an automobile and possessing burglarious tools in a 2023 incident in which Mr. Hall and his co-defendant, Joshua Michael Nowacki, were seen by the victim attempting to jimmy open the victim’s car door.

Just after 9 a.m. on June 11, 2023, the victim saw from inside his Warwick Avenue apartment two men — Mr. Hall and Mr. Nowacki — outside trying to break into his parked car using a slim-jim (a flat rod designed to slip along the window of a car to unlock door without a key). The victim called Norfolk Police, and officers detained Mr. Hall and Mr. Nowacki. The slim-jim tool was on the ground when police arrived, and Mr. Nowacki was found to have several other car burglary tools in his backpack, including a key fob programmer. Both men claimed to police that they were there to jumpstart the car at the behest of a friend, but that “friend” was later found to not be the owner of the victim’s vehicle. Based on that evidence, both men were charged with felony attempted grand larceny of an automobile and felony possession of burglarious tools.

In November 2023, Mr. Nowacki pleaded not guilty to his charges and opted for a trial by judge, and Judge Joseph C. Lindsey found Mr. Nowacki guilty of both charges. In February 2024, Judge Lindsey sentenced Mr. Nowacki to serve one year and four months in prison and suspended another one year and eight months on the condition that Mr. Nowacki complete three years of uniform good behavior and supervised probation following his release.

In August, Mr. Hall opted for a jury trial after pleading not guilty to his same charges, and the jury found him guilty as charged. On Friday, Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise, who presided over the jury trial, sentenced Mr. Hall to serve one year and five months in prison and suspended another two years and seven months on the conditions that Mr. Hall complete two years of uniform good behavior following his release. Judge LeCruise allowed six months of Mr. Hall’s sentence to be served concurrently with time he is already serving from a similar Virginia Beach offense.

“The co-defendants in this case exercised their rights to trials. A jury of Mr. Hall’s peers spoke in his case and found him guilty,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “A car theft may not be a murder, but it is a serious crime with serious consequences for the victims and the health of our City. I thank the Norfolk Police and the victims for their assistance in the case. My office will continue to prosecute and hold accountable people who steal from honest people.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks prosecuted Mr. Hall’s and Mr. Nowacki’s cases, and Norfolk Police Detective Tristan L. Wampler led the investigation.

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Aug. 13, 2024

Jury Convicts Man of Attempted Grand Theft Auto, Possessing Burglarious Tools During 2023 Car Break-in With Co-defendant

NORFOLK, Va. — A jury found Kevin Mark Hall, 56, guilty on Tuesday of attempted grand larceny of an automobile and possessing burglarious tools for a 2023 incident in which Mr. Hall and his co-defendant, Joshua Michael Nowacki, were seen by the victim attempting to jimmy open the victim’s car door.

Just after 9 a.m. on June 11, 2023, the victim saw from inside his Warwick Avenue apartment two men — Mr. Hall and Mr. Nowacki — outside trying to break into his parked car using a slim-jim (a flat rod designed to slip along the window of a car to unlock door without a key). The victim called Norfolk Police, and officers detained Mr. Hall and Mr. Nowacki. The slim-jim tool was on the ground when police arrived, and Mr. Nowacki was found to have several other car burglary tools in his backpack, including a key fob programmer. Both men claimed to police that they were there to jumpstart the car at the behest of a friend, but that “friend” was later found to not be the owner of the victim’s vehicle. Based on that evidence, both men were charged with felony attempted grand larceny of an automobile and felony possession of burglarious tools.

In November 2023, Mr. Nowacki pleaded not guilty to his charges and opted for a trial by judge. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey found Mr. Nowacki guilty of both charges and sentenced Mr. Nowacki in February to serve one year and four months in prison, suspending another one year and eight months on the condition that Mr. Nowacki complete three years of uniform good behavior and supervised probation following his release.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hall opted for a jury trial after pleading not guilty to his same charges. After one hour of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of both charges. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise set Mr. Hall’s sentencing hearing on Oct. 18.

“When a person drives off in a running car, it is a crime of opportunity. Here, Mr. Hall and Mr. Nowacki committed crimes of premeditation,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “These men went out and got the tools to steal cars. Mr. Nowacki is serving a sentence that reflects his level of blame, and we will seek a sentence for Mr. Hall that does the same.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting Mr. Hall’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Tristan L. Wampler led the investigation.

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