Norfolk Man Sentenced To More Than 4 Years for Possessing Stolen “Kia Challenge” Vehicle, Violating Probation
NORFOLK, Va. – Lamarcus Vonte Bowman, 19, was sentenced on Friday to four years and nine months in prison for being in possession of a stolen Kia and burglarious tools last year and for being in violation of his probation at the time.
On July 31, a Newport News woman reported her 2018 Kia Optima to have been stolen. The following day, on Aug. 1, Norfolk Police received a FLOCK alert that the vehicle was being driven in the 7100 block of Sewells Point Road. When responding officers located the vehicle, they saw Mr. Bowman wearing a knit ski mask, and Mr. Bowman attempted to flee on foot. After a short pursuit, officers detained Mr. Bowman and found him to be in possession of tools and disposable gloves. The car had had its steering column and ignition tampered with, consistent with the “Kia Challenge” method of auto thefts, and surveillance footage from a building near where the car was parked confirmed Mr. Bowman to have been operating it before officers arrived.
Mr. Bowman committed these crimes while on unsupervised probation just one month after being released from the Norfolk City Jail for unrelated convictions — including grand theft auto, possessing burglarious tools, and felony eluding — from incidents with similar circumstances.
On Dec. 13, Mr. Bowman pleaded guilty to possessing burglarious tools, wearing a mask to conceal his identity, and receiving stolen goods. Judge Robert B. Rigney took Mr. Bowman’s plea agreement under advisement pending his sentencing hearing.
On Friday, Judge Rigney found Mr. Bowman guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison, with three additional years suspended on the conditions that Mr. Bowman complete three years of uniform good behavior following his release. Judge Rigney also found Mr. Bowman to be in violation of his probation for his prior offenses and revoked two years and nine months of his previously suspended sentences, which Mr. Bowman must now serve in addition to his two-year sentence for the August incident.
“It boggles the mind that Mr. Bowman committed an auto theft, did time for it, and then committed another auto theft a month after his release,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “In this situation, there is nothing to do but to send Mr. Bowman to prison in hopes that he will use the resources there to change his behavior. Otherwise, his next prison sentences will keep getting longer.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks prosecuted Mr. Bowman’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Ryan M. Crowder led the investigation.
###