Man Sentenced to More Than 1 Year After Pleading Guilty to Driving While Intoxicated on Restricted License, Violating Probation

NORFOLK, Va. — Antonio Jamar Reaves, 36, was sentenced on Thursday to serve one year and four months in prison after Mr. Reaves pleaded guilty on Thursday to driving while intoxicated and while on a restricted license as well as violating his probation last year.

Around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 16, Norfolk Police saw Mr. Reaves roll through a stop sign at the intersection of Alexander and Strand Streets and pulled Mr. Reaves over. When officers approached Mr. Reaves’ vehicle, they saw an open container of alcohol in Mr. Reaves’ cup holder, and Mr. Reaves had bloodshot, glassy eyes. Mr. Reaves agreed to a preliminary breathalyzer test, which showed him to have a blood-alcohol content of .186. Mr. Reaves became uncooperative with officers after the test, and officers detained him and transported him to the jail. There, Mr. Reaves consented to a second breathalyzer test that showed his BAC to then be .25, over three times Virginia’s legal limit of .08. Mr. Reaves has two prior convictions of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, had been driving while his license was suspended, and was on probation for unrelated offenses in Norfolk at the time.

Mr. Reaves pleaded guilty on Thursday to felony third-offense driving while intoxicated, misdemeanor driving while on a restricted license with a blood-alcohol content greater than .02, and three felony violations of probation, and Mr. Reaves agreed to serve an active sentence of one year and four months in prison. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted Mr. Reaves’ plea agreement, sentenced Mr. Reaves per the agreement, and suspended an additional three years and eight months in custody on the conditions that Mr. Reaves’ driver’s license be suspended for another eight years and that Mr. Reaves complete the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, five years of uniform good behavior, and an indeterminate period of supervised probation following his release.

“Driving while intoxicated is both very dangerous and totally preventable,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “If you drink, call a ride. Do not drive drunk or high, or you will face conviction and, as here, the loss of your freedom.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks prosecuted Mr. Reaves’ case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Officer Brandon K. Irving led the investigation.

###