Target 7: VSP agent on leave after allegedly forging payment authorization for trial witness
Story by Isabella Ledonne WDBJ Roanoke Virginia 7/20/24
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/target-7-vsp-agent-on-leave-after-allegedly-forging-payment-authorization-for-trial-witness/ar-BB1qiWk1
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – A Virginia State Police (VSP) special agent has been put on administrative leave after court documents revealed he paid a witness to testify in a Roanoke County criminal trial, but did not tell attorneys.
Special agent Steve Richardson allegedly paid a key witness thousands of dollars for testifying against a man on trial for a shooting, and the outcome of the guilty verdict was therefore changed.
A Roanoke County judge ruled the verdict is to be set aside. Now, the court is waiting for the Commonwealth to respond, while Richardson is being investigated for potential criminal charges.
In September 2022, Tyler Keith Jones was on trial for shooting a man while driving on I-81 in Roanoke County near mile marker 137. The man suffered from serious injuries, but survived.
Lane Thomas was formerly associated with Jones’ motorcycle gang and testified against him in court. Documents state Thomas claimed he was testifying because it was the “right thing to do.”
Jones was later found guilty of malicious wounding.
After the trial ended in March, Jones’ attorney made a motion to set aside the jury’s verdict because of Brady violations. That’s when there was evidence favorable to the defendant that was not presented before the trial.
Legal expert Sheila Moheb from Moheb Legal Defense in Roanoke explained that can change the outcome.
“[That] essentially is saying the verdict was tainted by that failure to disclose,” Moheb said.
According to payment receipts, Richardson paid Thomas $2,500 for testifying and providing confidential information, on top of nearly $8,000 for moving and other living expenses during the trial. Richardson allegedly forged his supervisors signature to authorize the payments, according to the documents, and is now the subject of a criminal investigation.
The Commonwealth’s Attorneys didn’t tell the defense Thomas received payment and promise of leniency in his own criminal charges in West Virginia for testifying against Jones.
Moheb explained that violates due process.
“If there’s evidence that one of their [the Commonwealth’s] witnesses is in fact motivated by some ulterior purpose to testify against me, if I’m the accused, then that goes to whether or not I’m having a fundamentally fair trial.”
Now that a judge has set aside the verdict because the defense’s ability to cross examine Thomas was impaired during the trial, there will either be a new trial or Jones’ indictment will be dismissed.
“Moving to dismiss the indictment would would be one of the most severe sanctions that could be imposed for Brady violations,” Moheb said.
After Jones’ attorney filed several motions alleging constitutional violations, the Commonwealth agreed during the hearing to set aside the judge’s verdict.
“This really is kind of an outlier of a case,” Moheb said. “It’s not commonly seen in the Valley, so that’s why it’s probably as disheartening as it is.”
Jones is still in custody, even though his guilty verdict was set aside.
His next hearing is scheduled for the end of August, when the Commonwealth is expected to have a response to the defense’s request to dismiss the indictment.
As for special agent Richardson, he is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and VSP’s internal investigation.
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Man found guilty of I-81 shooting
By Pat Thomas and Kaitlyn Dillon WDBJ March 8, 2024
https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/03/08/man-found-guilty-i-81-shooting/
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – A West Virginia man has been found guilty of a shooting along I-81 in Roanoke County.
Tyler K. Jones, 29, was convicted March 7, 2024 of shooting into an occupied vehicle, attempted malicious wounding, aggravated malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Virginia State Police say the incident occurred about 6:35 p.m. Sept. 11, 2022. Jones was driving a motorcycle northbound on I-81 when he fired several rounds toward the back of a pickup.
The driver of the truck was shot and taken to a Carilion Roanoke Memorial for treatment of serious injuries.
According to a warrant obtained by WDBJ7, Jones fired at the driver after he had merged into his lane. A confidential source expressed to police that Jones was traveling with the Warlocks and Wrecking Crew outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The source also stated the truck driver did not do anything to provoke Jones, who shot at the pickup for seemingly no reason.
The warrant states officers were notified of a Warlocks and Wrecking Crew gathering at an Exxon Station in Natural Bridge. Virginia State Police obtained the security footage from the gas station and saw Jones receiving a different pair of clothes from an active member of the Warlocks Crew in order to conceal his identity.
Jones was arrested and charged the following January.
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