CHS attacker racks up 10 felony charges
Since beating up UVA students in 2002 when he was a Charlottesville High student, Vernon Howard’s lengthy rap sheet has been relatively nonviolent. That changed December 16, when he allegedly fired a couple of rounds into a car in downtown Culpeper. According to the Culpeper Star-Exponent, Howard, in a light blue minivan, had an argument with three people. He left the scene and returned on foot 20 minutes later with a handgun, which he fired at an occupied vehicle. No one was injured.
Howard was arrested in Charlottesville December 20 and charged with 10 felony counts that could add up to more than 30 years in prison. “That’s a bunch of time,” says Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman, whose office has prosecuted Howard numerous times. Howard has been convicted of distribution of marijuana, obstruction of justice, and three times for driving on a revoked license.
“It’s disappointing someone who has been before the court is back again,” says Chapman. “Either he hasn’t benefited from the services offered and punishment imposed or he wasn’t adequately sentenced.”
Howard inflicted a broken cheekbone, concussion and bruises on his UVA victims. He has a pending case in Charlottesville General District Court for making threatening phone calls.
Lock this piece of crap up and throw away the key.
Hook reporter Lisa Provence really seemed to have a handle on this thing when she wrote about it a couple of years ago:
“Kids who commit juvenile offenses significant enough to be placed on probation or worse tend to do well as young adults,” [Commonwealth’s attorney Dave Chapman says. “It’s unusual for them to continue to commit offenses as an adult.”
Howard has a message to those who think he got off too leniently for the 2002 felony assault and battery charges: “Tell ‘em to deal,” he says. “Tell ‘em to kiss my a**. You can quote that.”
A wishful prosecutor and an unrepentent thug. Yeah, let’s lock this one up.
I wonder if the Culpeper chapter was drug related? Call me judgmental, but from what I’ve seen in recent years here in good ‘ol wholesome Cville, Mister Jefsuns cuntree—when the local media bleats about a robbery, fight, burglary, break in, killing, etc, the crime is never explained to the public has having originally been the offshoot of illegal drugs in one form or another. I know better than to expect the whole picture from our oh so PC reporters but WHY NOT CALL A SPADE A SPADE FOR A CHANGE? Surely the all important real estate values won’t be that adversely affected!!!
When a news story has gaps in it you can rest assured drugs were somehow involved but the total story was self edited, Soviet style, so as to not anger a civic group, local employer or, Christ forbid, the real estate hawkers—–
Why does the headline of this story contain “CHS attacker”?
The subject hasn’t been in the school for four years.
Stop the bias against CHS.
We have more merit scholars than anyone in the region.
The joke is that Dave Chapman states that he didn’t “benefit from the services offered.” The city of Charlottesville has reduced/eliminated funding for critical services for juveniles. The adult system provides few “services” while offenders are incarcerated - they wait for inmates to come out before providing anything at all. Inmates go without necessary medication and treatment for mental health and behavioral issues. They are sent back into society without having anything other than a period of incarceration that is supposed to somehow alter their behavior. Don’t kid us that jail time is supposed to change the behavior and attitude of offenders. Let’s not “lock the scum up”, let’s figure out how we are letting many of them down and eliminating their opportunities for success.