The $500 Slap On The Wrist
Virginia – A Green Rock Correctional Center employee, 58-year-old Thomas Lee of Vernon Hill, was found guilty after a jury trial on Friday of abduction and felony unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The jury found him not guilty of a misdemeanor brandishing a firearm.
The commonwealth presented evidence that two individuals appeared on Lee’s property to repossess the vehicle in foreclosure. After being shown the repossession documentation, Lee pushed past the tow truck driver, entered the cab of the truck and drove more than a mile from his home with a passenger in the vehicle.
He abandoned the tow truck and his captive passenger on the side of the road and was ultimately found in nearby bushes by a law enforcement officer using a tracking dog.
At the sentencing phase of the trial, the jury heard evidence that Lee had been incarcerated for approximately five months prior to trial.
Lee testified to his history as a corrections and law enforcement officer and commendations he had received over the course of his lengthy career.
The jury imposed a $400 fine for the abduction and a $100 fine for unauthorized use.
“The jury deliberated and imposed the sentence they concluded was appropriate. They did exactly as the court instructed: They found the defendant guilty based on the facts of the case and addressed their view of the severity of the incident and the character of the defendant in the sentencing phase. We are very thankful to them for their service,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Tracy Q. Martin.
