Attorney Carl C. La Mondue, left with DeShawn Tatem, a spokesman for Michael M. Knockett’s family, filed a lawsuit asking for $25 million. Knockett’s four biological children are listed as the beneficiaries.
Beach is examining Facebook posts the driver made, complaining of being tired
By Aaron Applegate | The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH
The city trash truck driver who ran over and killed a homeless man sleeping on the beach in June had a series of driving violations that the city now says it’s examining.
Between 2004 and 2008, Heather Boyd was ticketed at least eight times, according to Virginia Beach and Chesapeake court records. Boyd had at least four violations on her record when she was hired as a driver by the city in 2007. The city says it monitors the records of its drivers after they are hired and warns department heads if violations pile up.
Man was facing five life terms, gets credit for cooperating
By Michelle Washington The Virginian-Pilot Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilot online.com
A man who was sentenced to more than five life terms for robbery charges earlier this year will now serve a fraction of that time – 33 years – after a judge gave him credit for cooperating with prosecutors.
Marqui L. Clardy, 25, was sentenced in February to five life terms plus 53 years for robbery, gun and conspiracy charges. During his trial, prosecutor Asha Pandya presented evidence that Clardy used Craigslist.org, a Web site for classified ads, to lure his victims and then robbed them at gunpoint of their items.
The circuit judge who sentenced Clardy, Norman A. Thomas, cited Clardy’s actions during and after the crimes in imposing the five life terms. The victims were robbed near a college campus and in their homes. Clardy contacted the victims after the robberies threatening to return and after his arrest tried to keep them from coming to court.
John Boylan, center, homeless policy and resources coordinator for Virginia Beach, listens to the ideas of homeless people about the city’s proposed program to fight homelessness on behalf of Michael Knockett. Knockett’s family says "they feel offended" by the proposal. (Vicki Cronis-Nohe | The Virginian-Pilot)
By Aaron Applegate
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 27, 2010
VIRGINIA BEACH
By Aaron Applegate
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 20, 2010
VIRGINIA BEACH
The family of the homeless man killed on the beach in June has informed city officials that they expect that damages in a potential civil lawsuit could exceed $25 million.
Virginia Beach has two problems stemming from the recent accident at the Oceanfront in which a city trash truck ran over a man sleeping in a chair on the beach.
One is the legal standard Virginia requires for criminal negligence – it’s higher than in other states and particularly Washington, D.C. – that makes prosecution of inattentive drivers nearly impossible.
The other is the Beach’s tone deaf declaration that it cannot be held responsible for taking the life of a man because the government is immune.
Updated: Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010, 6:46 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 10 Aug 2010, 7:23 PM EDT
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Tuesday brought some closure for a family whose loved one was shot inside Norfolk’s Granby Theater in 2007.
Joseph Reid shot Thomas Holmes inside the theatre. Holmes held on for two years in a vegetative state before dying.
The Holmes’ family said Tuesday they had reached a settlement agreement with the owners of the theatre. But while no amount of money will bring Thomas Holmes back, his family said the settlement will help provide for Holmes’ five-year old son Dominic.
NORFOLK
A man who was ordered to serve more than five life terms for robbery has asked a judge to reconsider the sentence.
Marqui Clardy, 25, used Craigslist.org, a site for classified ads, to lure his victims and then robbed them at gunpoint of their items. Clardy contacted the victims after the robberies and tried to keep them from coming to court.
The judge who sentenced him in February, Norman A. Thomas, said he had frequently thought about the case. He imposed the long sentence to address Clardy’s use of Craigslist and the locations of the crimes, near a college campus and in the victims’ homes.
Clardy dropped his appeal of the conviction, saying appeals are for people who think they are innocent.