A 19-year-old York County man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge stemming from the theft of a car from Upper York County that was involved in a police chase a few hours later in Norfolk.
The car, a Mazda sedan, was stolen from the Williamsburg Bluffs subdivision in Upper York County shortly after midnight May 14. Less than two hours later, Norfolk Police officers found the vehicle while on patrol and attempted to pull it over. The vehicle fled, resulting in a crash on the 300 block of Waterside Drive.
Investigators believe Bailey Strickland of York County was driving when the vehicle was stolen — along with a .380 handgun and an iPad, both inside the vehicle — from the home in Williamsburg Bluffs. By the time the vehicle reached Norfolk, there were six people inside, including a different driver.
Stickland took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of receiving stolen goods, said York-Poquoson Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Krystyn Reid. He received one year in jail, with six months suspended.
Charges of grand larceny and a grand larceny of a firearm were dropped in a July hearing in York-Poquoson General District Court.
Police in Norfolk believe 23-year-old Robert Freeman was driving the car during the pursuit there. His next hearing in Norfolk General District Court is at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 25.
The Mazda belonged to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The handgun and iPad were recovered at the crash site.
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