
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 29, 1993                   TAG: 9309290132
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BAD DRIVER GET GREEN LIGHT TO JAIL

A man identified as one of the 125 worst drivers in Roanoke was convicted Tuesday of driving in violation of a court order twice in less than half an hour.

Paul A. Richmond was sentenced to one year and 15 days in jail.

Roanoke police charged Richmond with two counts of driving after being declared a habitual offender on July 20 - the same day a legislative committee was in Roanoke to hold a public hearing on how to keep illegal drivers off the road.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Nagel said Richmond was pulled over the first time near Orange Avenue and Williamson Road.

Police gave Richmond a summons to appear in court, instructed him to leave his car parked until it could be picked up, and even called a taxi to take him home, Nagel said.

Richmond assured police he would wait for the cab in the lobby of a nearby motel. But a police officer who decided to stick around saw the cab pull into the lot 20 minutes later, then leave without a passenger.

After seeing Richmond get into his car and drive away minutes later, police arrested him a second time and held him without bond.

As Richmond was being arrested, the House of Delegates Courts of Justice Committee was hearing suggestions from Roanoke Valley citizens on how to keep illegal drivers off the road.

The public hearing was prompted by several fatal accidents caused by illegal drivers, followed by news that there are 665,000 suspended drivers in Virginia.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has begun sending localities lists of their most serious habitual offenders. Habitual offenders are banned from the roads for 10 years because of at least three serious offenses, such as drunken driving or driving on a suspended license.

Armed with the DMV lists, Roanoke police are keeping a watchful eye on the 125 reported offenders to make sure they do not drive. Richmond was the first person on the list to be arrested by city police.

Since then, police have arrested three other people on the list, according to Lt. Ramey Bower of the Roanoke Police Department.

by CNB