Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press NORFOLK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Prosecutors in Norfolk and Virginia Beach independently have concluded that insufficient evidence exists to prosecute any of the dealers on felony charges, spokesmen for the commonwealth's attorneys in both cities said.
DMV officials are refusing to identify the dealers or describe the exact nature of the charges - some 366 violations, many of which involve allegedly preying on military customers. The DMV filed the charges in late June.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Charles D. Griffith Jr. said he reviewed the charges and found no felonies, ``just administrative kind of things that you'd find if you go to any dealership.''
``To DMV, this is a big deal,'' said Virginia Beach Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Walt Brudzinski. ``To us, this has to compete with violent felonies.''
The DMV will continue to pursue misdemeanor charges, filed on summonses, in lower courts. All of the dealers involved are located in Norfolk or Virginia Beach.
DMV investigator Edward P. Ryder Sr. refused to discuss either the decision against pursuing criminal charges or the status of any misdemeanor cases. He said only that the cases are ``a matter of public record'' that could be accessed through court records.
It is impossible to check the hundreds of misdemeanor cases brought into the General District Court every month without knowing the defendant's name, chief clerk Thomas E. Baldwin said.
Brudzinski said the DMV may have difficulty getting convictions on misdemeanor charges, since most DMV witnesses - military men and women - are overseas.
by CNB