ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
A 21-year-old Roanoke man pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbing an acquaintance at gunpoint, saying the incident occurred after an attempted drug deal.
David Joel Bonham was arrested in November after the victim identified him as the man who forced his way into a Southwest Roanoke County house and took a gold necklace and stadium jacket.
Bonham's lawyer, Jonathan Apgar, said his client had beeped the victim twice that day trying to purchase some LSD. When Bonham arrived that night, he got angry and took a gold necklace he had given the victim earlier.
"As an afterthought, he got the jacket because it was cold outside," Apgar told Circuit Judge Roy B. Willett.
As part of a plea agreement, Roanoke County prosecutors dropped two charges against Bonham: possession of LSD and possession of a firearm while in possession of LSD.
Willett suppressed a statement Bonham gave to a detective because the defendant was under the influence of LSD at the time.
Holding a .25-caliber pistol, Bonham knocked on the door of a Southwest Roanoke County home late Nov. 13. When an 18-year-old resident answered the door, Bonham asked, "Where's the bone," a reference to a gold herringbone necklace, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Leach.
The two argued and the gun went off. No one was injured. The teen-ager's mother called police, and Bonham fled.
Patrol officers arrested Bonham shortly after the robbery. He was a passenger in a car that was stopped at Virginia 419 and Bernard Drive.
Police found a .22-caliber pistol in Bonham's pocket. They later found the
As part of the plea agreement, Bonham faces a maximum of 13 years and 9 months in prison. He is on probation for grand larceny and credit-card fraud, Apgar said.
He is scheduled to be sentenced July 2.
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