ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 18, 1997 TAG: 9704180086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA GARCIA THE ROANOKE TIMES
Four people, including two pedestrians, were hurt in the February incident.
A Virginia Tech student was found guilty of drunken driving Thursday in connection with a February accident that injured four people, including two pedestrians, in downtown Blacksburg.
Ryan C. Land, 18, of Norfolk pleaded not guilty in Blacksburg General District Court and said he will appeal the DUI conviction to Circuit Court, as well as a misdemeanor conviction of failure to stop for police. A felony hit-and-run charge was certified to Circuit Court.
Substitute Judge George McLean imposed a $350 fine and a 30-day suspended jail sentence, and suspended Land's driver's license for one year for driving while intoxicated. Land also was fined $100 for the misdemeanor.
A reckless driving charge against Land was dismissed because state law does not permit a person to be charged with both reckless driving and driving while intoxicated, according to Skip Schwab, assistant Montgomery County commonwealth's attorney.
A Blacksburg police officer, who was on foot, signaled a car to stop about 1 a.m. Feb.1, but the car sped away. The officer was trying to investigate a report that the driver was intoxicated, police said.
The car traveled from the 400 block of East Roanoke Street to Main Street, where it ran a red light and collided with another car, which was pushed onto the sidewalk and hit two Tech students.
Land still did not stop; police chased him until his car's engine failed several blocks later.
Police said Land's blood-alcohol level was 0.16 percent, twice the state's legal limit for driving.
A passenger in Land's car and the driver of the second car also were injured. The pedestrians and the driver of the other car were treated at Columbia Montgomery Regional Hospital and released; Land's passenger was not taken to the hospital.
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