THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9502280082
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
It was a citizen's complaint that brought sheriff's police one morning last month to the door of South of the James, the big convenience store on U.S. Route 17 about two miles south of the James River Bridge.
And what they say they found inside - more than 2 tons of illegal fireworks and drug paraphernalia police estimated at worth $8,000 - has resulted in what the county prosecutor says are charges unprecedented in Isle of Wight - against both an individual and a corporation.
The charges were filed Feb. 17 against both Ronald L. Dashiell and his company - Dashiell Enterprises Inc., doing business as South of the James - in connection with the raid and confiscation Feb. 14.
This is the first time in Isle of Wight County that charges have been brought against a corporation and an individual for selling drug paraphernalia, Commonwealth's Attorney W. Parker Councill said.
It isn't the first charge in Isle of Wight for Dashiell: In 1989, sheriff's deputies charged him with two counts of possession and sale of illegal fireworks at a store called Dashiell's Shop, also on U.S. 17. Deputies said then that they found fireworks they estimated were worth more than $2,000. He was found guilty on both counts and paid a $500 fine for each, according to the Sheriff's Department.
In last month's case, Councill had said charges also might be filed against South of the James employees for selling the merchandise to the public. He has decided, however, not to pursue that.
``If you know you're selling paraphernalia used to ingest illegal drugs, you've violated the law,'' Councill said. ``In general, a person who works there could be charged with a misdemeanor.''
Dashiell, of Carrollton, and Dashiell Enterprises have each been charged with one count of offering for sale illegal drug paraphernalia and one count each of possession of illegal fireworks with the intent to sell, according to Isle of Wight Sheriff's Detective C.B. Nurney. No court date had been set as of early this week.
Prompted by the citizen complaint, police say this is what happened:
``We entered the store about 9 a.m. (Feb. 14) and noticed a display of drug paraphernalia for sale near the cash register,'' Nurney said. ``They were selling them as tobacco pipes, but we recognized them as drug paraphernalia.''
Nurney said that about 4 p.m. - when he and another detective and four uniformed officers returned with search warrants - they noticed a few open boxes of fireworks on the first floor of the building. Then, he said, deputies found a large quantity of fireworks in the attic.
``It took us until 7:30 p.m. to get it all out of the building,'' he said. by CNB