Norfolk gym teacher pleads guilty in fatal car wreck

NORFOLK

A middle school gym teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated involuntary manslaughter and other charges from a Feb. 21 wreck that killed a 19-year-old woman and injured two other people.

Ronald K. Sharpe Jr., 28, was drunk and high as he drove his Toyota Camry in the 5900 block of Northampton Blvd. about

1:20 a.m., according to a summary of evidence submitted to the court. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Sharpe faces a maximum of six years and five months in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for November.

In the evidence summary, prosecutor Janet Westbrook wrote that Sharpe crossed three lanes of traffic and a break in the median, crossed into oncoming traffic, and hit the driver's-side door of a car driven by Alexandria Calamia.

Calamia's car spun out of control and hit a tree. Sharpe's car rolled over and hit a different tree.

Calamia died. Brandon Wise was a passenger in the back seat of her car. He suffered fractures to the orbital bone of his face and his collarbone. He also suffered a brain hemorrhage. Westbrook wrote that Wise's injuries have caused memory loss and other cognitive problems. Another passenger in Calamia's car, Heather Lee, had minor injuries.

Sharpe was outside his car walking around when police arrived, Westbrook wrote. He told police he had been at a nightclub with his girlfriend and had consumed a few beers. Police said Sharpe smelled like alcohol; was stumbling; had bloodshot, glassy eyes; and slurred his speech. Police took Sharpe to the hospital for blood tests because a cut to his lip would have caused problems with a breath alcohol test. The blood tests showed Sharpe's blood alcohol concentration to be .08, the legal limit for driving, and also showed that Sharpe had smoked marijuana that night.

Sharpe gave police several explanations of what happened, Westbrook wrote, including that he had been bumped by another car. Video from a camera at a water treatment plant just off Northampton Boulevard shows no other car on the road, Westbrook wrote.

Calamia's mother, Jamie Gallihugh, attended the hearing Wednesday. She said her daughter received a posthumous bachelor's degree from Rappahannock Community College this spring. Westbrook wrote that Calamia and Lee had been in Norfolk to visit Wise, who was a student at Virginia Wesleyan College.

After he was charged, Sharpe was suspended from his job teaching health and physical education at Azalea Gardens Middle School. Now that he has been found guilty, he will be fired, said Karen Tanner, public relations coordinator for Norfolk public schools.

Pilot writer Cheryl Ross contributed to this report.

Michelle Washington, (757)446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com