The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
A 49-year-old man who scattered thumbtacks on Pungo roads that flattened dozens of bicyclists' tires must spend 16 days in jail, complete 80 hours of community service and pay restitution.
Warren Dean Davis Jr. pleaded guilty late last month to 25 misdemeanor charges of destruction of property, according to online court records. An additional 18 charges were withdrawn as part of a plea agreement in General District Court that also calls for Davis to take an anger-management course, said his attorney, Gregory Turpin.
During the weekends of June 4 and 11, bicyclists suffered flat tires or crashed when they rode over tacks strewn on roads where large groups of cyclists travel, police have said.
Davis was frustrated by the bicycles at the time of the incidents, Turpin said.
"He immediately realized what he had done was inappropriate and foolish," the lawyer said. "He was embarrassed and wanted to try to make it right."
Davis will pay restitution to each of the 43 victims in the case even though he pleaded guilty to just 25 of the charges, Turpin said.
Beginning in January, he will serve the 16-day sentence on weekends, according to court documents.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Comment deleted
Comment removed for rules violation. Reason: Cheering or advocating violence
Man...
That guy sure wasnt the sharpest tack in the box
Reality check
I live near Fat Frogs where the bicyclist gather and leave for their trips.
1) Most of the cyclist do not bike to Fat Frogs, they drive there, park in front of Starbucks and Stone Cold. They unload their bikes and ride into Pungo. So, their arguement of no pollution is untrue. They drive there!
2) To their credit, now they go out in smaller packs around a dozen, sometimes as small as four. They are still riding 2 abreast but a lot less. Before they would sometimes ride 4 abreast in packs of 60+.
3) They still pass cars on the right side while cars are waiting at the traffice stop at Handel's Ice Cream. I believe passing on the right maybe illegal. Or at least it is annoying to pass a cyclist twice because you get caught by the light.
not all
I have driven to Redmill to bike. I live at the North End of Virginia Beach. If I could safely bike from home I certainly would do so. Most of the folks you see drive to Redmill so they can ride bikes do it because Pungo is the only place in the city where cyclists can ride, (if they get up and out by 7 a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday morning), with almost no traffic.
There is no other location in this city or in Norfolk where cyclists can ride and for the most part are not harassed. If there were, you would not see so many folks driving to Redmill and then cycling.
Also just as an aside; neither I nor any of the folks I ride with ever ride up on the right side of a car at a red light.
cyclists are over-paying taxes
For the amount of road they use and the amount of damage they cause. Most of the time people ride around by themselves (in my metro area there is an average of 1.09 occupants/vehicle) taking up 8 times as much road space as a bicycle. Using the AASHTO formula for relative damage, most cars do between 2000 and 8000 times the damage as a fat guy riding a beach cruiser, So to be fair the amount of tax dollars for construction would have to be 8 times higher for a car owner as a cyclist, and as far as maintenance is concerned if a cyclist pays anything towards it they overpay and subsidize the driver. The majority of city streets and county roads is paid from the general fund of sales and property taxes. which cyclists pay equally with drivers.
paid from the general fund of sales and property taxes.
no it comes from the fuel tax...only when cyclist by gas or diesel do they pay equally
Too sad
While you all are griping about bicycles, my coolie has quit his job because of tacks and now I have no one to pull my rickshaw. Now THAT'S sad!
Safety First!
Stay behind the bicyclist and make them pull over to let us car drivers safely pass them. Never pass over the solid yellow line! Safety First!
With that logic...
How long would you sit there if a fallen tree was obstructing your lane? Can't go over the centerline to drive past. Can't make a 3 point turn without going over the centerline. Can't reverse and drive the wrong way in your lane.
Hope someone comes before you die of exposure.
i dont know about you but i
i dont know about you but i would back up