By John Hopkins
Virginian-Pilot
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A 29-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., man was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week for escaping custody and attempting to kill a Chesapeake police officer.
Fernando C. Blackman was sentenced for the attempted capital murder of Officer Bryan Cilento on Dec. 12, 2007 during a traffic stop on MacDonald Road in Indian River.
While handcuffed in the back of a police car, Blackman crashed through the cruiser’s window to escape. During a struggle with the officer outside the cruiser, Blackman managed to get the cuffs around Cilento’s neck, according to the prosecution.
Yelling “I’m not going back,’' Blackman applied so much pressure the officer said he saw spots and lost vision. Cilento eventually regained control of the suspect and called for assistance.
During a bench trial last year, Blackman said he managed to get his cuffed hands from behind his back and under his legs so that they were in front of his body. He denied choking the officer and said he was only trying to escape.
He received 20 years in prison, with 13 suspended, for the attempted capital murder; five years, with two suspended, for escaping custody and a suspended three-year sentence for forging records.
Man pleads guilty to wounding officer
A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty last week in Chesapeake Circuit Court to the unlawful wounding of a law enforcement officer last year.
Charles Dontray Brown, 28, drove off from a traffic stop in Deep Creek, dragging a Chesapeake police officer whose arm was in the vehicle. The incident occurred about 9:30 p.m. April 5, 2008 near N. George Washington Highway and Canal Drive, according to court records.
Officer Joel Ayala-Acevedo suffered cuts and scratches to both hands and his left knee. Brown, a resident of the 2800 block of Elm Ave., was originally charged with the malicious wounding of a police officer.
He is scheduled to be sentenced June 29, according to court records. His plea agreement with prosecutors does not include an agreement on the sentence. He faces up to five years in prison.
The officer stopped the vehicle for swerving on George Washington Highway. When Brown opened the center console of the car, the officer saw a clear bag containing suspected marijuana, according to a written stipulation .
At some point, the officer reached into the car in an attempt to detain the driver. Brown, however, drove off with the officer’s arm still in the car, dragging him 150 to 200 feet. The officer struck the driver in the face twice with his flashlight before breaking free from the car.
Copyright 2009 Virginian-Pilot