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Two men are in custody in Stafford County after taking police on a lengthy pursuit in an attempt to escape justice before ultimately being apprehended not far from their new home at the local jail.
Jeffrey Wilson, 21 of Oakland Park, and Miami resident Leskeil Richards, 27, are facing dozens of charges after being busted by members of the Stafford County Sheriff’s office, state police, and neighboring agencies.
At approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, the Fredericksburg Police Department was notified that multiple vehicles were broken into in the area, with several credit cards stolen, one of which was used at Target in Central Park.
The tipster was able to provide police with a description of the vehicle the suspects fled in, which was spotted by a Virginia State Police trooper in the northbound lanes of I-95, at which point Wilson sped away and the pursuit continued into Stafford County.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, deputies from the sheriff’s office joined the pursuit in the area of Courthouse Road and Wyche Road, in the direction of the Stafford County Juvenile Detention Center, which would ultimately lead to their demise, officials said.
According to a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office, the suspect vehicle crashed into a Virginia State Police trooper’s cruiser in the Juvenile Detention Center parking lot, at which point both Wilson and Richards bailed and attempted to flee on foot.
An off-duty sergeant happened to be in the area and spotted the pursuit pass him, at which point he followed the chase and was able to apprehend Wilson with the assistance of a state police trooper.
Then the search for Richards was on.
A deputy and police K9 were called to the scene and began tracking him through the woods for more than a mile, the spokesperson said. Once he realized he was in jeopardy of being apprehended, Richards picked up the pace and began to run, ignoring a deputy’s commands to stop.
Richards continued to run, right into the arms of a second deputy, who was able to locate him and apprehend him without further incident, though he attempted to provide a false ID to investigators at the time.
Wilson was charged with:
- Six counts of credit card theft;
- Two counts of credit card fraud;
- Vandalism of a motor vehicle;
- Obstruction of justice;
- Two counts of reckless driving;
- Hit-and-run;
- Felony eluding.
Richards was charged with:
- Six counts of credit card theft;
- Two counts of credit card fraud;
- Vandalism of a motor vehicle;
- Obstruction of justice;
- Falsely identifying himself to law enforcement;
- Identity theft.
He also attempted to hide his identity during his arraignment on Thursday, March 2, which raised alarms for deputies in the courtroom, and two counts of forgery were tacked on to his list of offenses.
Both men are being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. No return court information was provided by the police.
“Further proof that running from law enforcement in Stafford County will just make you tired, and prolong your stay at Rappahannock Regional Jail,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office mused. “Thank you to Virginia State Police and the Fredericksburg Police Department for your assistance in apprehending these two individuals.”
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