Man Sentenced to 10 Months for Eluding Norfolk Police in Stolen Truck
NORFOLK, Va. – Shawn Edward Lionetti, 41, was sentenced on Monday to 10 months in jail for felony receiving of stolen goods and misdemeanor eluding following Mr. Lionetti’s attempt to evade arrest after being caught driving a stolen truck last year.
On the evening of Dec. 14, Norfolk Police received a FLOCK alert for a Ford F250 that was reported stolen out of Chesapeake being driven in the Campostella area. Patrol officers located the vehicle being driven by Mr. Lionetti in the 900 block of Park Avenue. When officers attempted a traffic stop on the stolen truck, Mr. Lionetti took off, disregarding all police lights and sirens and reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph. The officers pursued Mr. Lionetti into Suffolk, where he wrecked the truck, continued to flee on foot, and jumped into a nearby waterway to further avoid arrest. After being recovered from the water and treated at a hospital for his injuries, Mr. Lionetti was discharged the next day and taken into custody.
On Monday, Mr. Lionetti pleaded guilty to felony receiving of stolen goods and misdemeanor eluding. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise accepted Mr. Lionetti’s plea with an agreed active sentence of 10 months in jail, found him guilty of both charges, and suspended an additional eight months on the conditions that Mr. Lionetti complete one year of uniform good behavior and pay $2,500 in restitution to the owner of the truck.
“Mr. Lionetti made a bad situation worse by fleeing from the police,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “The longer Mr. Lionetti fled, the longer his sentence became. We will continue to hold accountable people who steal cars and endanger people on our roads.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney A. Robinson Winn prosecuted Mr. Lionetti’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and former Norfolk Police Detective Daniel A. Beasley led the investigation.
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