STUART, Va. — Murder and other felony charges have been filed against a woman who led authorities on a four-county chase before her car collided with that of a Mount Airy man, causing his death.
The incident in which Bobby Wayne Gammons, 81, of Belvue Drive, was killed occurred on the afternoon of April 8 just east of Stuart, where officers had blocked the westbound portion of U.S. 58 in attempting to stop a speeding 2010 Toyota Corolla.
It was being driven by Christine Sarah Barnette, 41, of Cary, North Carolina, who earlier that day had been found staying illegally at a cabin in Staunton River State Park in Halifax County in the vicinity of South Boston.
Barnette was encountered by park rangers and fled from them, eventually making her way onto U.S. 58, a major highway running along Southside Virginia and being pursued by Virginia state troopers and deputies, who tried unsuccessfully to stop her car.
Rather than heeding the roadblock as she approached Stuart, Barnette — who had been travelling at excessively high speeds — veered into an oncoming eastbound lane and her vehicle head-on collided with a 2005 Toyota Corolla containing the Mount Airy man.
Gammons was declared dead at the scene while Barnette was airlifted to a Roanoke hospital with what were described as life-threatening injuries, for which there has been no update since.
Meanwhile, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday afternoon that 15 charges had been filed that day against the North Carolina woman, including murder: homicide in the death of Gammons, a retiree of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
Barnette also is accused of seven other felonies among a batch of violations that encompass additional jurisdictions spanned by the pursuit, during which officers unsuccessfully used spike sticks and other measures.
These include four counts of disregarding a law enforcement command to stop, and continuing to elude officers while endangering the public; breaking and entering; felony hit and run; and assault and battery of a law enforcement officer for allegedly hitting a Halifax County deputy’s vehicle during a containment maneuver by authorities.
Barnette is charged with seven misdemeanors, including four counts of reckless driving, hit and run, trespassing and defrauding an innkeeper.
In addition to Patrick and Halifax counties, the bundle of charges includes another jurisdiction involved, the city of Danville.
An arraignment for the murder charge is scheduled for next Friday in Patrick County General District Court in Stuart.
Barnette remains in custody, according to court records.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com