The Criminal Law Subcommittee of House Courts advanced seven Senate bills — including a contested measure restricting Fourth Amendment plea waivers that passed 7-3 over opposition from prosecutors and a defense attorney — while unanimously reporting bills on animal cruelty, sex offender park restrictions, juvenile justice, court record access, and autism-spectrum defendant protections.
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Nathan Green, Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Williamsburg and James City County, argued the bill removes prosecutorial tools used to help defendants — citing the example of drug dealers with 18-month sentencing guidelines whose defense attorneys negotiate below-guidelines sentences in exchange for a Fourth Amendment waiver — while stating he had no objection to capping waivers at the supervised probation period. Senator Salim, the bill patron, countered that the system disproportionately hurts Black and brown communities and emphasized the need to move the bill forward. Delegate Williams, also a defense attorney, separately stated the bill would take a negotiating tool out of his pocket that he could use to help clients negotiate lower sentences.
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“When the gentleman went to the home of Mr. Hoffman, Senator Hoffman and his wife, he banged on the door yelling, let me in, please. Please. And when someone comes to the door and they're in uniform, there's three things could happen. They could be a legitimate police officer. They could be Halloween dressing up or a strip o gram, or it's someone there dressing up and impersonating a police officer to hurt you. And in this instance, it was. And so he not only killed two people, he shot two others and wounded them.”
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Sign in to subscribeCriminal Law Subcommittee of House Courts will come to order. Clerk, please open the roll. Members, indicate your presence. We have a quorum. I'm going to follow the wise practice of the Senate because obviously they've got it all figured out and recognize people by how they. I am told you all came in. Since our docket does not have a particular substance. Order. So I believe that the first person that I've been told is Senator Craig. And you have before US Senate Bill 47. Yes, ma'. Am. Thank you, Madam Chairman, members of the committee, I have Senate Bill 47, which is impersonating of a law enforcement officer while committing additional crimes. And I think this bill was last amended back in 2013 when Landis put the bill in. And it was a second offense felony. This puts it as a first offense felony. And, you know, from 13 to 25, things have changed in our world. And after the shootings in Minnesota, that just really solidified that I felt like this bill needed to come back forward again and it should be a first offense. You know, when the gentleman went to the home of Mr. Hoffman,…
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