Three Prior Felons Sentenced in Robbery of Sundial Motel
Commonwealth v. Maurice Davon Sneed; 11 Years 8 Months to Serve
Commonwealth v. Darius Antonio Casey; 16 Years to Serve
Commonwealth v. Jaquan Rashee Cheek; 13 Years to Serve
Harvey L. Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, announced today that three defendants were sentenced in Circuit Court for their role in a violent robbery at the Sundial Motel at the Oceanfront on April 24, 2012.
On Monday, February 4th, Judge William R. O’Brien sentenced Maurice Davon Sneed, 25, of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, to serve 11 years and 8 months of a 38-year sentence for charges of Robbery, Use of a Firearm, Conspiracy, Wearing a Mask, and Eluding Police. Sneed pled guilty on August 6, 2012.
On Tuesday, February 5th, Judge A. Bonwill Shockley sentenced Darius Antonio Casey, 22, of Emporia, Virginia to serve 16 years of a 34-year sentence for Robbery, Use of a Firearm, Maliciously Discharging a Firearm in an Occupied Building, Wearing a Mask, Conspiracy, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Casey pled guilty on August 6, 2012.
Today, Judge William R. O’Brien sentenced Jaquan Rashee Cheek, 23, of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, to serve 13 years of a 32-year sentence for charges of Robbery, Use of a Firearm, and Conspiracy. Cheek pled guilty on August 1, 2012.
Had these matters gone to trial, the Commonwealth’s evidence would have proven that just after midnight on April 24, 2012, Jaquan Cheek and another man walked into the office at the Sundial Motel on 21st Street in Virginia Beach. Cheek asked the lone clerk where the nearest gas station was, and both men were looking around. As they left the office, the clerk noticed one of them signal to someone outside. The clerk then saw a light blue car drive through the parking lot. A few minutes later, Darius Casey and Marcus Sneed, masked and armed, robbed the motel clerk. They threatened the victim and stole his cell phone, cash from the motel, and a business phone from the motel. As they fled into the parking garage, Casey fired one gunshot into the air, striking the ceiling of the parking garage with motel rooms directly above.
The clerk called the police and provided a description of the car he had seen. Within minutes, police stopped a car matching that description. Casey and Sneed hid in the back, Cheek was the front seat passenger, and a fourth man was driving. When stopped by police, Cheek and the driver exited the car and surrendered. Sneed and Casey then jumped into the front seat of the car and drove off. After a chase in which road spikes were used to flatten the suspects’ tires, Casey and Sneed fled on foot. The police helicopter unit and K-9 were used to capture them in the residential neighborhoods near Rudee Inlet. Bandanas used as masks and the victim’s belongings were found inside the car.
Sneed has prior convictions for Possession of Schedule V Drug, Discharging a Firearm in a Public Place causing Injury, Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and Assault.
Casey has adjudications as a juvenile for charges of Burglary, Destruction of Property (3 counts), Assault and Battery of a Family Member, and Contempt of Court. He has convictions as an adult for Burglary (3 counts), Attempted Burglary, Conspiracy, Larceny of a Firearm, Obstruction of Justice, Possession of Schedule V Drugs, Grand Larceny, and Eluding Police.
Cheek has prior convictions for Robbery, Possession of Schedule I/II Drugs, and Petit Larceny.
A fourth man was charged in connection with this robbery and has a review hearing pending in court on February 27, 2013.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joseph A. DiNonno. Please contact Macie Pridgen if additional information is desired.