A 48-year-old Lunenburg County man was convicted Monday in Lunenburg County Circuit Court of a felony of assault and battery of a law enforcement officer, felony of eluding police in a vehicle causing endangerment, driving on a revoked license and an unrelated misdemeanor assault and battery charge. William Elwood Glass was sentenced to 11 years and 30 days in prison with all but three years of the jail sentence suspended.

According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Clement, the traffic incident leading to his arrest arose on May 25 about 9:30 p.m. when Victoria Police Officer Daniel Medlin spotted a 2002 Chevy SUV speeding on Main Street matching the description of a vehicle that had been involved in a minor hit and run in Kenbridge.

“Medlin activated his lights and siren, but Glass fled down a number of side streets throughout Victoria,” Clement said. “He then went down Falls Road past the prison for about six miles, turning onto a side road and ending up on Marshalltown Road.”

Clement said after traveling several miles, State Trooper Craig Hudson met Glass from the other direction.

“Glass braked, went off the right edge, over-corrected, spun around in the road and then flipped on its top off the other side of the road,” Clement said. “Glass was unharmed, but refused to come out of the vehicle.”

According to the officers’ reports, when they would go to one side of the vehicle, Glass would go to the other side. They also said it appeared Glass was looking and reaching for something.  “After a couple of minutes, the officers broke out the window,” Clement said. “Glass popped out quickly and ran across the road before being tackled by Medlin.”

According to Clement, in the process of trying to subdue him, Medlin and Hudson reported that Medlin was struck five or six times to the head by Glass with his fists.

“When Medlin let go to retrieve his taser, Glass took off running and went into the woods,” Clement said. “The officers pursued briefly, but then called for a tracking dog and assistance.”

He said Glass stayed the night in the woods and was spotted and arrested the next day about 6 p.m. at the intersection of Red Banks Road and Marshalltown Road.  

“Glass was not licensed to drive, having been revoked on April 19 for a conviction of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol,” Clement said.

According to Clement, in an unrelated case, Glass entered an Alford Plea — which is a guilty plea where the defendant asserts innocence and does not admit carrying out the criminal act — of guilty to a charge that was amended from Malicious Wounding to Assault and Battery for which he was sentenced to 12 months in jail with all suspended.  

“This involved an incident March 10 in which he and Shawn Reeves fought at their home,” Clement said. “Glass said he thought Reeves was assaulting Reeves’ girlfriend, Melissa Hill, in their bedroom, so he burst into the room and hit Reeves with a cane he had grabbed from an elderly woman.”

Clement said the cane broke and lacerated the knee of Reeves, even lodging wood splinters into the flesh.

“Reeves grabbed a knife and stabbed Glass three times. The charge against Reeves for the stabbings was dismissed at the Preliminary Hearing in General District Court on the basis of self defense,” Clement said. “Melissa Hill denied that Reeves was assaulting her.”

According to Clement, in addition to his sentence and fine, Glass must be of good behavior for 11 years, complete supervised probation for two years, attend substance-abuse counseling and anger management counseling, abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs and submit to warrantless searches and seizures.