A 45-year-old Orange County man — who formerly lived in Farmville — was convicted May 30 in Lunenburg Circuit Court on felony charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI) and a hit and run with property damage.

The charges stem from a police-involved chase that began in Charlotte County.

According to a press release from Lunenburg County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Clement, Khalil Abdul Al-Aziz Brooks, formerly known as Jeremy Brooks, was sentenced to 10 years in jail with all suspended except two years and six months for the DWI.

“He was fined $1,000 and his privilege to obtain a license was revoked indefinitely,” Clement said in the release. “He is also facing a charge of felony eluding and felony driving revoked in Charlotte County on June 28.”

According Clement, the incident leading to his arrest took place Feb. 18 at approximately 2 p.m. when Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Keith Booth stopped Brooks for speeding 78 in a 65-mph zone on U.S. Route 360 in Charlotte County in a 2002 Nissan Quest minivan.  Brooks provided an identification card, but no license.

“When Booth went back to his vehicle, Brooks took off,” Clement said in the release. “Booth followed him with his dash cam recording the chase down (Route) 360 with speeds up to 90 mph.”

When police attempted to stop Brooks using their vehicles to block him, Brooks maneuvered around the vehicles and continued down U.S. Route 360.

“He turned right on Old Kings Hwy where Deputy C.I. Brinkley passed Brooks to slow him down, but Brooks then turned onto West Ontario Road and went into Lunenburg County,” officials said in the release. “Brooks continued to speed through Lunenburg County up to 87 mph at a time when homeowners were seen on the video going to their mailboxes.”

According to the release, he went over the wrong side of the road a number of times, nearly running some vehicles off the road. 

According to Clement, at the intersection of Chase City Road and Ontario Road, additional law enforcement officers arrived to block Brooks with the suspect going off the road around the vehicles.

“Shortly after that, police created a ‘rolling roadblock’ and slowed him down to 20 mph at which moment Brooks drove into a Charlotte County vehicle, causing minor damage to the right front before Brooks then spun into a ditch,” officials said in the release. “He was then processed for arrest by State Trooper W.T. Dean II and arrested for multiple charges.”

The release cited his breathalyzer test revealed an alcohol level of 0.31, nearly four times the legal limit.

According to the release, Brooks has 16 prior felony convictions on his record, including felony driving under the influence in Spotsylvania County in 2011, two counts of felony destruction of property with value greater than $1,000 in Spotsylvania, assault of a law enforcement officer, grand larceny, felony elude, possession of a firearm by a felon, felony attempted escape in Fairfax, six counts of misdemeanor vandalism and six counts of misdemeanor tampering in addition to other misdemeanors.

“In addition to his sentence and fine, Brooks must be of good behavior for 10 years, complete supervised probation for two years, attend substance-abuse counseling, abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs, pay restitution of $1,500 to Charlotte County and submit to warrantless searches and seizures,” Clement said in the release.