Opinion ID: 1058263
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dwayne's Sentencing Hearing

Text: The Circuit Court of Bedford County held Dwayne's sentencing hearing on April 4, 2008. Dwayne's counsel argued for Dwayne to receive a juvenile disposition on the five convictions for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The Commonwealth recommended that Dwayne receive the mandatory minimum sentence for each of the five convictions for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. However, the Commonwealth also stated, Obviously the Court has discretion to treat [Dwayne] as a juvenile, treat him as an adult or to come up with a split disposition in the case, sentence him to a juvenile facility until he's eighteen and then transfer him to an adult facility. Acknowledging that the circuit court sentenced Demetrious as a juvenile, the Commonwealth noted Dwayne's more extensive prior record and stated, I really see nothing to be gained by treating Dwayne Brown as a juvenile in this case. The prosecutor did not mention the Bullock decision or the reasoning stated therein. The circuit court classified Dwayne's convictions for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony as non-violent juvenile felonies, imposed a juvenile disposition for those convictions under Code § 16.1-272(A)(2) and committed Dwayne to the Department of Juvenile Justice until his eighteenth birthday. As to the remaining convictions, the judge gave Dwayne a sentence of 25 years in the penitentiary, suspended after the service of 24 months in jail, commencing on his eighteenth birthday.