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The first of three individuals facing charges in connection with a breaking and entering case that resulted in a shelter-in-place warning being issued for the city of Buena Vista last January was sentenced in Buena Vista Circuit Court to 16 years, with all but 20 months suspended.
Dakota Ryan Camden, 19, entered a guilty plea on Sept. 25, 2023, to two felony counts – one count of burglary and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary – in connection with the Jan. 26, 2023, incident, as well as a misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
On Monday, he was sentenced to 10 years for the burglary charge and five years for the conspiracy charge, with all but 10 months of each suspended. He was also sentenced to 12 months for the misdemeanor assault and battery charge, all of which was suspended pending his successful enrollment in and completion of the Community Corrections Alternative Program, an alternative program to incarceration that gives individuals on probation “the opportunity to engage in treatment, education, vocational training, and employment in a structured setting in order to promote long lasting public safety,” according to the Virginia Department of Corrections website.
Gregory Allen Kersey, 46, of Buena Vista, was indicted on two counts of burglary by a grand jury in January and entered guilty pleas to both charges on Feb. 2, as well as a guilty plea for a misdemeanor count of assault and battery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges on June 7. The third defendant, Tytray Martin of Highland Springs, pled not guilty following his indictment last July and was scheduled to stand trial on those charges on Jan. 24. When he failed to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 5, a capias warrant was issued for his arrest.
