Alleged gang member pleads guilty to selling drugs

By Linda Cicoira

A reputed local Bloods street gang member, who had previously dodged murder and other accusations of violence, pleaded guilty Thursday in Accomack Circuit to selling cocaine and possessing oxycodone.

Thirty-nine-year-old Robert (R.J.) James Northan Jr., of Nelsonia Road in Bloxom, admitted in a plea agreement to the June 5, 2024, drug offenses. A felony count of possession of hydrocodone/acetaminophen was not prosecuted in exchange for the guilty pleas.

Distributing cocaine carries a maximum term of 40 years in prison. There was no deal for punishment. A sentencing hearing was set for May 29.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan said that during a search of the residence that Northan shared with codefendant 32-year-old Keyontae Michelle Boggs, plastic baggies containing cocaine were seized. Boggs was indicted in October on counts of possession and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. She is scheduled for a May 8 trial.

The prosecutor was opposed to Northan’s request for bail while awaiting sentencing. Defense lawyer Carl Bundick said Northan has already served 11 months in jail.

“It’s typically not a custom,” said Judge Linwood W. Lewis Jr., who accepted the plea bargain and convicted Northan.

Northan was acquitted in 2016 for the murder of 47-year-old Ronnie Washington, whose body was found on the side of the street at the intersection of Bear Town and Metompkin roads near Mappsville in 2015.

A judge acquitted him because of inconsistencies in the case. The murder weapon, a 9mm Glock, was never recovered. There was no DNA, fingerprint, or other physical evidence to link Northan to the crimes.

An eyewitness said he was with Washington and Northan before the murder and had pulled over so the other two could get out and urinate along the country road. The men went behind the vehicle where the shooting took place. The witness heard five or six shots. After about a 25-second delay, Northan got back in the car and directed him to drive away. When police initially questioned the witness, he denied knowing anything about the crimes. Several versions of the story followed.

In 2021, attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and firearm offenses were not prosecuted against Northan after the victim, Donald Veney recanted.

     At the scene of the shooting on Tyler Drive in Accomac, while Veney was bleeding and waiting to go to the hospital, the victim told Sheriff Todd Wessells that Northam had shot him.