Another felony charge for crime spree

By Linda Cicoira

Another felony indictment was added to the previous list of 24 alleged offenses late last week in Northampton Circuit Court for a Norfolk man who allegedly went on a crime spree last December on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Theophilus Gibson, of Lens Avenue, was indicted by a Northampton Grand Jury Friday on a count of being a violent felon in possession of a weapon on Dec. 7, 2023.

His other charges include the attempted murders of Exmore Police Chief Angelo DeMartino and Northampton Deputy Lt. Steve Lewis. The incidents ended with a high-speed police chase and a crash in Exmore.

The other charges in Accomack were robbery with serious bodily injury, malicious wounding, abduction, eluding police at a speed of more than 20 mph over the limit, and theft.

In Northampton, the charges include abduction with intent to extort money from two people, disarming a police officer, eluding police, use of a firearm in a felony, obstruction of justice by resisting arrest and committing a violent felony, wounding, two robberies with a deadly weapon, and the assault and battery of an officer.

The incidents occurred from Temperanceville to Kiptopeke. An armed robbery was also reported in Pocomoke, Md. that has been linked to the other crimes.

Gibson’s alleged accomplice, 28-year-old Christopher Orbeta, of George Drive in Chesapeake, has also been charged with many of the same offenses.