Dukes of Hazzard in Eastville area

By Linda Cicoira

Commonwealth’s Attorney Jack Thornton compared a 64-year-old defendant’s 2023 high-speed chase Monday in Northampton Circuit Court to an off-road adventure from The Dukes of Hazzard television series.

The culprit was driving a Mercedes, not the General Lee. And he wasn’t running moonshine or trying to outwit any city slickers.

The prosecutor said Stuart Clarke Karageorge was first spotted going 83 mph in a 55-mph zone at about 4 p.m. on June 2, 2023. The defendant was followed from Lankford Highway to Parson’s Circle, to Stone Road, to Bayview Circle, to Seaside Road, to Sunnyside Road, and to Cherrydale. The locations all somewhere between Cheriton and Eastville.

Karageorge eventually circled his yard and house, stopped the car on one side of the dwelling, ran through the house, and came out a door on the other side just in time to ask officers what was going on.

He pleaded guilty to felony eluding and misdemeanor reckless driving by speed. At one point during the chase, he was clocked at about 100 mph.

The maximum term for the felony is five years in prison. The misdemeanor carries a sentence of up to 12 months in jail. He could also be fined up to $2,500. A presentence report was ordered. Sentencing was set for Aug. 25.

Thornton called for Karageorge to seek mental health counseling for his erratic behavior and for his license to be revoked. He’s prohibited from attempting to retrieve his license for 18 months and was ordered to pay an unspecified figure for court costs.

In another case, 53-year-old Darryl Bernard Taylor Jr., of Cobb Station Road in Cape Charles, pleaded guilty to hit and run in connection with a Nov. 20, 2023, incident. He was given a three-year suspended sentence. The defendant admitted to hitting another car and to leaving the scene when the victim said he was going to call authorities. However, Taylor said he had given the other driver all of his information before he drove away.