Hit and run day in Northampton Court

By Linda Cicoira

A Maryland man was sentenced Monday in Northampton Circuit Court to three years in prison with all but a day suspended for a hit-and-run accident that involved striking a house and a fence in June 2025 near Cape Charles.

Retired Judge Revell Lewis also put 24-year-old John Anthony Baker, of Sparrows Point, on 10 years of good behavior and ordered him to pay restitution of at least $2,795. Another $8,000 or so could be added to his bill as lawyers debate a list of damages to the house at a future hearing. No one was injured in the incident.

In another case, 41-year-old Jynell Lekita Williams, also known as Hershinna Fryar, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to felony uttering a bad check and a misdemeanor offense of giving a false identity to police. The incidents occurred on Dec. 12, 2025.

She completed several programs, including one that certified her as a forklift operator, while being held in the Eastern Shore Regional Jail for about seven months.

According to a proffer of evidence, she was convicted of six prior felonies and 10 misdemeanors. She apologized to the court, wrote notes of her remorse and regret to the victims in the case, and waived preliminary hearings.

Williams was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison. All but a year was suspended. She is forbidden to visit any Atlantic Union Banks in the nation. She agreed not to return to Northampton County for five years. Williams will be on unsupervised probation and good behavior for five years.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kwalon Kelley, of Exmore, pleaded guilty to tampering with the fire protection system at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail in Eastville when he was a prisoner there on Sept. 28, 2025. His actions caused more than $1,000 worth of damage when his cell and other areas were flooded. He will be responsible for paying an unspecified amount of restitution.

A short-form presentence report was ordered. The maximum punishment for the crimes is 10 years in prison. The judge suggested he pay off the debt before he returned for sentencing in September.