Local Bloods gang member indicted on drug charges by Accomack Grand Jury

By Linda Cicoira

A local Bloods street gang member, who twice dodged murder charges, was indicted Monday by an Accomack Grand Jury on three felony drug offenses alleged to have occurred last June.

Thirty-nine-year-old Robert James Northan Jr., of Nelsonia Road in Bloxom, is accused of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of oxycodone, and possession of hydrocodone, a narcotic that is mixed with Tylenol.

Northan was on bond on an unrelated charge and was working with PSSI, a sanitation contractor at Perdue Farms, when he was arrested on June 5, 2024. The initial charge was grand theft auto.

In a recent case, a man was bleeding and waiting to go to the hospital on Tyler Drive in Accomac when he told Sheriff Todd Wessells that Northan had shot him. Another officer and rescue workers said they overheard the conversation. Charges were filed, but the victim recanted at a preliminary hearing. He said he could not remember the incident and did not know Northan.

Northan was identified by a U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force as a Bloods’ member.

Northan was acquitted in 2016 for the 2015 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. 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.

A witness 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.

Also Monday, the grand jury indicted 43-year-old Tristan C. Bogush, of Dream Park Drive in New Church, on counts of being a violent felon in possession of a weapon and assault and battery of Deputy C. Stevens last September.

“The accused was removed from the hearing for his disruptive behavior,” a magistrate wrote in the court file. He was denied bond “based on the testimony of the arresting officers… Due to the nature of the offenses alleged, it is deemed that” he “will constitute an unreasonable danger to the public,” it was further recorded.

The charges stem from complaints made by New Church Royal Farms regarding a man who was intoxicated and brandishing a firearm at store employees. Bogush was later arrested at his nearby residence.

Nineteen-year-old Tyler Malik Bynum, of Mint Road in Accomac, was indicted on counts of breaking into M & M Restaurant, ESE Fashion and Bridal Accessories, and El Mercado Market, all in Tasley, on July 1, 2024. He was also accused of stealing property valued at $1,000 or more from the restaurant. He was extradited from Georgia and is being held without bond.

Forty-six-year-old Brian Keith Freeman, of Pearl Drive in New Church, was indicted on a Sept. 21 count of possessing cocaine.

Thirty-six-year-old Latoia Handy, of Princess Anne, Md., was indicted on counts of assault of battery of three officers, Deputy Bryan Ortiz-Perez on Oct. 22, Deputy Charles Crockett on Nov. 4, and Sgt. Donnie Williams on Nov. 5.

Forty-nine-year-old Lorenzo Bernard Sturgis, of Alexine Street in Painter, a construction worker, was indicted on a count of failing to register as a violent sex offender on Oct. 11.

Shykeva Neshay Mears, of Parksley, was indicted on counts of possessing cocaine; procuring, selling, or possessing a chemical compound while being a prisoner; and maliciously wounding Bennie Hatney with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill on Nov. 3, 2024.

Kerwin Antwon Harmon, of Withams, was indicted on three drug offenses – selling cocaine on Feb. 22, 2023, and March 3, 2023, and selling fentanyl on March 10, 2023.

David Martin Brickwood Jr., of Cambridge, Md., was indicted on a Nov. 1, 2024, count of assault and battery of Deputy M. Steele.

Stacy Leigh Spence, of Melfa, was indicted on a Sept. 14 felony count of maliciously wounding Mary Curtis and misdemeanor counts of assault and battery of Curtis and destroying or damaging property belonging to Curtis valued at less than $1,000.

Dezman Malachi Wayne Jackson, no age or address available, was indicted on two counts of robbing Gracie Milbourne by assault or threat, burglarizing her home, and attempting to use or display a firearm.

Larry W. Austin, of Horntown, was indicted on a count of stealing property from Walmart valued at $1,000 or more on July 20.

Mikayla Elaine Lloyd, of Greenbackville, was indicted on a count of possessing cocaine on Nov. 3.

Thirty-eight-year-old Termaine R. Reid, of Parksley, was indicted on a Nov. 9 count of assault and battery of Deputy B. Eskridge.

     Ernesto Rocael Tema-Baltazar, of Parksley, was indicted on a third offense of DUI in five years that is alleged to have occurred on Nov. 30.