Pruitt sentenced to a decade in prison for maliciously wounding former girlfriend

By Linda Cicoira

A Tangier native was sentenced to a decade in prison Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court for having a concealed weapon and maliciously wounding his former girlfriend who was “covered in blood” and accompanied by three children when she sought help at the sheriff’s office last summer.

All but two years and 11 months of the terms were suspended for Weldon Trey Pruitt, of Deerfoot Road in Melfa. He was also ordered to make $2,500 in restitution.

At his trial, Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan said Pruitt had been drinking alcohol on June 21, 2023, and began beating the woman in the face with a necklace wrapped around his hand. Her forehead was fractured around her eye, the prosecutor added. Pruitt then left in his pickup truck with a shotgun “threatening to injure himself and others.”

While the victim was at the sheriff’s office, the defendant drove through the parking lot there. Deputies apprehended him a short time later. Along with the shotgun, he had two 9 mm pistols that he kept in the truck’s glove compartment, said Morgan.

The children were all under the age of 8.

Defense lawyer James Broccoletti said Pruitt’s grandmother died shortly before the incident “and he was struggling with that. He lost his cool and began assaulting her. He admitted and accepted responsibility from the start … No way that is an excuse but offering the court understanding,” the lawyer said, adding, “He is committed to being alcohol-free.”

Pruitt apologized to the woman, the children, and his family. “I wasn’t raised to be like this.”

Three years of probation was also ordered. During that time, he is prohibited from consuming alcohol. He is to have no contact with the victim or her family.