Taylor acquitted of felonies, convicted of misdemeanor firearms charge

By Linda Cicoira

An Onley businessman was acquitted of three felonies involving drugs and firearms and was convicted of the misdemeanor of concealing a shotgun in Accomack Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Forty-three-year-old Willie Matthew Taylor, of Taylor Seafood, who lives in Onancock, was sought by police in August of 2024. After being pulled over in Tasley, he was charged with recklessly handling a firearm, brandishing a gun, stalking, and shooting across a road.

Accomack General District Court records showed that Taylor was eventually found guilty of brandishing and sentenced to 12 months in jail. He was also convicted of shooting across a road, for which he was fined $250. Counts of stalking and reckless handling of a gun were not prosecuted.

When his vehicle was searched during his arrest, sheriff’s deputies found 15 guns, magazines, ammo, body armor, a jar of what was suspected to be a legal amount of marijuana, a grinder, pills in a plastic packaging, a flask, liquor bottles, and even women’s underwear, scattered about his pickup truck. In addition, two dogs were riding along, and two unmarked bottles were found under a nearby bush that contained illegal drugs.

He was then charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of Subutex, a medication used to treat opioid addiction, possession of a firearm while in possession of a Schedule I or II drug, and concealing the shotgun, which was standing up between the driver’s door and the backseat area.

Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. agreed with defense lawyer William O’Brien that there was no direct link between Taylor and the illegal drugs. The materials were found near a busy road under a bush; no DNA or fingerprints were discovered, and there was no corresponding paraphernalia in his truck. Judge Lewis found him guilty of concealing the firearm, which is a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to a year in jail, with all but the seven months he already served, suspended.

“I think it’s quite a leap, your honor,” O’Brien said. “This is a circumstantial case with no circumstances … Proximity is not enough to convict.”

Northampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Jack Thornton prosecuted the case. He contended that Taylor was slow to get out of the car, did not adhere to the commands of officers, and the bottles “just so happened to be within feet of the open … side window.”