Office of the Appomattox County Commonwealth's Attorney

07/13/2026

DONALD LEON HEMINGWAY, JR.

On June 25, 2026, Donald Leon Hemingway, Jr., age 47, pled guilty to one count of Possession of Child Po*******hy and twenty-eight (28) counts of Possession of Child Po*******hy-2nd or subsequent offense pursuant to a written plea agreement. He produced the child po*******hy by filming the juvenile daughter of his girlfriend when they lived in North Carolina by filming her with a hidden phone camera while she showered. Twenty-nine (29) other child po*******hy charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement to protect the juvenile victim from having to travel from North Carolina to testify in court. For the twenty-nine (29) charges he plead guilty to he received a sentence of Seventy-three (73) years with Forty-eight (48) years suspended, leaving a Twenty-five (25) year active prison sentence. When he is released he will be on good behavior for Forty-eight (48) years, probation supervision for Three (3) years, and have to register as a s*x offender. The charges were investigated by the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Lauren Gardner.

05/28/2026

I have been asked by a number of Appomattox County residents what my stance is regarding the new gun laws that will take effect on July 1, 2026. I want to be very clear, the Sheriff and I are in total agreement that we will not enforce the new Assault Weapons and Assault Weapons Carry bans just signed into law as we believe they are Unconstitutional on their face. Case law is explicitly clear that this governmental overreach flies in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the citizens’ Second Amendment Rights. I took an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution at 18 years old when I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and subsequently as a police officer and your Commonwealth’s Attorney. These new gun laws not only violate the U.S. Constitution but also the Virginia Constitution and the Sheriff and I stand with other Virginia Sheriff’s and Commonwealth’s Attorneys in putting the Constitution above politics. While I believe that our joint February 2026 post states this stance, I now want to unequivocally clarify it.

Please read this statement below from Sheriff Richardson and Les Fleet, Commonwealth's Attorney.

04/28/2026

Montel Shaquille Croner Sentenced

On April 23, 2026, Montel Shaquille Croner, age 30, was sentenced to an active period of incarceration of Fifteen years for three drug offenses occurring in 2025. On November 13, 2025, a jury found Croner guilty of Distribution of Fentanyl-2nd Offense and he subsequently pled guilty to additional offenses of Distribution of Fentanyl-2nd and Possession with intent to Distribute Fentanyl, both on February 26, 2026. For the three drug charges he received thirteen years and was also sentenced to two years for a Probation Violation. The two sentences where ordered to be served consecutively. When he is released he will be on good behavior for Sixty years and probation supervision for Five years. The charges arose from an investigation of the Central Virginia Drug and Gang Task Force of which the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office is a member partner. The jury trial was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Lauren Gardner and the subsequent guilty pleas and sentencing were handled by Commonwealth’s Attorney Les Fleet.

04/16/2026

04/03/2026

On March 26, 2026, Robert Logan Ensley, Jr., age 43, pled guilty to two counts of Felony Aggravated S*xual Battery of a 13-year-old female juvenile that occurred between January-March, 2025. Pursuant to statute, after accepting the guilty pleas the Court ordered a Psycho-S*xual Evaluation on the defendant. Ensley will be required to register with the S*x Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry as a violent s*x offender. He is forbidden to have any contact of any kind with the juvenile victim or her family nor any unsupervised contact with any other minor. At the victim’s request, the mother read her daughter’s victim impact statement to the Court. The defendant was remanded to the jail pending his sentencing on June 12, 2026. The case was investigated by Appomattox County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kia Scott and Commonwealth’s Attorney Les Fleet.

04/01/2026

On October 24, 2024, five masked co-defendants kicked in a door of a residence on Hummingbird Lane in Appomattox County while armed with handguns. The homeowner was home and shots were exchanged. The five individuals fled to a waiting car and thankfully no one was injured. A vehicle pursuit ensued due to the swift response of the Appomattox County Sheriff's Office. All six were later apprehended with assistance from Virginia State Police, Campbell County Sheriff's Office, and Lynchburg Police Department. Each defendant pled guilty due to the strength of the case developed by the ACSO and the willingness of co-defendants to testify for the Commonwealth, their charges are listed below. The cases were prosecuted by Commonwealth's Attorney Les Fleet.

-Traquan Devon Waller, age 24 was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of a firearm in a Felony
Possession of a firearm by a Felon
Gang Participation
Destruction of property
> He was sentenced to 55 years with 18 years to serve.

-Tahlib Khlil Saeed Watson, age 26 was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of a firearm in a Felony
Possession of a firearm by a Felon
Destruction of property
> He was sentenced to 41 years with 10 years, 7 months to serve.

-Cortez Ed'Juan Hunt, age 29 was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of a firearm in a Felony
Possession of a firearm by a Felon
Gang Participation
Destruction of property
Felony Elude Law Enforcement
> He was sentenced to 53 years with 10 years, 4 months to serve.

-Dylan James Carter, age 19 was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of a firearm in a Felony
Gang Participation
Property Damage
> He was sentenced to 31 years with 6 years to serve.

-Anthony Lee Banks (not pictured), age 17 was transferred and tried as an adult and was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of firearm in a felony
Possession of a firearm by felon
Gang Participation
Destruction of property
>He was sentenced to 46 years with 5 years to serve.

-Crystal Dawn Trent, age 37 was convicted of the following:
Armed B&E
Attempted Murder
Use of a firearm in felony
Destruction of property
> Sentenced to 33 years with 4 years to serve.

02/24/2026

Please read this statement below from Sheriff Richardson and Les Fleet, Commonwealth's Attorney.

02/24/2026

Come join us in supporting a worthwhile cause. Sheriff Richardson and I will be cooking as a team again this year, which you would not want to miss! We hope to see you there!

02/09/2026

Cedric Watts convicted after Two-Day Jury Trial.

01/09/2026

Thank you to all law enforcement officers. This office is appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the Appomattox County Sheriff's Office for their diligent work to keep our community safe.