Man pleads in hit and run at Buffalo Wild Wings

Culpeper County Circuit Court Judge John G. Berry accepted a plea agreement Monday in the case of a Culpeper man charged in a shooting and hit-and-run at Buffalo Wild Wings in March.

Under the agreement, co-defendant Earl Dwayne Tyler, 25, pleaded guilty to one felony count of hit-and-run and one felony count of destruction of property. He will serve 16 months in jail — eight months for reckless driving and eight months for assault and battery, according to assistant commonwealth’s attorney Dale Durrer.

As part of the plea, Tyler agreed to testify against Christopher H. Jackson, 26, whose case is set for a two-day trial in Circuit Court Nov. 18 and 19. Jackson faces attempted malicious wounding, malicious shooting into an occupied building, use of a firearm in a felony and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Around 1:40 a.m. March 6, Culpeper police officer Jeffrey Dodson responded to an emergency call of multiple shots fired at the restaurant on Nalles Mill Road.

The victim, hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by Tyler, was treated at Culpeper Regional Hospital.

Police say Jackson fired shots from the car into the restaurant, breaking a window. No one was injured from the gunfire.

Under the agreement, Tyler must complete four years of supervised probation, perform 200 hours of community service and be on good behavior for 15 years. If he breaks parole, he faces another 8½ years in prison.

Tyler, who loses his license for six months, also must pay a $1,000 court fine and $1,500 in restitution to Allstate Insurance and Buffalo Wild Wings.

“Given the somewhat uncooperative nature of some of the eyewitnesses in the case,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Gary Close, “this is a good resolution for the commonwealth. This is also round one of a two-round prosecution — so it is important that the commonwealth secured the testimony of Mr. Tyler against Mr. Jackson.”

As part of the plea, charges of felony unauthorized use of an automobile, felony destruction of property, felony hit-and-run and wounding in the commission of a felony charges were indefinitely suspended.