LOUISA — A 37-year-old Louisa man will spend a year in jail for a 1994 hit-and-run accident that killed a man who had fallen from his moped on a slippery road late at night.
Brandon L. Fields, of Shannon Hill Road, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor hit and run and accepted the 12-month sentence for the death of John M. Banks in February 1994.
Fields had been charged with felony hit and run but that was reduced in a plea agreement to misdemeanor hit and run.
“Today the justice system has finally held Brandon Fields accountable for his actions,” said Rusty McGuire, Louisa County commonwealth’s attorney. “For 18 years, Mr. Fields has lived with the guilt of what he had done and the Banks family had to live with knowing if someone had murdered their loved one or if it was an accident.”
Banks’ fiancé, mother and two daughters agreed to the plea bargain, noting that Fields has a clean criminal record, is married, employed and has a family.
“No one wanted to see Mr. Fields not able to provide for his family any more,” McGuire said of the negotiated plea, “but there also had to be some punishment.”
According to accounts of the event presented in court Wednesday, Banks was driving a moped east on Route 22 almost a mile west of U.S. 33 when he lost control and crashed. He wound up in the road where he was struck by Fields who was driving with some friends in a low-rider Isuzu pickup.
Fields, 18 at the time, was unsure what he struck and turned around. He and his passengers say other drivers had stopped around Banks body. He panicked and left the scene.
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