Ex-cop to serve 30-day sentence at the regional jail

By Ben Orcutt -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — A longtime town police officer who pleaded guilty last week to reckless handling of a firearm will serve his sentence at the regional jail in Frederick County.

James Douglas "J.D." Striker, 52, of 4437 Remount Road, pleaded guilty in Warren County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Aug. 21 to the misdemeanor charge that arose from a July 15 incident at his residence.

Judge Ronald Lewis Napier sentenced Striker to nine months in jail, with eight months suspended. He also fined Striker $1,000, suspending $800, and ordered Striker to pay $96 in court costs. Napier also ordered that Striker forfeit the .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol he fired during the family conflict to the commonwealth.

At the request of Front Royal defense attorney Ilona L. Beatty, Napier agreed to allow Striker to report to the Warren County Jail at 8 p.m. on Sept. 4.

However, Striker will instead report to the regional jail.

Warren County Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron said Wednesday that after discussing the situation with Capt. Steve Barr, who is charge of county jail operations, the decision was made that it would be best to transfer Striker to another facility.

McEathron said it's normal to transfer such inmates outside the jurisdiction where they were employed. Striker retired from the Front Royal Police Department on Oct. 31, 2006, after 25 years.

"He'd be a Warren County inmate," McEathron said. "He'd be our responsibility, but he'll be housed in another facility. It's not negotiable. We're not going to house him."

"I have no comment, but I was aware of that," Beatty said of the possibility that Striker could serve his time at another facility.

Beatty said Striker has 10 days after trial to file an appeal, but she did not say if an appeal will be filed. She also had no comment on whether Striker has a job and if he will apply for work release.

Striker did not respond to an e-mail inquiry as to whether he is employed.

In terms of what programs Striker may be offered, McEathron said he is not being treated any differently than any other inmate.

"Now obviously, he's being treated differently than the average citizen because he's an ex-police officer," McEathron said. "That's why we're not housing him in our jail. But if it was another ex-police officer that got in trouble, he wouldn't stay in our jail."

McEathron said that an inmate's safety is his responsibility, and if the jail staff does not feel comfortable housing that individual, whether they're a former police officer or a criminal who may not get along with other inmates, he and his staff take whatever precautions are necessary.

"We're just looking out for his safety," McEathron said.

Bruce R. Conover, superintendent of the regional jail in Frederick County, confirmed on Wednesday that Striker is scheduled to report to the facility Sept. 4.

"He'll go through the normal classification process and he'll be interviewed and we'll determine what special precautions need to be taken," Conover said. "All of the inmates who come to the regional jail are reviewed for the special alternative programs — work release, community inmate work force and home electronic monitoring. In evaluating inmates for special programs, you look at what their current charges are, what their criminal history is, whether they're employed, if they are employed, where their employment is and a variety of other considerations."

Located at 141 Fort Collier Road, the regional jail serves Clarke, Fauquier and Frederick counties, as well as the city of Winchester. Conover said it is unlikely that Striker will be placed on home electronic monitoring since he lives in Warren County.

"Probably not," Conover said. "We generally don't put people in home electronic monitoring who don't reside within one of our jurisdictions."

Conover said 630 inmates, including about 100 women, are housed in two medium-security buildings and a community corrections facility located within the compound.

"We'll interview [Striker] thoroughly when he arrives and if there are reasons to keep him separate from the other population, we're prepared to do that," Conover said.

* Contact Ben Orcutt at borcutt@nvdaily.com