PETERSBURG -- The second in command of a Bloods-affiliated gang in Petersburg was convicted today of conspiring to kill a city police detective who had arrested the gang's leader last year.
He will serve six years behind bars.
Under a plea agreement, Davon Bland, 20, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit capital murder of a police officer for his role in helping gang leader Kalvin B. Kelley try to set up a gangland-style hit on the detective last April.
Bland, known on the street as "Penni Stixx and "DeDe," also pleaded guilty to criminal gang participation for his involvement in the G-Shyne gang, a subset of the nationally known Bloods in New York. He rose to the rank of "four-star general," second only to Kelley.
Petersburg Circuit Court James F. D'Alton Jr. accepted Bland's pleas and sentenced him to 25 years with 19 suspended under terms of the plea agreement.
According to evidence, Kelley, while jailed for several gang-related robberies, sent letters to Bland last April in a conspiracy to assassinate the Petersburg detective who arrested Kelley. Bland also talked with Kelley about the hit while visiting him in jail, said Petersburg Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Cheryl Wilson.
Tri-cities authorities learned of the plot last year after arresting seven people in a stolen firearms case that originated in Dinwiddie County.
That led to police searching Bland's home on South Street, where investigators discovered three letters written by Kelley with information that referred to the plot. They also found two shotguns, drug scales and gang paraphernalia such as clothing and other items with the gang's colors of red, green and black.
Police learned that Kelley tapped two juvenile-age gang members to kill the detective, promising them $7,000 up front and $3,000 more after the deed, set for April 29.
With Bland's sentence today, five of the gang's members have now been convicted of gang-related offenses in Petersburg Circuit Court. Only Kelley's girlfriend, Julisa Thompson, who authorities said played a minor role, awaits trial.
Kelley, the kingpin who came here from New York City to lead the gang, could receive up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced April 1.
Several of the gangsters have pleaded guilty in recent weeks to robbing or attempting to rob Petersburg residents last year to raise revenue for the gang. Kelley directed many of the stickups.
-- Mark Bowes
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