Published: November 12, 2009 10:22 pm      

Raven man indicted on manslaughter charge in ATV death

TAZEWELL, Va. —Involuntary manslaughter, possession of controlled substances, and possession of child pornography were among the indictments handed down by the latest session of the Tazewell County Grand Jury.

The Commonwealth presented a total of 96 indictments on 94 individuals, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis H. Lee.

Among the people included was Justin Nathaniel Bandy, 20, of Raven, Va. Bandy was indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle. He was also indicted on three misdemeanor charges: driving on a suspended or revoked operator’s license; operating an all-terrain vehicle on a public highway; and failure to drive on the right side of the highway.

Bandy was driving an ATV in early July when it collided with an oncoming car on Red Root Ridge Hill. A passenger, Jeremy Heath Smith, 17, of Richlands, Va. was later pronounced deceased at Holston Valley Medical Center. Bandy was treated at the same medical facility.

In other indictments, Michael Thornton Donithan, 21, of Tazewell, Va. was indicted on seven charges of possession of child pornography. Another case included the indictment of Dennis Franklin Fields, 68, of Richlands, Va. on a charge of use of a communications system to solicit a minor, and a charge of manufacture of child pornography.

Tommy Ray Hurley, 18, of Cedar Bluff, Va. was indicted on charges of carjacking, wearing of a mask in public, and misdemeanor charge of petit larceny.

Kevin Dean Looney, 47, of Lexington Park, Md. was indicted on a charge of rape. Marvin Eugene Sparks III, 23, of Tazewell, Va. was indicted on charges of abduction, rape, and a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery of a family or household member.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com