Lavon Dewayne Chisley
La Plata, MD – A man who confronted police with a knife in his hand was sentenced to seven to 10 years in the Maryland Department of Corrections in Charles County Circuit Court Monday, May 23.
The July 22, 2015 incident in the 3000 block of Charleton Road in Waldorf resulted in the police shooting of Lavon Dewayne Chisley, 50 of Bryans Road (artist’s rendering, left).
Chisley came staggering up the street with a knife in his hand and refused to drop the weapon.
The defendant’s four-day trial ended Feb. 11 when a Charles County Circuit Court Jury found Chisley guilty of first-degree and fourth-degree burglary, guilty of first-degree assault against the victim, guilty of second-degree assault of a Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputy and malicious destruction of property.
He was found not guilty of openly carrying a dangerous weapon against the victim.
Chisley pled for leniency Monday before Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier.
The defendant told the court he was raised strictly by a Catholic father and Baptist mother.
“I wouldn’t trade the way I was brought up for all of the riches in the world,” Chisley said.
He told the court his troubles began when his son—a promising football player at Penn State who had been scouted by professional teams—was sentenced to life in prison without parole when his roommate at the Big 10 school was found stabbed in his dorm room.
“My son was given a life sentence without parole for something he didn’t do,” Chisley explained. “I lost it. I went deaf and dumb.”
Chisley said he spiraled downward into drug and alcohol abuse after his son was sent away.
“I was in a real depressed mood when that happened,” he said. “I knew I was leaving him alone and I was unable to do anything to help him.”
Bragunier listened patiently, then sentenced the defendant to 306 days and gave him credit for 306 days already served, for kicking down the door of his significant other’s residence before he was shot by police.
On the first-degree assault charge against Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Bragunier sentenced him to seven-to-10 years.
She said he gave the officer no choice.
“It was a very tragic day,” Bragunier said. “The officer did not want to shoot you. They are there to protect and serve. Unfortunately, your actions, you got caught up in what was going on, telling the officer, ‘shoot me.’ You came after him.”
She also tacked on 25 years for first-degree assault but suspended that sentence, and awarded him five years of supervised probation upon his release.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
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