CHESAPEAKE, Va. — 43-year-old Gary Morton appeared on video in Chesapeake General District Court Monday morning where a judge appointed him a lawyer. Morton faces multiple charges in Chesapeake. They include:
- possession of firearm by a convicted felon
- disregarding signal by law-enforcement officer to stop
- first offense DWI
- failing to obey a highway marker
- reckless driving
- driving without a license
- refusal of breath test
- drinking while operating a vehicle
He also faces second-degree murder and gun charges in Norfolk. It comes after police found Marie Covington unresponsive on Galt Street and pronounced her dead.
According to newly filed paperwork, a Virginia State Police trooper tried stopping Morton for failing to maintain a lane on Greenbrier Parkway around 3:15 am Saturday. Officials said he drove a 2016 Ford SUV and entered I-64 West toward Norfolk.
Documents state Morton failed to stop and traveled over 115 mph before taking Chesapeake Blvd in Norfolk. A trooper said the SUV stopped at a junkyard parking lot in Norfolk and Morton got out of the car and ran away.
The trooper noticed Morton hop a fence to Pennington Road and later detained him around 3:45 am. Investigators said they found two semi-automatic pistols in the car, but documents said Morton doesn’t have a concealed carry permit. He is also a convicted felon.
Detectives say they also found an open bottle of alcohol in the car and noticed a strong smell of alcohol coming from Morton's breath. State police said Morton refused to give a sample of his breath for a sobriety test.
Morton will return to court in Chesapeake for a preliminary hearing on October 13.