Reed v. Commonwealth

Opinion

COLEMAN, J.

— Charles Reed, who appeared pro se in the trial court, was convicted of criminal trespass and fined $75 in accord with the jury’s verdict. He appeals that conviction.

The reasons which caused the complainant, McCarthy Construction Company, to lodge criminal charges against Reed are in dispute; however, the facts leading up to and surrounding the incident are not in controversy. Reed was living in an abandoned shack on Belle Island (owned by the City of Richmond) when McCarthy Construction Company apparently obtained a 280-foot right-of-way across the island to build a bridge…