Shope v. Commonwealth

Pursuant to an information, the trial court entered an order directing Charles Ervin Shope, III, to show cause why he should not be adjudicated an habitual offender under the provisions of the Virginia Habitual Offenders Act (Code §§ 46.1-387.1, et seq.), and prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on the highways. A copy of the order with a certified transcript of the relevant conviction record attached was personally served on Shope.

At trial, when asked by the court whether he was the same person named in the information, Shope declined to answer on advice of counsel. The Commonwealth’s…