CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Dunbar man charged in a police pursuit and standoff last June could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Nathan Lee Cunningham, 20, was charged with the felony offense of Fleeing with Reckless Indifference among eight other charges after previously pleading guilty to those charges.
The charges come in relation to violating a domestic violence protection order on June 26, 2023. Eight of the nine counts will run consecutively.
Cunningham went before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey for sentencing Monday.
“It’s actually frightening to hear how violently you conducted yourself, and the actual harm you did physically and emotionally that you have thrust upon this victim,” Bailey said during Cunninghams’ sentencing.
Cunningham was issued warrants for his arrest on June 23, 2023 after he violated the protective order a woman had filed against him. He reportedly followed the woman in her vehicle when she called 911 to report him.
Officers attempted to stop Cunningham in South Charleston before he began to flee. They said after getting on and off I-64, Cunningham eventually stopped in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue where he ran into a home and barricaded himself for over an hour before being taken into custody.
Many letters of sentiment were sent to the court coming to Cunningham’s’ defense.
“You are a young man, there are a lot of people who have a lot of faith in you,” Bailey said. “We hope that someday in some way you will be in a position to have some counseling and come to terms with the fact that this type of behavior is not acceptable.”
Along with recklessly fleeing, Cunningham’s’ charges included Unlawful Restraint, Harassment, Strangulation, Domestic Battery, among others. Most of his charges added up to be 1 to 5 years.