VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Offering $20 to a Virginia Beach Police officer after you’ve already been arrested won’t set you free.
That was the hard lesson 20-year-old Brayden Luckenbill learned over the last few months.
Luckenbill was arrested Aug. 31 for firing a gun into the air during a heated argument on the 700 block of Lord Dunmore Dr. On the way to the station, he made a high-stakes play that only put him deeper in the hole.
“While being taken to the police precinct for booking, the defendant asked [the officer] if he would take $20 to make this ‘go away,'” the stipulation of facts in the case reads. “When [the officer] asked for clarification, the defendant again explained he would give the officer money to not charge him for the incident.”
Luckenbill had held a woman at gunpoint during the altercation. He was charged with abduction, brandishing a firearm, shooting in a public place, reckless handling and attempted bribery of a law enforcement officer. He took a plea deal in November.
Luckenbill was sentenced Wednesday morning to three months of active time for those crimes, along with a combined two years and nine months of suspended jail time. The judge decided to issue a deferred disposition on the bribery charge. If he abides by the law, it may be amended down to a misdemeanor after two years.