Armed robber who also picked up a drug charge behind bars gets parole under Democrats' juvenile rules

Gov. Abigail Spanberger's parole board has voted to release David Syrus Butchee, convicted of armed robbery of a Franklin post office in Southampton County, according to the board's own September 2026 decisions report.

The board's September report lists Butchee, 45, as granted discretionary parole, with a decision date of Sept. 10 and certification on Sept. 14. The minutes say he was considered under the board's "newly enacted Juvenile Offender Criteria Procedures." His record shows robbery and use of a firearm in a felony convictions in Southampton County Circuit Court dated Nov. 23, 1999, including a 30-year robbery sentence; burglary and grand larceny convictions in Virginia Beach Circuit Court in 1998; possession of a firearm by a felon in Stafford County Circuit Court in 1998; and a 2000 Brunswick County Circuit Court conviction for a prisoner possessing a Schedule III drug or marijuana. The report estimates he has served 28 years, 9 months and 17 days.

According to a February 2001 Court of Appeals of Virginia opinion affirming his robbery and firearm convictions, a white Jeep Cherokee was stolen from a Virginia Beach residence on the morning of Nov. 24, 1997. That afternoon, a man entered a post office in the City of Franklin, demanded money from a postal clerk and placed a gun on the counter pointing at him, then left in a white Jeep Cherokee. That evening a Stafford County sheriff's sergeant saw Butchee putting gas in the stolen vehicle; Butchee ran, and a stainless steel handgun was found in the Jeep. The clerk could not identify the robber, but the court found the circumstantial evidence sufficient. The jury sentenced him to 30 years for the robbery and 3 years for the firearm charge.

The rest of the record: The record lists two sets of Virginia Beach burglary and grand larceny convictions from 1998, the 1998 Stafford felon-in-possession conviction and the 2000 Brunswick conviction for possessing drugs as a prisoner, a crime committed while incarcerated. The board under Gov. Glenn Youngkin denied him parole in April 2022 and January 2023; the January 2023 report cited his "record of institutional infractions" and a "conviction of a new crime while incarcerated." Members said in September that he had been infraction-free since 2020.

Why the board says he should go free: The board's listed reasons included his age at the time of the offense, emotional and behavioral stability, verified employment or vocational opportunity, a realistic and structured reentry plan, stable family relationships, reduced dynamic risk factors, educational milestones, release being compatible with public safety, insight into the factors behind the crime, long-term goal setting, demonstrated rehabilitation, correctional and vocational programs, clear acceptance of responsibility, prosocial service, a low risk-assessment score, infraction-free conduct for at least 24 months and positive leadership roles. The board also concluded he had served enough time, and said the outcome "aligns with proportionality and equity."

The Sept. 10 minutes record a 4-0 vote. The Victim Services Team said one victim was not opposed to parole and the second victim deferred to the board. All four members cited his age at the time of the offense. Board Member Valerie Boykin also cited "no positive drug screens" and "engagement in restorative practices."

To be fair to the board, every reason quoted above comes from its own record, and the four members present explained their votes on the record at the Sept. 10 meeting. The question for voters is whether those reasons outweigh what the court ordered, what the record shows about his past, and what victims told the board.

What the numbers say about Southampton County: Violent crime in Southampton County has improved over the past decade, according to the state's own figures. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, using Virginia State Police data, reported 118.9 violent index crimes per 100,000 residents in Southampton County in 2025, against 119.4 in 2016, essentially unchanged. Property crime stood at 832.0 per 100,000 in 2025, down 18% from 1,014.5. Nearby, Franklin recorded 705.2 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, up 165% from 266.0 in 2016, and 2,749.1 property crimes per 100,000, down 25% from 3,643.3. And Virginia Beach recorded 98.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, down 37% from 155.9 in 2016, and 1,480.2 property crimes per 100,000, down 32% from 2,186.5. For comparison, the statewide violent crime rate was 210.5 per 100,000 in 2025, and the median Virginia locality came in at 172.9, according to the August 2026 DCJS report. DCJS cautions that the figures are subject to revision.

This is what Democratic control of the parole board looks like. Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, appointed every one of the five members of the board, replacing the board she inherited, and the Democratic-led General Assembly confirmed them in Senate Joint Resolution 209 in March. Her chair, Shannon Dion, was previously named director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. Board member Tyrone Nelson has run for the Henrico Board of Supervisors as a Democrat. The four members who voted on Sept. 10 were Dion, Vice Chair Kecia Brothers Hayes, Nelson and Valerie Boykin; Bishop Kevin White was absent, according to the minutes. None of that means the governor personally ordered any individual release; the board votes, and the record shows how each member voted. But the governor picks the board, and by law its members serve at the governor's pleasure. Statewide, a Washington Examiner analysis found Spanberger's board had a 13.89% release rate in 2026, more than 10 times the 1.23% rate under Youngkin's board in 2025, and WJLA 7News counted 48 grants in 205 discretionary and geriatric cases since May, about 23%; in September alone, the board granted 7 of 85 cases, about 8.2%.

Parole is not the end of a sentence. The board can revoke it, and in September it revoked parole in two cases. The board's report does not say when Butchee will walk out or where he will live, questions Southampton County residents are entitled to ask.

Email the Virginia Beach Board/Council:
Robert Dyer, mayorsoffice@vbgov.com,
Michael Berlucchi, mberlucc@vbgov.com,
Stacy Cummings, stcummings@vbgov.com,
Barbara Henley, bhenley@vbgov.com,
David Hutcheson, dhutcheson@vbgov.com,
Cal Jackson-Green, cjacksongreen@vbgov.com,
Robert Remick, wremick@vbgov.com,
Amelia Ross-Hammond, arosshammond@vbgov.com,
Jennifer Rouse, jvrouse@vbgov.com,
Joashua Schulman, jschulman@vbgov.com,
Rosemary Wilson, rcwilson@vbgov.com,

Virginia Beach is an independent city in Hampton Roads.

Stafford County is a county in the Fredericksburg area. Its county seat is Stafford.

Email the Stafford County Board/Council:
Deuntay Diggs, ddiggs@staffordcountyva.gov,
Maya Guy, mguy@staffordcountyva.gov,
Kecia Evans, ksevans@staffordcountyva.gov,
Tinesha Allen, tallen@staffordcountyva.gov,
Pamela Yeung, pyeung@staffordcountyva.gov,
Darrell English, denglish@staffordcountyva.gov,
Crystal Vanuch, cvanuch@staffordcountyva.gov,

Email the Henrico County Board/Council:
Dan Schmitt, brookland@henrico.gov,
Roscoe Cooper III, fairfield@henrico.gov,
Misty Roundtree, threechopt@henrico.gov,
Jody Rogish, tuckahoe@henrico.gov,
Tyrone Nelson, varina@henrico.gov,