Driver who lands in pond identified

Published 10:53 am Wednesday, June 29, 2011

COURTLAND—The driver whose car ended up in a Courtland pond on Saturday has been identified as James Robert Johnson, 49, of Capron, Virginia State Police said.

Johnson and his passenger, Tina Marie Blair, 46, of Virginia Beach were hurt in the 4:20 p.m. accident on Highway 35, one mile south of Southampton High School, police said.

Dominica Merriweather, 25, of Richmond drove her northbound van into the path of Johnson’s soutbound car as she attempted to turn left into a driveway, police said. Johnson attempted to avoid the van, and his car left the road, hit a ditch and landed in the pond.

Merriweather was cited with failure to yield to another driver.