Kines pleads not guilty

By Nate Delesline III

Published: July 16, 2008

A Remington man whose car crash left an 8-year-old boy dead will have two separate trials, a Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday.

Fielding Taylor Kines faces two felony charges — involuntary DUI aggravated manslaughter and third offense DUI. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended license.

After Kines pleaded not guilty on all counts, Circuit Court Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. scheduled a jury trial Nov. 17 for the manslaughter charge. Kines will face a jury again on Nov. 18 to answer the DUI and suspended license charges.

Both proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

According to the Virginia State Police, Kines, 38, lost control of his car May 16 on a road in northern Culpeper County, causing the boy, Orion Bickings, to be ejected. Police say Bickings, the son of Kines’ girlfriend, died at the scene.

A warrant written by a state trooper accuses Kines of trying to hide the severity of the accident by moving the child into the car’s trunk. Kines and another 5-year-old child were not injured.

In court Wednesday, prosecutor Tom Smith argued for the charges to remain joined, saying that Kines should have recognized the potential danger of his actions.

“What we’re trying to show is that he knew or should have known of the dangerousness of his acts,” said Smith, assistant commonwealth’s attorney.

The judge asked if there were any other facts or circumstances — like prior accidents — that would indicate Kines would have recognized his actions were unsafe.

Smith said he was aware of none.

Peatross then sided with defense attorney T. Huntley Thorpe, acknowledging that trying all three charges simultaneously could expose the court to evidence that is inadmissible.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or