Gas station brawl leads to guilty plea

A Waynesboro gang member will spend two years in prison after pleading guilty to a beating at a city gas station.

Robby Maybush, 20, was sentenced in Waynesboro Circuit Court Wednesday on assault and gang participation charges in the May 10, 2008, attack.

The incident began when Maybush and Joshua Talley shouted at Garrett and Katrina Spears as they walked past the Sunoco gas station at 420 North Poplar Ave., Assistant Attorney General Phil Figura said during Talley’s August hearing.

According to Figura, after the woman and Maybush shouted at one another, Katrina Spears kicked Maybush while Talley went after Garrett Spears. Another car pulled in and other gang members got out and joined the attack, Figura said.

The account from Talley’s attorney, Mike Hallahan, differed.

Talley, 21, was pumping gas, Hallahan said, when Garrett and Katrina Spears walked past. Garrett Spears and Maybush began arguing and Maybush hit Garrett Spears in the face, before Talley “made a poor decision,” Hallahan said, and jumped in.

Figura said the attack might have been aimed at drawing one of the victim’s relatives – a known gang member – into a fight.

Talley received a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to a felony charge of participating in a criminal act as part of a gang, and to a misdemeanor charge for assaulting Garrett Spears. A charge against Talley for assaulting a woman in the incident was dropped.

Maybush is being held at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona, while Talley is being held at the Mecklenburg Correctional Center in Boydton.

Maybush also received one year of supervised probation on release, and will serve another seven years of unsupervised probation.