Crime & Safety

Bay Bridge Donuts Driver Gets Jail Time: Reports

After pleading guilty to doing donuts on the Bay Bridge, a Virginia man is heading to jail, court records show.

On Monday, Gary Ray Montague Jr. of Dumfries, Virginia pleaded guilty to doing donuts on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Sept. 27, court records show. The 23-year-old will spend two days in jail.
On Monday, Gary Ray Montague Jr. of Dumfries, Virginia pleaded guilty to doing donuts on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Sept. 27, court records show. The 23-year-old will spend two days in jail. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

ANNAPOLIS, MD — On Monday, a Virginia man pleaded guilty to doing donuts on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge last summer, court records show. A judge sentenced the accused driver, 23-year-old Gary Ray Montague Jr. of Dumfries, to 60 days in prison.

The judge suspended 58 of those days, however. That means Montague will spend two days in jail.

The Capital Gazette reported that Montague will head to the Queen Anne’s Detention Center on Friday to serve his sentence. After his release, Montague will face 18 months of probation, the Capital added.

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A passerby caught the donuts on video on Sept. 27, 2020. Police saw the clip the same day and immediately launched an investigation.

Officers used traffic cameras to identify Montague as the suspect on Oct. 1, 2020. The Maryland Transportation Authority charged him with these misdemeanors:

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  1. Disturbance of the peace that hindered passengers
  2. Disorderly Conduct
  3. Disturbance of the peace through disorderly conduct
  4. Disturbance of the peace with loud noises

Montague only pleaded guilty to the first offense. The court dropped the other three charges.

The burnout, as some people call it, came after a rowdy car rally in Ocean City. The unofficial gathering, known as H2Oi, led to about 3,500 tickets, 2,500 traffic stops, 350 vehicle impounds and several hundred arrests, according to Gov. Larry Hogan. One officer was injured during an arrest attempt, police said.

The rally drew large crowds and shut down busy streets. Loud cars paraded around town, sometimes in a reckless manner.

It is not clear whether Montague was in Ocean City that weekend. Still, the incident happened the day H2Oi ended on the westbound span of the Bay Bridge, heading back from the Eastern Shore.

More than 9,200 Facebook users have shared the most popular video of the donuts. It has more than 2,200 comments and 2,000 reactions.

Another angle of the donuts is available here. A photo of the resulting skid marks is posted at this link.


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