08/28/2026
Not only did this individual ram into and heavily damage one of our firehouses, he also entered a secured building while several of our members were sleeping. Every third day, this is our “home”.
This punishment is a major disappointment to our members and organization.
Chesterfield Teen, Former State Champion Quarterback Who Crashed Into Fire Station Pleads Guilty to DWI, Vandalism
Chesterfield County, Va. — Carson Lambert, the former Benedictine College Preparatory state champion quarterback who crashed into a Chesterfield fire station earlier this year and is now listed on a university football roster in West Virginia, pleaded guilty Friday morning to driving while intoxicated and a reduced misdemeanor property-destruction charge.
A judge sentenced Lambert to 12 months in jail on the DWI charge but suspended the entire sentence.
As part of a plea agreement, Lambert’s original felony charge of damaging a public building valued at $1,000 or more was reduced to misdemeanor destruction of property valued at less than $1,000. Lambert pleaded guilty to the reduced charge, with sentencing scheduled for his next court appearance on August 27, 2027.
The remaining charges against Lambert—possessing a false operator’s license, entering property to cause damage and refusing a blood or breath test—were dropped under the agreement.
Lambert must pay a fine, abstain from alcohol and drugs for one year and cannot operate a vehicle for one year. The court also ordered him to complete the GRACY program as soon as possible.
GRACY, which stands for “Get Real About Choices and Consequences for You,” is a hospital-based educational and diversion program operated by VCU Health. The program is designed to address the consequences of reckless behavior and decisions involving alcohol and drugs in an effort to prevent additional offenses, injuries and deaths, according to VCU Health.
Friday’s plea agreement came after the case had been continued five consecutive times. Following Lambert’s previous court appearance in July, his father told Virginia Statewide Incidents and other reporters, “I hope one day you guys will get the real story.”
When asked at the time to explain what he meant, Lambert’s father responded, “I can’t do that yet.”
Virginia Statewide Incidents again approached him following this morning’s hearing and asked if he could now provide any further information. This time, he replied, “No comment.”
The charges stemmed from a January 4 crash at Chesterfield Fire and EMS Station 7 on Hull Street Road.
Chesterfield police responded to the station at approximately 2:58 a.m. and found damage to two glass bay doors. Authorities said Lambert intentionally rammed the building multiple times before entering the station through one of the damaged areas.
Police previously said the vehicle Lambert drove to the fire station was determined to have been stolen out of Richmond.
A Chesterfield Fire and EMS employee detained Lambert inside the station and contacted police.
A criminal complaint obtained by Virginia Statewide Incidents details what Lambert told officers following the crash.
According to the complaint, Lambert said he had been “getting jumped in Richmond at a bar” before fleeing the area. He told officers he then got into what he described as a “random car,” started it and drove approximately 30 minutes to Chesterfield.
Lambert reportedly told officers he eventually arrived at the fire station because he “wanted help from the firefighters.”
After “honking on the horn with no avail,” Lambert told officers he drove into the building to wake the firefighters.
“He ran into it once, he backed out then ran into it again,” an officer wrote in the complaint.
Lambert also admitted that he had consumed “three drinks” earlier that evening and said they were all shots, according to the document. When asked “how drunk he was out of 10,” investigators wrote that Lambert answered “2-3.”
The officer reported that Lambert had bloodshot eyes, while a witness reportedly described his driving before the crash as erratic.
The complaint further states that Lambert’s father told officers his son had been angry about getting into a fight and had run into the woods while they were driving home.
Lambert was 18 and a senior at Benedictine when the fire station crash occurred. He was the starting quarterback for the school’s state championship football team and had planned to continue his football career at Hampden-Sydney College, but his admission was later rescinded.
Lambert has also previously been connected to a separate juvenile matter stemming from an illegal street race that resulted in a fatal May 2024 crash in Goochland County. Sources previously told Virginia Statewide Incidents that Lambert was named in connection with the second vehicle involved in the race. The crash killed Tucker High School students Aiden Schmidt and Joseph Castro.
Bluefield State University’s official 2026 football roster now lists Lambert as a freshman quarterback. The university is located in Bluefield, West Virginia.
Stay with Virginia Statewide Incidents for continued coverage of this developing case.
