Source. Virginia DCIS + CIS, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Last refreshed May 2, 2026
Cases of record · 202584

Cary Bowen appeared as defense counsel of record in 84 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.

Court level
67 % District · 33 % Circuit
Primary jurisdiction
Nottoway County · 24 cases
Most common charge
Weapons Offense · 8

Case outcomes

Resolved cases — 69 of 84. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.

Convicted of original charge
23
33%
Dropped
33
48%
Nolle prossed
25
Dismissed
8
Reduced to a lesser charge
7
10%
Within charge family
7
Acquitted
6
9%

Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.

Plea vs trial

Of 36 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.

Pled guilty
2878%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
822%
6 acquittals · 2 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
75%
6 of 8 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.

Top charge — Weapons Offense

Cary Bowen's most common charge category in 2025 (8 cases of record · 7 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.

Convicted of original charge
2
29%
Dropped
4
57%
Reduced to a lesser charge
0
0%

Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Weapons Offense page for jurisdiction-wide context.

Cases like yours

Cary Bowen's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.

Charge Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Weapons Offense Nottoway County 4 2 2

Each row links to Cary Bowen's charge × jurisdiction page where outcomes for that combination are visible site-wide.

Reduction targets

When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.

Defective Equipment Generally
2
Assault & Battery
1
Drugs: Possess Schedule Iii
1
DWI, First Offense
1
Speeding 15-19 Over In 55/70 Zone
1
Stalking: Fear Of Death/Asslt
1

Where cases were heard

Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.

Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Nottoway County 24 17 7
Amelia County 23 22 1
Caroline County 6 6 0
Spotsylvania County 6 0 6
Buckingham County 4 2 2
Fredericksburg 4 4 0
Henrico County 4 0 4
Lunenburg County 4 4 0
Brunswick County 3 0 3

Case mix by charge

Charge categories Cary Bowen appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.

Charge category Cases Resolved Convicted Dropped Reduced
Other 37 31 11 17 1
Weapons Offense 8 7 2 4 0
DUI / DWI 7 6 3 2 1
Larceny / Theft 4 1 0 1 0
Traffic Infraction 4 4 1 1 2
Drug Possession 3 1 0 1 0
Failure to Appear 3 2 1 0 0
Murder / Manslaughter 3 3 0 3 0
Stalking 2 2 1 0 1
Trespassing 2 2 0 0 0

Other attorneys with cases in Nottoway County

Listed by case volume in Nottoway County, 2025.

Attorney Nottoway County cases Total (statewide)
Preston Williams 418 875
Ben Spence 260 276
Benjamin Spence 181 208
E Gordon Peters 140 174
William; Iii Smith 43 57
William N; Iii Smith 36 118
William Smith 25 111

View all attorneys with cases in Nottoway County →

What this data does not show

  • Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
  • Federal court cases — state-court records only
  • Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
  • Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
  • Quality of legal representation
  • The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.

Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.

Common questions

Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.

Cary Bowen appeared as defense counsel of record in 84 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 56 in District Court and 28 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Nottoway County, with 24 of 84 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Cary Bowen's case record was Weapons Offense (8 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 69 resolved cases: 33% convicted of original charge (23), 48% dropped (33 = 25 nolle prossed + 8 dismissed), 10% reduced to a lesser charge (7), 9% acquitted (6). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 36 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 28 (78%) resolved by guilty plea and 8 (22%) went to trial — 6 acquittals and 2 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.

Looking for representation in Nottoway County? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.

Methodology

Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.

Citation

VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Cary Bowen — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/cary-bowen. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.

Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.