Evan Jones
Creigh Deeds
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Authorities could detain a mentally ill individual for up to 24 hours in emergency custody under a bill approved by the Virginia Senate. The upper chamber voted 38-0 Monday to approve a proposal by Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Democrat from Bath County.
Deeds was attacked last year by his son, Gus, after the younger Deeds was released from an emergency custody order hours earlier. Gus Deeds was released after a local community services board said it was unable to locate an available psychiatric bed in the area within the six hours allotted by law.Gus Deeds committed suicide after attacking his father. In an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, Deeds said giving authorities extra time to find psychiatric beds could help save lives.
Jessica Ewing, Keifer Brown (Blacksburg Police photos)
Two people are under arrest on charges related to a Blacksburg murder investigation that started yesterday. Virginia Tech says one of those charged is a current student, another is a recent graduate, and both live off-campus. 22-year-old Jessica Ewing is charged with murder, and 23-year-old Keifer Brown faces accessory after the fact. Both are from Blacksburg. Police there are not yet saying who was killed, when or how.
Click here to read the full Virginia Tech statement.
The State Board of Election is already looking ahead to July 1st, the date a new voter ID law will take effect. That is when anyone without a government or employer-issued photo ID must get one from a local registrar’s office to ensure their vote is counted election day. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
New textbooks for Virginia’s students could note that the Sea of Japan is also known as the East Sea. Both houses of the General Assembly have approved bills requiring both names. Backers of the change say it addresses a horrifying period of Korean history, but opponents say this would set a bad precedent of legislative interference. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
With more people growing food on their properties — and more urban gardens and farms popping up — comes a greater need and interest in beekeeping. And the Lynchburg-based Piedmont Beekeepers Association is offering courses to help people get started. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
An unusually cold January is past us — now come unusually high heating bills. But the natural gas utilities serving Lynchburg and Roanoke say there is a moderating factor. The difference is the growing supply of domestically-produced natural gas that has prices about 10% lower than last year. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Jeremy Bailey (Vinton Police photo)
Vinton Police report a woman was raped and stabbed overnight on the 1200 block of Ruddell Road. Here is the full Vinton Police news release:
On this date at approximately 4:30am, a call was received from a local hospital reporting that an adult female was in the emergency room suffering from a stab wound and advising that she had been raped. Detectives and officers responded and information was received that the suspect had forcibly raped the victim and used a knife during the incident, cutting the victim in the process. The victim is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Warrants were obtained on Jeremy Dean Bailey, 30 year old male, for malicious wounding (18.2-51.2) and rape (18.2-61 / 18.2-67.5:2). Because of the nature of the incident and information received concerning the suspect, the Roanoke County SWAT team was contacted in an attempt to locate the suspect, and the U.S. Marshal Service assisted in the search for Bailey. Suspect was located in Bedford County early this afternoon and taken into custody without incident by the Marshal Service.
Radford University announced today it is discontinuing several sports at the end of the current school year. Here is a portion of the Radford statement:
“As a part of a realignment in the Athletics offerings at Radford University, the Board of Visitors voted Tuesday to confirm the addition of women’s lacrosse as a varsity sport for the Highlanders. This reconfiguration also discontinues the University’s varsity sponsorship of the field hockey, swimming and diving, men’s indoor track and field, and men’s outdoor track and field programs effective at the conclusion of their 2013-14 seasons, respectively.
A bank robbery in Roanoke County led police to order lockdowns at several schools in the Cave Spring area, but police tell us the lockdown has been lifted. Assistant Chief Mike Warner tells WFIR News police believe the robber has left the area around the bank, and there is no longer reason to believe anyone is in potential danger.
The robbery occurred at the Union First Market branch on Electric Road. Roanoke County school officials say the following were on precautionary lockdowns:
- Cave Spring Elementary School
- Cave Spring Middle School
- Cave Spring High School
- Green Valley Elementary School
- Hidden Valley Middle School
- Hidden Valley High School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
- Penn Forest Elementary School
North Cross School is closest to the bank and it, too, was under a lockdown.
Chief Chris Perkins
Roanoke Police Chief Chris Perkins says he will object to new liquor license applications in neighborhoods with high-than-normal crime rates. The chief told City Council members yesterday that numbers in Roanoke — and studies elsewhere — show higher rates of drug, firearms and assault offenses where there’s a greater number of liquor licenses. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.