Evan Jones
Frankie Eugene Flint (Roanoke Police photo)
Roanoke Police have obtained a warrant for one of the men seen on store surveillance video at the time shots were fired. The video was taken at the 7/11 on Williamson Road around 2:30 am June 2nd and released late last week. Police focused on four men wanted as “persons of interest”, and, now they say one is identified. Police say have a warrant for 28-year-old Franklin Eugene Flint for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Officers are still looking for others seen in the video.
Here is the video as released by Roanoke Police, who say Flint is the man wearing green shorts at 1:19 in.
Click here for the full Roanoke Police news release on the shooting incident.
A new report shows blacks in Virginia are almost three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though federal studies show usage rates are about the same. The American Civil Liberties Union report blames the nearly three-to-one arrest ratio on police racial bias. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia agrees with President Obama that we need a balance between security and privacy, but that’s where the agreement ends. The ACLU says the government’s widespread surveillance of telephone records and internet use is sacrificing too many liberties . WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Roanoke Police hope surveillance video released today will help them determine who fired multiple gunshots outside a convenience store last weekend. Police say it happened in the 7/11 parking lot on the 3600 block of Williamson Road as a large crowd was gathered there around 2:30 am Sunday. Fights turned into gunshots, and six people were taken for hospital treatment with gunshot or graze wounds.
Click here to see the video
(Continue reading for the full Roanoke Police news release.)
A flood watch remains in effect for the region as Tropical Storm Andrea moves up the east coast, bringing heavy rains to much of Virginia. It’s the first named Atlantic storm this year, and state officials say Andrea serves early notice to the threats that come with each hurricane season. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The U.S. Forest Service is expected to rule this month on whether to prohibit “fracking” in the George Washington National Forest for the next 15 years. The forest is to the north of Roanoke, mostly between Interstate 81 and the West Virginia line. “Fracking” is the relatively new process that is unlocking new sources of natural gas in some nearby states. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling is among the state’s Republican leaders expressing concern over the party’s candidate to succeed him. In Roanoke County today, Bolling said E.W. Jackson is entitled to his views, but he is not entitled to insult people. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Bolling has created an organization to support what he calls “mainstream conservative” candidates. His Virginia Mainstream Project” is supporting candidates in several contested Republican primaries this month and buying radio ads for some of them. Bolling says Republicans are losing support from too many moderates.
Bolling was in Roanoke County this morning for a business appreciation event.
A Cave Spring High School student who survived a life-threatening illness last fall is now on boxes of Kellogg’s products. Zac Foutz was diagnosed with fungal meningis after receiving a tainted steroid injection. Zach survived, and his photo and story can be found on Kellogg packages like Frosted Flakes and Pringles. 25 cents from each box sold benefits the Children’s Miracle Network, which helps fund children’s hospitals across the country including the Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital in Roanoke WFIR’s Evan Jones has more on Zac’s story.
Zac Foutz autographed Frosted Flakes boxes Wednesday at the Starkey Road Food Lion
His photo and story will appear on various Kellogg’s products, including Frosted Flakes and Pringles.
A Roanoke family is in mourning, and so is a highway maintenance company, after yesterday’s fatal accident near Radford on Interstate 81. 40-year-old Stephen Cox of Roanoke worked for Infrastructure Corporation of America, a company VDOT contracts to clear debris from Interstate 81. State Police say Cox was on the job yesterday when he was struck and killed by a tractor trailer. ICA Chief Operating Officer Phil Stevens did not wish to be recorded, but he says the tractor trailer also hit the victim’s company truck, which was parked off the roadway on the shoulder. State police confirm his account.
Stevens says from all present indications, Cox was following all prescribed company safety procedures at the time, including wearing a safety vest and hard hat and activating the truck’s flashing lights when parked. Stevens says ICA has had similar maintenance contracts in at least seven states over 15 years, and Cox is the second company employee to be killed in such an accident.
So far, no word whether charges will be filed again the tractor trailer driver. State Police identify him as 45-year old Keith Jordan of Hamden, Connecticut.
It’s high school graduation season, but each spring, there are some seniors who are barred from the ceremonies even as they earn a diploma. School systems say it is important to maintain the same disciplinary standards from August through June, and suspensions that last through graduation should not be treated differently. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.