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Fatal Accident-WFIRFrom Virginia State Police: Franklin Co, Va. – Trooper S. M. Chaffin is investigating a pedestrian that was struck on Route 220, just south of Route 635, at 8:37 pm in Franklin County. A 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling north on Route 220, just south of Route 635 when the motorcycle struck a deer in the roadway.  The driver was separated from the motorcycle and was in the roadway when he was struck by a 2013 Freightliner truck.  The Freightliner continued north on Route 220 and was stopped by law enforcement in the Town of Boones Mill. The driver of the Harley Davidson was identified as Carl Edward Pence, 35, of Rocky Mount, VA.  Mr. Pence was wearing a helmet and died at the scene. The 2013 Freightliner was driven by Kevin Blackburn, 37, of Thomasville, NC.  Mr. Blackburn was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured. Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation are assisting with the investigation. Kevin Blackburn has been charged with Felony Hit and Run. The crash remains under investigation.

wfir-defaultUPDATED 12:40 pm – Bomb threats have now disrupted classes today at two Roanoke County high schools. The latest is William Byrd. In both cases, school officials evacuated the buildings so police could search them for any suspicious items. The first threat disrupted classes at Northside High School, but school officials say classes there would resume as normal once the police search was completed.

EARLER: Roanoke County School Officials say Northside High School is being evacuated after a bomb threat. Police are being called in to investigate. School officials say parents are not able to pick up students, and they ask parents to stay away for now.

 

Fatal Accident-WFIRFrom Virginia State Police: BEDFORD, Va. – Virginia State Police Senior Trooper J. E. Edgell is investigating a single vehicle fatal crash that occurred at 2:24 pm April 16, 2016 on Route 616, a half mile west of Route 1600 in Bedford County. A 1996 Honda Civic was traveling west on Route 616 when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and struck several trees. The 1996 Honda was driven by Caleb Wayne Drewery, 25, of Goodview, Va.  Mr. Drewery was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene.  The vehicle was also occupied by a male juvenile, 12 years of age.  The juvenile was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

Roonoke County SchoolsUPDATED 1:05 pm: From Roanoke County Public Schools: The lockdown at Northside High School has been lifted. Additional security measures will remain in place. We continue to dismiss students to parents who come to check out their children. We are serving students lunch and those students remaining at school will continue their classes on an abbreviated schedule. Northside Middle School remains on a normal schedule. All evening activities at NHS (athletics and school play) have been postponed for today.

PREVIOUSLY:  Northside high school is on lockdown after a message stating “shooting at noon” was discovered in a bathroom today. We are working with the Roanoke County Police to investigate this incident. Again, the school is on lockdown as a precaution. At this time, all students and staff are safe.  As we learn more information, we will keep you informed.

Roanoke-CountyUPDATE: Fire Investigators have determined that Saturday’s fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking material. Just one room and its contents were damaged. Damage estimates are $2,500.

From Roanoke County: April 9, 2016 —Roanoke County Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to the 5600 block of Hickory Drive at about 2:30 p.m. for a reported structure fire. First arriving units from Fort Lewis and Masons Cove were able to extinguish the flames promptly and contain the damage to one room. A fire investigator is on scene.

Clearbrook FireUPDATED Friday 4:05 pm: From Roanoke County Fire and Rescue: The Office of the Medical Examiner has identified a man whose body was recovered from a burned out house on Amanda Lane  as that of 49-year-old Robert Lee Hypes, Jr. Hypes lived in the house. According to the medical examiner, his death was caused by inhalation of products of combustion. Due to the amount of destruction, the cause of the fire is undetermined; however investigators believe it to be accidental in nature.

UPDATE: Roanoke County officials confirm one person died in the fire.

From Roanoke County Fire and Rescue: At about 6:45 p.m., the incident commander marked the house fire under control. The intense flames coming from a single story house did spread to an outbuilding in close proximity to the home. Flames also sparked a small brush fire that crews were were able to quickly extinguish. The patient who was transported to a local hospital was an adult male. Some crews will remain on scene to douse the hot spots. Fire investigators are beginning their work to determine what caused this fire.

Crews were dispatched to a structure fire in the 5300 block of Amanda Lane at about 5:00 p.m.  A caller reported to the  911 center that a house near his was “fully involved.” When the first fire crews arrived, they entered the structure to begin their primary search of the residence.  Soon, the incident commander advised firefighters to evacuate because of a fully involved structure and unsafe conditions. Crews from the Clearbrook, Cave Spring, Back Creek and Bent Mountain Stations responded to this fire. We have transported one patient to a local hospital with what seems to be non-life threatening injuries.