Web Staff
Virginia State Parks will celebrate New Year’s Day with First Day hikes and activities. Jim Meisner, Jr.,a spokesman for the Virginia State Park System, says there’s something going in in each of Commonwealth’s 36 state parks. The closet one to Roanoke is Smith Mountain Lake State Park, which is doing a First Day hike. He says a ranger will lead the hike along the Chestnut Ridge Trail, beginning Thursday at 1:00 p.m. It will wrap up with hot chocolate and treats at the park’s Discovery Center.
John Prillaman
Salem’s Deputy Fire-EMS Chief John Prillaman takes over as chief tomorrow, replacing retiring Chief Pat Counts. John Prillaman joined the department in 1998 and has served as deputy chief since 2010. Continue reading
Roanoke Police are investigating a stabbing and a shooting in Southeast Roanoke they believe are related. Police say a 22-year-old man showed up at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with stab wounds about the same time Saturday morning that they found the shooting victim in an alley near 9th Street and Morehead Avenue. Fifty-five-year-old Ray Ellsworth Cooper, of Roanoke died at the scene. Police say no suspects are being sought in that case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Roanoke Police Department at 540-853-2212 or the Roanoke Valley Crime Line at 540-344-8500.
From Roanoke County Police – On November 19, the Roanoke County Police Department was notified that a tower site on Poor Mountain had been broken into and various items stolen. As the investigation progressed, it was determined that additional tower sites on Poor Mountain had suffered property damage. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the following individuals:
Connie Light, 59, of Copper Hill, was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny.
Daniel Light, 24, of Copper Hill, was charged with Damaging Property, Grand Larceny and Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny.
William Dillon, 30, of Floyd, was charged with Damaging Property, Grand Larceny and Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny.
Matthew Ratcliffe, 26, of Floyd, and Amanda Hale, 23, from Copper Hill, will also be charged with Damaging Property, Grand Larceny and Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny.
Ratcliffe and Hale are currently fugitives. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Roanoke County Police Department at (540) 562-3265 or the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 745-9334.
From the U.S. Department of Justice: A police officer employed by the City of Salem, Virginia, and assigned to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force pleaded guilty today for soliciting and receiving sexual favors from a cooperating defendant in exchange for agreeing to recommend a favorable sentence to a federal prosecutor on the defendant’s behalf. Kevin C. Moore, 42, of Roanoke, Virginia, was a Salem Police Department officer and was assigned to the DEA task force in Roanoke, Virginia. According to his plea agreement and accompanying statement of facts, between June and September 2014, Moore informed a female cooperating defendant that he was in a position to help her with her pending federal methamphetamine trafficking case. In August 2014, for example, in a series of text messages with the cooperating defendant, Moore made clear that he could recommend a favorable sentence to the prosecutor on the cooperating defendant’s behalf in exchange for sexual favors. Moore then convinced the cooperating defendant to go for a ride in his official vehicle where she performed a sexual act with Moore.
(Continue reading for more of the news release.)
Roanoke’s Elmwood Park won the Best New Renovation/Addition Award at the Annual Conference of the Virginia Recreation and Park Society. The awards ceremony is a state-wide program that honors individuals, agencies and organizations throughout Virginia who have demonstrated excellence in several areas during the previous calendar year. The award submission focused on many key features of the new park including the 4,500 capacity amphitheater with its cascading grass terraces for seating and array of fountains that line the walkway and stage.