Web Staff
Robin Williams
disney.wikia.com
The apparent suicide of Robin Williams is shining a spotlight on depression and mental illness. Officials say it appears he took his own life, after recently suffering from severe depression. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, please contact someone at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can click HERE or call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Someone can help by talking to you and putting you in touch with a local practitioner.
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From Mental Health America:
Remembering Robin Williams: His Life Should Continue to Inspire Us
August 12, 2014
By Paul Gionfriddo, President/CEO
Robin Williams’ tragic and untimely death after a decades-long battle against bipolar disorder reminds us that mental illnesses are all-too-often serious and life-threatening chronic diseases.
From Roanoke City Police: On August 12, 2014 at approximately 3:40 a.m, the Roanoke Police Department responded to the 7-11 located at 2933 Williamson Rd., NE in reference to an armed robbery. Patrol officers spoke with the clerk who advised that a male had entered the store to ask the clerk a question and then immediately left. Approximately one minute later, a second male entered the store and demanded the clerk give him money. The suspect brandished a firearm during the robbery and ordered the clerk to put money and other merchandise in a bag. The suspect obtained money, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and alcohol before fleeing the scene on foot. Officers arrived on scene and immediately established a perimeter. A Botetourt County K-9 Unit responded to assist with the search for the suspect(s). While conducting the search, officers utilized the K-9 to track the suspects to an abandoned house in the 2700 block of Edison St., NE where they were taken into custody without incident. A firearm and property taken in the robbery was recovered during the arrest. Both subjects were taken to the Roanoke City Jail where warrants were obtained against Montell Ray Elliott, age 18, of Roanoke. He was charged with Principal in the Second Degree to Robbery. Dorian Clinton Wilson, age 22, of Georgia was charged with Robbery by Firearm.
Divorce is a difficult time emotionally and financially, and the Virginia Society of CPAs is presenting a workshop in Roanoke County Thursday on money issues people face at the end of a marriage. One of the presenters is Clare Levison, a local CPA and author of Frugal Isn’t Cheap: Spend Less, Save More and Live Better. Levison says people facing divorce should educate themselves fully on their finances, especially if they haven’t been the ones handling the bills and bank accounts. She recommends closing joint credit card accounts and getting some help in charting a financial future as a single person. The workshop is Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon at the South County Library. You can register by calling the Virginia Society of CPAs at 1-800-341-8189.
From the Roanoke Police Department:
The Roanoke Police Department is investigating a shots fired incident that occurred in the 300 block of Harrison Av., NW. On August 9, 2014 at approximately 10:08pm, a Patrol officer was in the area of the 300 block of Harrison Av., NW when he heard gun shots in the immediate area. The officer radioed for additional units and began checking the area on foot. A second officer responded into the area to join the search. As the officers began to enter a backyard, there heard an additional series of gun shots coming from the alley. The officers cautiously approached and announced their presence as a third series of shots was fired. The suspect immediately began to flee when the officers identified themselves. He ran out of the alley to the north, crossing Rutherford Avenue. The officers pursued the suspect but lost sight of him on Madison Avenue. A perimeter was immediately set up by additional responding officers and an extensive search was conducted in the area. The suspect was not located, however. No shots were fired by the officers.
The suspect was described as an African-American male, likely in his 20’s, 6’0″ tall, slender build with shoulder length corn rows in his hair. There were no reported injuries from the shots being fired. The investigation into the identity of the suspect and the purpose for the gunfire is on-going. Officers and Detectives are working with the community to develop additional information to help identify the individual. If you have information regarding the incident, you are encouraged to call Crime Line at (540)344-8500 or the Investigations Bureau at (540)853-5959.
From Roanoke City Police: On August 8, 2014 at approximately 3:26 a.m., a Roanoke police officer responded to an in-progress 911 call involving a distressed female heard screaming into the phone. The call originated in the 800 block of Marshall Avenue. On his way to the call, the officer impacted a 2013 International tractor trailer. The collision occurred at the intersection of 24th Street and Shenandoah Avenue NW. The preliminary investigation has revealed that the tractor trailer, headed eastbound on Shenandoah, was lawfully traveling through the intersection at the time of the collision. The police vehicle, headed southbound on 24th Street, was unable to stop in order to avoid impact. At this point in the initial investigation, it appears the officer was utilizing his emergency equipment. At this time, it appears that the speed of the police vehicle did not allow the officer to clear the intersection, making speed a factor in the crash investigation. The officer was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the tractor trailer was not hurt. The intersection was closed for several hours while officers investigated. The crash investigation is on-going. A separate internal review of the incident will also be conducted, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
UPDATE 10:55 a.m., 8/8/14: This is now clear and the barricades have been removed.
You may need to find an alternate route for your morning commute, if you travel through the Shaffer’s Crossing area of northwest Roanoke. The Roanoke Police Department is investigating an early morning officer involved traffic crash. It happened around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of 24th Street and Shenandoah Avenue.
Officials say an apartment fire in southwest Roanoke Wednesday night sent two people to the hospital. It happened around 9:15 in the 700 block of Sterling Road. Arriving fire crews found heavy smoke and flames. A firefighter received second-degree burns and one resident suffered smoke inhalation. Roanoke Fire-EMS says unattended cooking appears to be the cause. It estimates damages at $105,000 to nine units of the Stone Ridge Apartments. The Red Cross is assisting 12 adults and one child displaced by that fire. Continue reading
From Roanoke City Police: On August 6, 2014 at 2:29 a.m. Roanoke Police were dispatched to the 4600 block of Williamson Road NW, the Second Alarm sports bar, to investigate a robbery. An employee told officers that a black male in his early 20s, approximately 5’9″ with a thin build, wearing dark clothing and a mask, entered the business through a rear door. The suspect displayed what appeared to be a firearm and demanded money. After seeing the weapon, the employee ran into a room and locked the door and called 911. Officers discovered money missing from the establishment’s cash register and searched the area but the suspect was not located. If you can help investigators with any information, call the Roanoke Valley Crime Line at 540-344-8500. Tips are anonymous and rewards are offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
A man in custody for allegedly firing a gun from the rooftop of the Starlight motel on Melrose Avenue has been found dead in the Roanoke City Jail. The sheriff’s office says deputies doing security checks early yesterday morning found 43-year-old Sean Michael Lovelace unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead last night. An autopsy will determine the cause of death. Lovelace was arrested May 14th on firearms charges after the incident at the motel. Just this week, he was indicted on three new charges in connection with that incident. Continue reading
Tommy Lee Able Engle
Tommy Lee Travis Engle
FROM PATRICK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:
Tommy Lee Able Engle, the 3-year-old missing child from Patrick County, has been safely located in Pikeville, Kentucky according to Patrick Sheriff Dan Smith. An AMBER Alert was issued at 6:10 PM yesterday for the child after a string of events stemming from a domestic disturbance between the child’s parents. The child’s father, Tommy Lee Travis Engle, 34, was taken into custody without incident at 12:50 PM by law enforcement officers in Pikeville, Kentucky. Smith said that he was contacted by the elder Engle via cell phone shortly after midnight and that dialogue continued throughout the early morning hours until he was apprehended. “During the conversations with Engle, he would tell us that the child was fine, he let us talk to his son and he would send us text message pictures of the child,” the Sheriff said. “I felt much better about the situation once we were able to talk about a resolution.” Smith said that Engle has family in Pikeville, Kentucky and that he is currently being held in the Pike County Jail awaiting extradition back to Patrick County. Engle is currently wanted on two felony assault charges against the child’s mother. Smith said that multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the coordinated effort to find the child.
(Continue reading to see the earlier Amber Alert)