Crime and Public Safety
This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week, and work zones continue to be a dangerous area for workers, WFIR’s Alex Torres reports:
Update: Hershberger Road has reopened.
Previous: Roanoke City Police say a pedestrian sustained what appeared to be serious injuries when they were hit by a car this morning on Hershberger Road NW. Evidence indicates a driver was traveling west on Hershberger when the pedestrian entered the road and was hit. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating with authorities.Westbound lanes of Hershberger Road NW between Bean Street and Williamson Road NW are closed.
Previous: A listener is reporting that someone was hit by a car this morning on Hershberger Road in Roanoke City. No word on the person’s condition at this time.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. SARA Roanoke is using this time to stress its mission and educate the public. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.
SARA Roanoke is planning special events this month as a part Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Education and advocacy are always their mission. As WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno reports they are hoping to dispel some myths.
Virginia NORML is pushing back against claims Governor Youngkin made when he vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have established a retail marijuana market. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.
MGN
A fraudster is pretending to be with the City of Roanoke asking people for money… claiming they owe taxes and asking for thousands of dollars by phone to “avoid a bank or wage lien.” The City of Roanoke Treasurer’s Office will NEVER call and ask someone for their credit card information over the phone. If you are concerned that you might have fallen victim to this – you can email the treasurer’s office at treasurer-AT-Roanoke-VA-dot-gov. (Treasurer@RoanokeVA.gov)\
Roanoke City Police say a boy sustained what appeared to be critical injuries after being hit by a car last night around 5:30 in the 25 hundred block of Avenham Avenue Southwest. Preliminary investigation indicates a driver was traveling south on Avenham and hit the boy in the road. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Police now report that the child has succumbed to his injuries.
Roanoke City Police have arrested a 34-year-old man in connection with a shooting on Patton Avenue Northwest last August that claimed the life of a Patrick Henry High School student. Earlier this month, a Roanoke grand jury indicted Ronald Bonds III on charges stemming from the death of 16-year-old Jamar Muse. Authorities say another teen was injured during the incident on Patton Avenue. Witnesses claim seeing Bonds shooting into an apartment where a party “consisting mostly of juveniles” was taking place.
A twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 crashed near Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, Virginia, around 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 10. Five people were on board. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.
BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a single-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Tuesday, (Mar 5) at 9:09 p.m. on Interstate 81 northbound at the 173.8 mile-marker, one and six tenths of a mile south of High Bridge Church Road in Botetourt County.
A 2023 Freightliner tractor trailer was traveling north when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and overturned. The driver of the Freightliner was identified as Warner Scott Baker, 51, of Pearisburg, Va. Mr. Baker was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Salem Police Chief Mike Crawley courtesy photo
Salem Police Chief, Michael Crawley, announced his retirement from the force this morning, effective June 1,
2024. Crawley has served Salem’s citizens as a treasured member of the Police Department and the community for nearly 25 years. “It has been an absolute honor to work alongside the many men and women who have served in the Salem Police Department,” Crawley said. “While the world has changed drastically in the past few decades the commitment to serve and protect our Salem community has remained strong.”
Crawley, 50, began working with the Salem Police Department in December 1999 as a Patrol Officer and was voted Officer of The Year by his peers just three years into his Salem law enforcement career. After completing field service as a Patrol Officer, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Police Officer and transferred to the Detective Division in 2004 where he was assigned to the Special Investigation Unit.
“I truly need to thank the late Judge George Harris for seeing something in me many years ago and
encouraging me to better myself through law enforcement,” Crawley said. “His encouragement helped me
land my first position in Salem at a time when it was very difficult to get a job with the department.”
“When Mike left his Sergeant’s position in Vinton to take a patrol position in Salem, I thought he was crazy,
but It turns out that he knew what he was doing,” said Kevin Boggess, former Salem City Manager and Vinton
Town Manager. “He moved to a great community where he and his family have thrived, and he worked his
way through the ranks to lead a department that he loves.”
In 2006, Crawley was transferred to General Investigator, and he rose to the rank of Sergeant in that Division.
He also served as the Services Division Sergeant and Patrol Division Sergeant before being appointed to the
rank of Major by Chief Tim Guthrie in 2014. In January of 2016, he became Salem first Black Police Chief
when Boggess named him Guthrie’s successor.