Crime and Public Safety
Photo: RCSO
WENTWORTH, N.C. (AP) — A Virginia woman accused of fatally injuring her 3-month-old son has been charged with murder and child abuse, according to authorities in North Carolina.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office alleged Shantiequa Renea Woods, of Danville, Virginia, fatally injured her son while he was staying with her near Ruffin, North Carolina, last week.
The agency wrote in a statement that the child, Isaiah Woods, had suffered blunt force trauma to his head and torso. The baby was taken to a hospital Thursday night where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities were continuing to investigate.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the leader of a white nationalist rally that ended in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Jason Kessler argued in the lawsuit that law enforcement and city officials violated his free speech rights by effectuating a “heckler’s veto” on the 2017 Unite the Right rally.
Kessler argued that the defendants knew of plans by leftist “Antifa” activists to disrupt the rally, then used the expected chaos and violence caused by confrontations between alt-right protesters and “Antifa” counter-protesters as an excuse to shut down the rally.
U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon ruled Friday that the defendants did not breach any affirmative constitutional duty to Kessler.
Moon said that while the defendants had a constitutional obligation to not restrict Kessler’s speech because of the threat or possibility of public hostility to the alt-right message, they had no constitutional obligation to prevent that public hostility.
“In sum, plaintiffs’ allegations that defendants failed to prevent private parties from mutually engaging in violence that led to the declaration of an unlawful assembly did not state a claim for the violation of a constitutional right,” Moon wrote.
The August 2017 rally was held to protest the planned removal of a statute of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The event drew hundreds of white nationalists and hundreds of counterprotesters.
After authorities forced the clashing crowds to disperse, a car driven by a white nationalist plowed into a group of people, killing 32-year-old counterprotester Heather Heyer.
The driver of the car, James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced last year to life in prison.
Photo: Chris Hurst Facebook
No policies were violated and a police officer did not give Delegate Chris Hurst any preferential treatment when Hurst was stopped and released on January 26th – after he tested just above the legal threshold for drunken driving. That was the word from Christiansburg Police Chief Mark Sisson this morning.
(Police department news release) “Once a determination has been reached that there is not probable cause to arrest an individual, an officer has limited authority to restrict that individual’s liberty. The Christiansburg Police Department has issued additional guidance to officers to encourage exploring all possible alternative modes of transportation – such as ride sharing or public transportation – in future encounters. Because of the complex – and at times contradictory – nature of the provisions of the Code of Virginia and the Constitution of Virginia in this area, the Christiansburg Police Department has clarified its policy to state that while the General Assembly is in session, officers shall only arrest or charge members of the General Assembly for treason, felony offenses or offenses clearly constituting a breach of peace – which policy defines as violent offenses or an offense that creates a public disturbance or panic.
For all other offenses while the General Assembly is in session, officers shall document the offense, and if deemed warranted after consultation with the commonwealth’s attorney, obtain a warrant or summons for the offense after the session concludes. Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a lot of feedback from the public and understand not everyone agrees with the officer’s decision that night and will not agree with the results of this internal investigation,” [Sisson said]. “However, we remain confident in the judgement and integrity of our officers and trust them to make sound enforcement decisions based on objective, factual information and observations and to remain uninfluenced by social or political pressure. We continually review our procedures and performance and will always do so, particularly in matters of great public concern. We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide the best possible law enforcement service to our community.”
FROM HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF’s OFFICE:On February 18, 2020, at 9:48 pm the Martinsville-Henry County Emergency 911 Center received a call that an individual had been shot at 60 Fourth St., Fieldale, VA. At 9:52 pm deputies arrived on the scene and located the victim lying outside. The victim, Krystal Anne McReynolds, 34, of McKinley Dr., Bassett, VA, had suffered at least one gunshot wound to the face.
The victim was transported to SOVAH Health Martinsville and subsequently transferred to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Krystal Anne McReynolds was treated for life-threatening injuries. Krystal Anne McReynolds has passed away as a result of those injuries.
Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that McReynolds was approximately four to five months pregnant. The unborn child, also passed away.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Western District of Virginia will be conducting an autopsy of McReynolds and her unborn child to determine the cause and manner of death.
The suspect, Thomas Christopher McDowell, 35, of 42 Badger Dr., Fieldale, VA, was arrested and charged with the following.
· Aggravated malicious wounding
· Use of a firearm during the commission of a felony
· Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
As a result of the death, McDowell has been charged with second degree murder of Krystal Anne McReynolds and use of a firearm during the commission of murder.
McDowell is currently held in the Henry County Jail without bond.
This incident remains under investigation, and additional charges are anticipated in regards to this ongoing investigation.
Anyone having information pertaining to this incident is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at (276) 638-8751 or the Crimestoppers Program at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
(Updated) Roanoke County Police have now arrested a suspect after he was identified through the assistance of local citizens. Raphael C. Sierra, 20, of Roanoke was taken into custoday at traffic stop on the suspect around 3 this afternoon on Thirlane Rd, charged in an armed robbery that occurred at 9:48 this morning in the 3700 block of Challenger Avenue.Roanoke County Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at 9:48 this morning in the 3700 block of Challenger Avenue. The suspect took an undisclosed amount of money and fled on foot. The suspect is described as a young black male with a green hoodie. Police have set up a perimeter in the area and are using K9s for tracking. The public is encouraged to exercise caution and call 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity or anyone matching the suspect description.
(from Franklin County Sheriff’s Office) Missing: Keith Bentford Perdue, Age 56, White Male. On February 14, 2020 at approximately 09:24 AM, a family member reported Keith Bentford Perdue missing to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office after she was unable to make contact with him for the past two weeks. A wellbeing check was done at his residence, but he was not located. Mr. Perdue was last seen at Walmart in Rocky Mount, VA on February 2, 2020, confirmed via store video surveillance. A motor vehicle accident was reported by a passerby on February 2, 2020 at 21:30pm in the 1000 block of Muddy Fork Road. A vehicle registered to Mr. Perdue was recovered in that accident, but Mr. Perdue was not in the vehicle. Mr. Perdue has a history of health conditions that are a cause of concern for his disappearance.
There is currently no evidence indicating foul play, however, it is very unusual for Mr. Perdue to be gone this long without contacting his family. On February 15, 2020, members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin County Department of Public Safety began a search of the Muddy Fork area in attempts to locate Mr. Perdue. Anyone with information on the location of Mr. Perdue is urged to contact Lt. Nolen at 540-483-6662.
(VSP release) Virginia State Police is investigating a fatal motor vehicle crash which occurred on the southbound side of Interstate 81, near the 131 mile marker in Roanoke County. The crash occurred at 4:31 a.m., when a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse, traveling southbound at a high rate of speed, lost control and struck a tractor trailer in the rear. The driver of the Chevrolet, Belinda Chavez, believed to be in her 30’s, and the front seat passenger, Melissa Ayala, 36, were killed in the crash. There were 4 other occupants in the vehicle. Two adult females, and a 14 year old female juvenile, were transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. There was also an infant in the vehicle that was properly restrained, and uninjured.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured. The Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and the Motor Carrier Inspection Team were called to assist with the crash. The speed of the Chevrolet was a factor in the crash. All lanes were re-opened at 8:27 a.m.
(from City of Salem) The Salem Fire & EMS Department responded to a residential structure fire at 1006 West Riverside Drive (Lot 68) at approximately 11:23 p.m.Saturday night. One person was home at the time of the fire and escaped without injury. The first units arrived within five minutes of receiving the call and found heavy smoke coming from the eaves of a mobile home.
The fire was located inside a utility closet and was brought under control within seven minutes of the arrival of the first units.The building did sustain fire and smoke damage, but the fire was contained to the utility closet. The Salem Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the fire accidental and has estimated the damage to be $10,000. One resident was displaced and is being assisted by family.
MIDLAND, Va. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting his mother and his 6-year-old brother in their Virginia home was arrested on Saturday in North Carolina, authorities said. Levi H. Norwood’s father found his wife and younger son dead from gunshot wounds when he returned to their Midland, Virginia, home on Friday evening, news outlets reported. Norwood shot and wounded his father, who escaped and called for help, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. The father was in stable condition at a hospital.
The search for Norwood ended Saturday when he was apprehended in North Carolina, after a store’s employees reported a shoplifter to police, a sheriff’s office spokesman, Sgt. James Hartman, said in an email. Hartman said a car that Norwood was suspected of stealing was recovered at the time of his arrest. Hartman wouldn’t specify where the teenager was arrested, saying Fauquier County detectives needed to get to North Carolina and “do their job first.” He said he would release the location on Sunday or Monday. Norwood was charged with two counts of murder in the killing of Jennifer Norwood, 34, and her son Wyatt.
Roanoke Fire-EMS/FB photo
(from Roanoke FIRE-EMS) UPDATE: Cause is accidental, electrical in nature.
At 12:41am, Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to the 1900 block of Valley View Blvd NW for a fire (reported as Shakers restaurant by WDBJ-7). When units arrived they found a small fire on the roof of a restaurant. The fire was quickly extinguished, fire damage was restricted to the roof while minimal water damage was sustained inside the structure. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.