Crime and Public Safety
Courtesy TSA
Another person has been stopped by TSA with a loaded gun at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. It happened yesterday when a man was stopped with a.380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets. The checkpoint X-ray monitor detected the handgun inside a carry-on bag. Airport police responded, confiscated the handgun and cited the man on a weapons charge. It marked the fourth gun that TSA officers have detected at the airport so far this year. In 2018, six guns were found at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport checkpoints.
Photo: BCSO
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE:Jeffrey Todd Lynch was arrested this evening in Bedford County.
PREVIOUS NEWS RELEASE UPDATE: The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office has obtained arrest warrants for Jeffrey Todd Lynch, Bedford, for the burglary of Red Rock Store on October 21, 2019.
Someone broke into a Smith Mountain Lake-area business overnight, and the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office is asking for helping identifying and locating the suspect. Officials say it happened at the Red Rock Store near the Halesford Bridge in Moneta. The suspect forced entry to break in and steal merchandise before taking off.
NEWS RELEASE: This morning at 1:25 a.m. Bedford County 911 received a call a business alarm from Red Rock Store located near Halesford Bridge in Moneta. The suspect arrived in a small dark blue SUV. The suspect appears to be a white male forced entry into the store and stole merchandise. Anyone with information on this crime, please contact the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office at 540-586-7827 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900 or go online to http://cvcrimestoppers.org. Enter your tip online at http://p3tips.com or use the P3TIPS app on your mobile device. Crime Stopper callers remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward up to $1,000.00.
(from Virginia State Police) BOTETOURT, Va. – Virginia State Police Trooper A.S. Cummings is investigating a single vehicle crash which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Saturday (Oct 19) at 9:59 p.m. on Roanoke Road, one tenth of a mile south of Ashley Way in Botetourt County. A 2008 Ford Ranger was traveling north on Roanoke Road when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway, overcorrected, crossed the roadway and struck a utility pole.
The driver of the Ford was identified as Charles Robert Lawrence, 30, of Roanoke, Va. Mr. Lawrence was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. Route 220 northbound was closed for approximately two hours while the crash was cleared. The crash remains under investigation.
Chase Austin (VSP photo)
State Police say the man shot by Roanoke Police yesterday later died under hospital treatment. He is identified as 28-year-old Chase Austin of Vinton. Troopers say city police were called to the Krispy Kreme on Hershberger Road because Austin had previously been banned from the business and refused to leave. Officials say Austin pointed a handgun at the officer before he was shot. Police say in addition, Austin was wanted on several charges and was in possession of a stolen gun.
NEWS RELEASE: At the request of the Roanoke Police Department the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Salem), is investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. October 16, 2019, at the Krispy Kreme on Hershberger Road in Roanoke City.
The Roanoke Police Department received a call for trespassing from the Krispy Kreme that a male subject, which had been previously banned from the Krispy Kreme was on the property and refused to leave. A responding officer located the subject on the property and began to speak with him. The subject became confrontational and produced a black semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at the officer. The officer fired his service weapon, striking the subject who then ran from scene. The officer pursued on foot, and the subject was then taken into custody a short distance from the scene.
Chase Andrew Austin, 28, of Vinton, Va. was transported with life-threatening injuries to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where he later died. Austin was wanted on several charges and was in possession of a firearm stolen from a vehicle in the City of Roanoke.
In accordance with Roanoke Police Department policy, the officer which was involved has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation has been completed. Upon the completion of the investigation, the Virginia State Police will produce the findings of the investigation to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in the City of Roanoke.
A Roanoke patrol vehicle was damaged in a crash involving several other vehicles while responding to the incident. Minor injuries were reported.
No officers were injured in the shooting. The officer involved in the motor vehicle crash was treated for minor injuries.
L-R Jane Lillian Vance, Gil and Dan Harrington, WFIR’s Gene Marrano
It was 10 years ago today that 20-year-old Morgan Harrington went missing after leaving a concert by herself in Charlottesville. Her parents Gil and Dan Harrington picked up the pieces somehow – and today they were live in-studio with WFIR’s Gene Marrano to reflect on Morgan’s legacy:
Click below to hear the complete in-studio conversation with the Harringtons and Morgan’s art teacher Jane Lillian Vance
MGN
Some schools in Roanoke City, Bedford, Craig, Franklin and Montgomery Counties among those in line for new Virginia school security equipment grants. Governor Northam today awarded $6 million in grants to 340 schools in 70 school divisions. The goal is to better protect students and teachers.
A full list of area schools included in the grant can be found toward the bottom of this news release:
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today awarded $6 million in School Security Equipment Grants to help protect students and teachers in 340 schools in 70 school divisions. The grants will pay for video monitoring systems, voice and video internal communications systems, mass notification systems, visitor-identification systems, access control systems, two-way radios, security vestibules, and other security upgrades.
“Virginia’s public schools must be safe learning environments where our children can grow, thrive, and prepare for a lifetime of achievement,” said Governor Northam. “That’s why I asked the 2019 General Assembly to more than double the maximum grant allowed for each school division, and worked with state lawmakers to double the total annual appropriation for this critical program. This funding represents an important investment in the safety and security of our students and teachers in every corner of the Commonwealth.”
The criteria for making the awards — developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services — give priority to schools most in need of modern security equipment, schools with relatively high numbers of offenses, schools with equipment needs identified by a school security audit, and schools in divisions least able to afford security upgrades. This year — at the recommendation of Governor Northam’s Student Safety Workgroup — additional weight was given to applications from elementary schools.
“The Commonwealth’s most precious resource is our children,” said Secretary of Education Atif Qarni. “These school security grants allow schools to implement innovative technology which will help protect Virginia’s students every day.”
The maximum annual award for a school division is now $250,000, compared with $100,000 previously. Next year, the total annual appropriation for the program will double, from $6 million, to $12 million.
“On behalf of my colleagues in schools across the commonwealth, I thank Governor Northam and the General Assembly for their leadership in providing our schools with additional resources to protect students and teachers from potential threats, and to respond effectively to emergency situations,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane. “In many cases, the School Security Equipment Grant Program provides funds for divisions and schools to address specific vulnerabilities identified during annual school security audits.”
The divisions awarded school security equipment grants are as follows:
- Albemarle County — $27,777 for Mary Carr Greer Elementary
- Alleghany County — $164,415 for Alleghany High and Sharon Elementary
- Arlington County — $6,100 for Taylor Elementary
- Augusta County — $117,075 for Riverheads High, Stuarts Draft High, and Wilson Memorial High
- Bedford County — $38,906 for Bedford Elementary, Big Island Elementary, Otter River Elementary, and Staunton River High
- Bristol — $83,961 for Joseph Van Pelt Elementary
- Brunswick County — $25,866 for Red Oak-Sturgeon Elementary
- Buena Vista — $100,633 for Enderly Heights Elementary, F.W. Kling Jr. Elementary, and Parry McCluer Middle
- Campbell County — $35,145 for Altavista Elementary, Leesville Road Elementary, and Rustburg Elementary
- Carroll County — $4,325 for Oakland Elementary
- Charles City County — $46,834 for Charles City County Elementary and Charles City County High
- Charlotte County — $65,566 for Bacon District Elementary, Central Middle, Eureka Elementary, Phenix Elementary, and Randolph-Henry High
- Charlottesville — $26,924 for Jackson-Via Elementary and Johnson Elementary
- Chesapeake — $173,325 for Deep Creek High, Greenbrier Middle, and Hugo A. Owens Middle
- Chesterfield County — $250,000 for Falling Creek Middle
- Craig County — $50,400 for McCleary Elementary
- Culpeper County — $66,558 for Farmington Elementary, Pearl Sample Elementary, and Sycamore Park Elementary
- Cumberland County — $58,067 for Cumberland Elementary
- Danville — $16,637 for Grove Park Preschool
- Dickenson County — $180,191 for Ervinton Elementary, Ridgeview High, and Ridgeview Middle
- Dinwiddie County — $34,674 for Dinwiddie County Middle, Dinwiddie Elementary, Southside Elementary, and Sutherland Elementary
- Fairfax County — $236,102 for Crestwood Elementary, Dogwood Elementary, Parklawn Elementary, Riverside Elementary, and Whitman Middle
- Franklin County — $34,699 for Boones Mill Elementary and Sontag Elementary
- Galax — $48,000 for Galax High and Galax Middle
- Grayson County — $25,221 for Fairview Elementary and Independence Elementary
- Greensville County — $57,156 for Edward W. Wyatt Middle, Greensville County High, and Greensville Elementary
- Halifax County — $223,558 for Clays Mill Elementary, Cluster Springs Elementary, Halifax County High, Halifax County Middle, Meadville Elementary, Sinai Elementary, South Boston Elementary, and Sydnor Jennings Elementary
- Hampton — $201,846 for A.W.E. Bassette Elementary, Aberdeen Elementary, Alfred S. Forrest Elementary, Armstrong Elementary, Barron Elementary, Benjamin Syms Middle, Booker Elementary, C. Alton Lindsay Middle, Captain John Smith Elementary, Cesar Tarrant Middle, Christopher C. Kraft Elementary, Francis Asbury Elementary, George P. Phenix Elementary, Hampton High, Hunter B. Andrews PreK-8, Jane H. Bryan Elementary, John B. Cary Elementary, John Tyler Elementary, Kecoughtan High, Luther W. Machen Elementary, Paul Burbank Elementary, Phillips Elementary, Phoebus High, Samuel P. Langley Elementary, Thomas Eaton Middle, Tucker-Capps Elementary, and William Mason Cooper Elementary
- Hanover County — $4,942 for Beaverdam Elementary, Cold Harbor Elementary, and John M. Gandy Elementary
- Harrisonburg — $11,132 for Thomas Harrison Middle
- Henry County — $41,383 for Axton Elementary, Drewry Mason Elementary, Fieldale-Collinsville Middle, and Laurel Park Middle
- Hopewell — $223,213 for Carter G. Woodson Middle, Dupont Elementary, Harry E. James Elementary, Hopewell High, Patrick Copeland Elementary, and Woodlawn Pre-School Learning Center
- Isle of Wight County — $41,122 for Hardy Elementary and Westside Elementary
- King and Queen County — $38,223 for Central High and Lawson-Marriott Elementary
- Lee County — $88,071 for Dryden Elementary, Elydale Middle, Flatwoods Elementary, Pennington Middle, and St. Charles Elementary
- Lunenburg County — $7,830 for Kenbridge Elementary, Lunenburg Middle, and Victoria Elementary
- Lynchburg — $121,510 for Dearington Elementary/Innovation, Heritage Elementary, Robert S. Payne Elementary, Sandusky Middle, and William M. Bass Elementary
- Madison County — $163,891 for Madison County High, Waverly Yowell Elementary, and William H. Wetsel Middle
- Manassas City — $1,586 for Jennie Dean Elementary
- Martinsville — $80,553 for Albert Harris Elementary, Martinsville High, Martinsville Middle, and Patrick Henry Elementary
- Mathews County — $20,796 for Thomas Hunter Middle
- Mecklenburg County — $80,763 for Chase City Elementary, LaCrosse Elementary, and Park View High
- Montgomery County — $80,145 for Christiansburg Elementary, Christiansburg Primary, and Harding Avenue Elementary
- Nelson County — $64,203 for Tye River Elementary
- Newport News — $239,134 for B.C. Charles Elementary, Carver Elementary, David A. Dutrow Elementary, Deer Park Elementary, Denbigh Early Childhood Center, Discovery STEM Academy, General Stanford Elementary, George J. McIntosh Elementary, Hidenwood Elementary, Hilton Elementary, Horace H. Epes Elementary, John Marshall Early Childhood Center, Joseph H. Saunders Elementary, Kiln Creek Elementary, L.F. Palmer Elementary, Mary Passage Middle, Menchville High, Newsome Park Elementary, Oliver C. Greenwood Elementary, Point Option Alternative School, R.O. Nelson Elementary, Richard T. Yates Elementary, Riverside Elementary, Sedgefield Elementary, T. Ryland Sanford Elementary, Willis A. Jenkins Elementary, and Woodside High
- Norfolk — $237,018 for Azalea Gardens Middle, Berkley/Campostella Early Childhood Education Center, Blair Middle, Booker T. Washington High, Chesterfield Academy Elementary, Coleman Place Elementary, Crossroads Elementary, Easton Preschool, Granby Elementary, Granby High, Ingleside Elementary, Jacox Elementary, James Monroe Elementary, Lake Taylor School, Lake Taylor High , Larrymore Elementary, Lindenwood Elementary, Little Creek Elementary, Mary Calcott Elementary, Northside Middle, Norview Elementary, Norview Middle, Oceanair Elementary, P.B. Young, Sr. Elementary, Sherwood Forest Elementary, St. Helena Elementary, Suburban Park Elementary, Tanners Creek Elementary, The Academy of International Studies at Rosemont, Tidewater Park Elementary, Walter Herron Taylor Elementary, Willard Model Elementary, William H. Ruffner Middle, and Fairlawn Elementary
- Norton — $135,287 for Norton Elementary
- Nottoway County — $8,535 for Blackstone Primary, Crewe Primary, Nottoway Intermediate, and Nottoway Middle
- Orange County — $77,940 for Locust Grove Middle and Taylor Alternative Education Complex Feeding Site
- Patrick County — $15,943 for Patrick County High and Patrick Springs Elementary
- Pittsylvania County — $160,372 for Chatham Elementary, Gretna Elementary, and Kentuck Elementary
- Portsmouth — $207,167 for Brighton Elementary, Churchland Elementary, Douglass Park Elementary, Hodges Manor Elementary, I.C. Norcom High, James Hurst Elementary, John Tyler Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Mount Hermon Preschool Center, Olive Branch Preschool Center, Park View Elementary, Simonsdale Elementary, Victory Elementary, Westhaven Elementary, and Woodrow Wilson High
- Prince Edward County — $34,621 for Prince Edward County High and Prince Edward Middle
- Prince George County — $6,654 for William A. Walton Elementary
- Prince William County — $48,637 for Dale City Elementary, Enterprise Elementary, and Kerrydale Elementary
- Radford — $72,479 for Belle Heth Elementary, John N. Dalton Intermediate, McHarg Elementary, and Radford High
- Richmond — $171,673 for Armstrong High, Franklin Military Academy, and John B. Cary Elementary
- Roanoke — $104,223 for Addison Aerospace Magnet Middle, Breckinridge Middle, Fairview Elementary, Fishburn Park Elementary, Garden City Elementary, Hurt Park Elementary, Lincoln Terrace Elementary, Monterey Elementary, Patrick Henry High, Roanoke Academy For Mathematics and Science Elementary, Westside Elementary, and Woodrow Wilson Middle
- Rockbridge County — $92,000 for Maury River Middle School and Natural Bridge Elementary
- Scott County — $174,156 for Duffield-Pattonsville Primary, Dungannon Intermediate, Fort Blackmore Primary, Hilton Elementary, Nickelsville Elementary, Rye Cove Intermediate, Shoemaker Elementary, Twin Springs High, Weber City Elementary, and Yuma Elementary
- Smyth County — $106,664 for Atkins Elementary, Chilhowie Elementary, Marion Elementary, Marion Middle, Northwood High, Northwood Middle, Oak Point Elementary, Saltville Elementary, and Sugar Grove Elementary
- Southampton County — $84,483 for Capron Elementary and Southampton Middle
- Spotsylvania County — $4,991 for Harrison Road Elementary
- Staunton — $33,320 for Bessie Weller Elementary
- Suffolk — $208,892 for Elephant’s Fork Elementary, John F. Kennedy Middle, and Kilby Shores Elementary
- Tazewell County — $66,536 for Abb’s Valley-Boissevain Elementary, Dudley Primary, Graham High, Graham Intermediate, Graham Middle, Richlands Elementary, Richlands Middle, Tazewell Intermediate, Tazewell Middle, and Tazewell Primary
- Virginia Beach — $144,197 for Arrowhead Elementary, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, Bayside Elementary, Bayside Middle, Birdneck Elementary, Brandon Middle, Brookwood Elementary, Diamond Springs Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Green Run Elementary, Green Run High, Hermitage Elementary, Holland Elementary, Indian Lakes Elementary, Kempsville Elementary, Kempsville High, Kempsville Meadows Elementary, Kempsville Middle, King’s Grant Elementary, Landstown Elementary, Lynnhaven Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Newtown Elementary, Parkway Elementary, Pembroke Elementary, Pembroke Meadows Elementary, Point O’View Elementary, Providence Elementary, Red Mill Elementary, Rosemont Elementary, Rosemont Forest Elementary, Salem Elementary, Thalia Elementary, W.T. Cooke Elementary, Williams Elementary, Windsor Oaks Elementary, Windsor Woods Elementary, and Woodstock Elementary
- West Point — $20,796 for West Point Middle/High
- Winchester — $43,792 for Frederick Douglass Elementary and Garland R. Quarles Elementary
- Wise County — $31,166 for St. Paul Elementary, Union High, Union Middle, and Wise Primary
A local match of 25 percent is required of most divisions. Three school divisions with composite indices of local-ability-to-pay of less than 0.2 — Buena Vista, Lee County, and Scott County — and the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind are exempt from the local-match requirement.
The School Security Equipment Grants program was established by the 2013 General Assembly in the aftermath of the December 14, 2012, mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
MGN
An officer-involved shooting today in Roanoke has sent one person to the hospital. It happened along the 1600 block of Hershberger Road near the former Crossroads Mall. Roanoke Police Sergeant Stephen Keatts was able to make public a few details at the scene:
That with Freelance Reporter Andre Whitehead. Police say the officer was responding to a trespassing call, noticed the suspect had a firearm and at some point in the encounter, fired his service revolver. Police say the suspect fled on foot but was a captured a short distance away. As is usual practice in such cases, state police will take over the investigation from here.
NEWS RELEASE: On October 16, 2019 at around 12:45 pm, Roanoke Police were dispatched to a trespassing call at a business in the 1600 block of Hershberger Road NW. A responding officer located the subject on scene and began to speak with them. The officer observed that the subject had a firearm. During the encounter, the officer fired his service weapon at the individual. The suspect was struck by the officer’s gunfire, then fled on foot. The suspect was apprehended a short distance away and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital by Roanoke Fire-EMS for treatment.
In accordance with department policy, the Virginia State Police were notified and will be utilized for the criminal investigation of this incident. The officer involved has been placed on administrative assignment per department policy. Sgt. Rick Garletts with the Virginia State Police will be the media’s point of contact for further inquiries on the investigation. He can be reached at (540)375-9598.
While responding to this incident, a Roanoke Police patrol car was involved in a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Gainsboro Road and Orange Avenue NW. The officer was heading eastbound on Orange Avenue NW at the time of the collision. The patrol vehicle struck another car, then entered into oncoming traffic, striking two other vehicles. Several individuals are being transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.
State Police say the Floyd County man charged with firing at a sheriff’s deputy – striking him in the hand — then taking off, remains jailed without bond, with more charges pending. Troopers say it happened at traffic stop early last Friday morning, and 34-year-old Samuel Hale of Floyd was later taken into custody after police disabled his vehicle. The deputy was released after hospital treatment.
FROM STATE POLICE: FLOYD, Va. – At the request of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Salem), is investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred Friday morning, October 11, 2019 in Floyd County.
The incident began at 1:17 a.m. when a Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop an older model, blue, Dodge flatbed pickup for suspicious activity. The pickup truck came to a stop when the deputy activated his lights. A male driver exited the vehicle and opened fire with a handgun on the deputy; striking the deputy in the hand. The male then got back into the pickup and fled; a pursuit of the vehicle ensued.
The pursuit continued into Montgomery County on Christiansburg Pike, near Little River Road, where the pickup was disabled. The driver again exchanged gunfire with officers. The subject then barricaded himself in the pickup truck and would not comply with the officer’s commands to put the weapon down.
With the truck disabled and the subject contained, a Floyd County Sheriff’s Office Negotiator was able to open dialog with the subject. Through this negotiation, the extremely intoxicated subject agreed to put the gun down, and was then taken into custody by the Virginia State Police Division VI Tactical Team.
Samuel Wayne Hale, 34, of Floyd, Va. was treated and released by EMS for minor injuries received during the incident and the arrest. Hale has been charged with Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer and was transported to the New River Valley Regional Jail; where he was held without a bond. More charges are pending.
The Floyd County Deputy was treated and released from the hospital.
The incident remains under investigation.
There has been a confirmed case of rabies in the city of Roanoke. In a memo by health officials, a raccoon was confirmed positive for rabies on October 11th after being collected by animal control in 1300 block of 8th Street SW. You are asked to contact Roanoke City Animal control or the city health department if you know of any human or animal contact with this raccoon.