Crime and Public Safety
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The widows of two Virginia troopers killed in a helicopter crash during the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville are now suing the state and others over their husbands’ deaths. The Daily Progress reports Amanda Bates and Karen Cullen filed separate wrongful death lawsuits Monday against Virginia, the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security and state police. H. Jay Cullen and Berke M.M. Bates had been monitoring the rally on Aug. 12, 2017, when their helicopter crashed. Federal investigators expect to issue their findings on the crash next year. A primary report suggests the aircraft’s main rotor system or tail rotor likely malfunctioned and caused it to spin out of control. The lawsuits say the
helicopter had a history of malfunctions, including the tail rotor issues.
Kevin Salisbury
Courtney Rucker
A man and woman are jailed in Maryland, charged with stealing a purse from a woman attending a funeral in Moneta — then taking off in her vehicle. Police say it happened early this month, and Kevin Salisbury of Vinton and Courtney Rucker of Fincastle were located several days later in Maryland while still operating the victim’s vehicle. Both face multiple charges in several jurisdictions.
From the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office: On 8/3/19, the female victim was attending a funeral at a church on Lakemount Dr. in Moneta. A male and a female subject entered the church and stole the victim’s purse. The subjects then left the church on the victim’s vehicle. Investigator’s with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office were able to retrieve video evidence from the church. The male and female were soon identified as Kevin Salisbury and Courtney Rucker. The vehicle was entered as stolen. On 8/6/19, the two subjects were located in Montgomery, MD, still operating the victim’s vehicle. Investigator’s from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office were able to obtain a confession in the larceny of the vehicle. Both suspects were charged with felony Grand Larceny of a motor vehicle by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. They face additional charges in Montgomery, MD, as well as Vinton, VA and Bedford, VA. Both subjects are currently being detained in Montgomery, MD.
Photo: NCSO
Photo: NCSO
A Salem man faces multiple charges — including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer — following a high-speed pursuit early Saturday morning south of Charlottesville. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office says the chase began after a deputy attempted a traffic stop, and it ended when Timothy Massie deliberately rammed the deputy’s car. Massie and his passenger, Elizabeth Hensley of Roanoke, are both charged with possessing methamphetamine.
From the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office: Two individuals are in custody this evening following an early morning pursuit that started in Nelson County. At approximately 5:25 this morning Deputy Trevor Ross, with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, attempted to stop a 2010 Nissan Rogue for erratic driving on River Rd when the vehicle began to flee. The pursuit extended into Albermarle County and came to an end in the area of Banjo Lane when the suspect driver, Timothy Herman Massie, 28, of Salem intentionally rammed Deputy Ross’ vehicle. The impact of the collision caused airbag deployment in both vehicles and caused Massie to flee on foot.
The passenger in the vehicle, Elizabeth Autumn Hensley, 30, of Roanoke was then taken into custody. A search of the area was conducted with Nelson County Sheriff’s Office K-9, Xombie, and Massie was located hiding in underbrush. He was taken into custody without further incident. In addition, methamphetamine and drug distribution equipment was located inside the vehicle.
Deputy Ross and Hensley were both treated and released at local medical facilities following the incident. Massie and Hensley have both been transported to Albermarle Regional Jail on the following charges:
Timothy Herman Massie –
• 46.2-817 – Felony Eluding
• 18.-248 – Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
• 18.2-57 – Felony Assault & Battery of Law Enforcement Officer
• 18.2.-32 – Attempted murder of Deputy Ross in the First Degree
Elizabeth Autumn Hensley –
• 18.-248 – Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
Both are being held without bond. Additional charges are pending.
Chief Ryan Zuidema
Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema says he has directed his officers to make immediate arrests if they encounter anything like that seen on some recent viral videos from New York City — citizens dousing officers with buckets of water. Zuidema says it is more than disrespect: it is a matter of officer safety and Virginia law. He spoke with WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Here is Chief Zuidema’s full response:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A white supremacist group member sentenced to more than three years in prison for attacking protesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia is asking a federal judge to free him on bond while he appeals.Benjamin Daley is one of four Rise Above Movement members who pleaded guilty to a riot conspiracy charge. He wants to be released to the custody of his parents in Oregon and monitored electronically while on home confinement.U.S. District Judge Norman Moon didn’t immediately rule on Friday’s written request by Daley’s attorneys. Moon set an Aug. 16 deadline for Daley and co-defendants Michael Miselis and Thomas Gillen to submit briefs on their bond requests.Prosecutors said the group members engaged in other racist and anti-Semitic activity before the August 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) — A former sheriff’s deputy in Virginia must undergo counseling after pleading guilty in a case in which he was accused of misconduct with a high school student.The Roanoke Times reports that 34-year-old Daniel Aaron Clark was the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office’s school resource officer at Liberty High School when state police alleged he texted a 14-year-old girl that he wanted to “snuggle all day” with her.Clark pleaded guilty on Friday to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.A prosecutor, Andrew Nester, said there was no sexual contact between Clark and the girl but they had exchanged hugs and “things of that nature.”Nester said the victim and her family supported the plea agreement.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has sanctioned white nationalists for their “unacceptable” behavior in a lawsuit against them in connection with a deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly two years ago.The judge on Friday ordered Elliot Kline, Matthew Heimbach, and the organization Vanguard America to pay “reasonable attorney’s fees” over their “refusal” to participate in the discovery process. He suggested “more drastic sanctions” could be necessary if their behavior doesn’t change, saying it had stalled the litigation for months on end.The lawsuit brought by Virginia residents injured during two days of violence in August 2017 accuses the white nationalists of violating state and federal civil rights laws. It seeks a court ruling prohibiting the white nationalists and other groups from committing further civil rights violations.
Photo: Roanoke City Sheriff
Another inmate has been found dead at the Roanoke City Jail. Aaron Michael Wheaton was found hanging in his cell yesterday morning around 7am. Attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. He had been booked into the jail on Sunday for trespassing and other charges. The Roanoke City Police Department and the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation into the incident.
(statement released by Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office)
Inmate mental health is a top concern for the Roanoke City Jail, and is an issue we are continuing to monitor and address. Within the past six months there have been 14 attempted suicides in which staff intervened and responded, saving the life of the inmate. Additionally 212 inmates were placed on suicide watch as a precautionary measure based on their interaction with either medical staff or deputies During this time frame, there have been over 350 interactions between the medical staff and inmates on suicide watch.
Since 2015, The Roanoke City Jail has had 1,457 documented incidents regarding inmates being placed on suicide watch. In that same time period, there have been seven in custody deaths that were attributed to suicide. None of these seven inmates were on suicide watch at the time of their suicide, as they did not meet the suicide watch protocol. In direct response to these deaths, several changes to policies and procedures have been made in order to better identify and accommodate the growing incarcerated population in need of mental health treatment.
Over the past 5 years, the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office has invested over a quarter million dollars into surveillance upgrades for the Roanoke City Jail and Annex. These upgrades included adding additional cameras in both restrictive, therapeutic and other specialized housing. As of August 2019, approximately 60% of these individual cells have the ability to monitor inmate activity, with the goal of 100% within the next year
A former Bedford County Sheriff’s Deputy – who was a school resource officer at Liberty High School – entered a guilty plea today to an inappropriate relationship with a student. Daniel Clark was charged with inappropriate text messages and conversations with a teenage girl. The judge kept any sentencing under advisement until November 2021. In the meantime, the plea agreement calls no contact with the girl or her family, and Clark must submit proof of professional counseling services.
Roanoke City’s “Task force to Reduce Gun Violence” has set the dates for a round of public input sessions over the next three months. An update from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
August 12 – Task Force Meeting, 7:00 p.m. – LOCATION CHANGE (Goodwill Youth HQ, 2502 Melrose Avenue, N. W., Suite G)
August 22 – Task Force to Reduce Gun Violence Public Hearing, 7:00 p.m. (City Council Chambers, Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, 215 Church Avenue, S. W., 4th Floor)
September 9 – Task Force Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
October 14 – Task Force Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
October 17 – Task Force to Reduce Gun Violence Public Hearing, 7:00 pm, (City Council Chambers, Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, 215 Church Avenue, S. W., 4th Floor)
November 4 – Task Force to Reduce Gun Violence Presentation to City Council, 2:00 p. m. (City Council Chambers, Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, 215 Church Avenue, S. W., 4th Floor)