Crime and Public Safety
Despite being signed into law seven months ago by President Trump, the “Ashanti Alerts” have not been implemented by the Justice Department. Now Virginia’s Senior Senator is demanding answers, as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
James Fields, Jr.
Prosecutors in Charlottesville say they hope the sentencings of James Fields, Jr. will help the healing process move forward. Fields received a second life term yesterday on state charges, following a similar sentence last month on federal ones. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
James Fields, Jr.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — An avowed white supremacist was sentenced to life plus 419 years on state charges Monday for deliberately driving his car into anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia. James Alex Fields Jr., 22, received the sentence for killing one person and injuring dozens during the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. Last month, Fields received a life sentence on 29 federal hate crime charges.
Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard Moore followed a state jury’s recommendation in handing down the sentence. Under state law, he was allowed to go lower than the recommendation, but not higher.
“Mr. Fields, you had choices. We all have choices,” Moore said. “You made the wrong ones and you caused great harm. … You caused harm around the globe when people saw what you did.”
The state sentence is mainly symbolic given his previous sentence on the federal charges.
“For his purposes, he has one life to give, so this is a largely academic exercise,” noted Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University.
Fields, an avowed white supremacist who kept a photo of Adolf Hitler on his bedside table, drove from his home in Maumee, Ohio, to attend the rally, which drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The event also drew counterprotesters who demonstrated against the white nationalists.
Violent skirmishes between the two sides prompted police to declare an unlawful assembly and to order the groups to disband before the rally could even begin. Later that day, Fields plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer , 32, and injuring more than two dozen others.
The event stirred racial tensions around the country. President Donald Trump sparked controversy when he blamed the violence at the rally on “both sides,” a statement that critics saw as a refusal to condemn racism.
During Fields’ state trial, his attorneys focused on his history of mental illness and traumatic childhood.
PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man accused of stabbing three people at a plasma donation center will remain behind bars for now after a judge refused to set bond in the case.The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports 20-year-old Jairique Shannon appeared by video during a brief hearing Friday.Petersburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Cheryl Wilson described how two of the victims remain hospitalized after being stabbed and sliced with a long hunting-style knife. She says a motive hasn’t been established in the July 4 attack.Wilson also says detectives executing a search warrant found a dog hanging in the Petersburg home Shannon shares with his mother.Shannon’s attorney said his client has no mental health issues and asked for a reasonable bond, which the judge denied.A preliminary hearing is set for September.
Photo: HCSO
A Henry County middle school teacher is charged with sexting a 16-year-old. The sheriff’s office says 32-year-old Carlos Wade sent a sexually-explicit photo and messages to the juvenile. Neither person was on school property at the time. Wade was a teacher at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School. He has resigned and is currently jailed without bond.
As of Friday afternoon, Wade’s teacher page remains visible on the Henry County Schools’ website. It says he has been teaching robotics since 2017 and is happily married with one child.
News release: On July 11, 2019, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received information that a teacher at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School was sending sexually explicit text messages to a 16 year old juvenile. The investigation revealed that Carlos Raphel Wade, 32, of 225 Falcon Road Martinsville, VA sent a sexually explicit photograph and messages to the juvenile. The messages were not sent nor received while either party was on school property.
Wade was arrested and charged with two counts of solicitation of a child through the use of a communication system. Both charges are felonies. He is currently incarcerated in the Henry County jail without bond. Wade has resigned and is no longer an employee of the Henry County School System. This case was investigated collaboratively with the Henry County School System.
Anyone having information regarding this or other crimes is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers 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.
Photo: FSCO
News release: The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Tar-Ane “Tara” Magdeline Scott. She is approximately 5’ 5” and 155 lbs. with blonde hair and green eyes. Ms. Scott has three outstanding felony charges for manufacturing, selling or possessing a controlled substance. She is currently on the run and was last seen in Henry County. Please contact Investigator Norton at 540-493-1117 with any information on Ms. Scott.
Joe Cobb – Ian Price photo
Roanoke Vice-Mayor Joe Cobb heads up the city’s new “Task Force to Reduce Gun Violence.” Cobb is also helping to organize a public gathering on Sunday at William Fleming High School – “Roanoke Remembers” – which he calls a healing event for the victims of gun violence in the community. Live in-studio this morning he said he was disappointed but “not surprised” that Tuesday’s special session in Richmond on gun control legislation ended so quickly. Hear the complete conversation with Vice-Mayor Joe Cobb below:
The General Assembly’s special session on gun laws is technically not over — instead, it is adjourned until November 18. But Democrats accuse Republicans of ducking the issue at a critical moment, while the GOP says it was not going to take part in Democrat-orchestrated political theater. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
NEWS RELEASE: The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the public in solving several thefts from motor vehicles. On 6/27/19 and 6/30/19, several vehicle break ins were reported on Stoneybrook Rd. and Chestnut Pointe Dr. in the Burnt Chimney and Westlake communities of Franklin County. The photographs below are pictures of a suspect that is wanted for questioning in relation to these break ins. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Nolen at 540-483-6662.
