Crime and Public Safety
State Police photo
From Virginia State Police: At 9:30 a.m. this morning units with the Counter-Terrorism Criminal Interdiction Unit of the Virginia State Police attempted to stop a white, 4-door, 2014 Toyota which was traveling south on Interstate 81 at the 158 mile marker. The vehicle was identified as being stolen from the State of New York. When troopers activated their emergency equipment the vehicle fled a high rate of speed, driving in a reckless manner; in an attempt to get away from the troopers.
The vehicle continued south on Interstate 81, then crashed at the 149 mile marker. The vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway, crossing the median into the north bound lanes and came to rest on the right shoulder of the roadway. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Two males and a female have been arrested. Jarvis A. Sayles, 21, of Roanoke, VA, was identified as the driver of the stolen vehicle. Sayles is being charged with Driving while Suspended, Hit and Run, Felony Attempt to Elude and Possession of Marijuana. Amanda R. Valderrma, 22, of Brooklyn, NY, is being charged with Possession of Marijuana. The third subject, a male, has not been identified at this time. The unidentified male will also be charged with Possession of Marijuana.
The car was stolen from a restaurant the evening of April 3, 2019 from the State of New York.
The event remains under investigation.
Roanoke Police say a suspect has been arrested on murder charges after 48-year-old Luis Morales was found dead inside a burning apartment in the 300 block of Westside Boulevard NW. The fire happened back in November of 2017. 36-year-old Osha Casey, of Roanoke, has been arrested and charged with second degree murder.
From Roanoke City Police: On November 4, 2017 Roanoke Police responded to the 300 block of Westside Blvd NW in reference to an apartment fire. Roanoke Fire-EMS advised Police there was an individual in the apartment who was deceased. That person was later identified as Luis Morales, 48 of Roanoke. Due to evidence at the scene, Roanoke Police began investigating Morales’ death as a homicide. Recent developments in the investigation have led Roanoke Police to arrest Osha Demond Casey, 36 of Roanoke, on a charge of Second Degree Murder. This investigation is ongoing.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says the first phase of a $3.4 million effort to eliminate the state’s rape kit backlog is complete. Herring announced in a statement Wednesday that testing is complete on 1,770 previously untested kits that were collected before 2014, including some that went untested for decades. As a result of the testing, officials say 239 “hits” were sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation, including 144 that confirmed the identity of a previously known suspect and 56 in cases that had been previously cleared by arrest. Officials say at least 58 cases have been reopened for investigation or are currently under review for potential reopening. The testing also led to 568 DNA profiles being uploaded into CODIS, the national Combined DNA Index System.
Zac Foutz (LU Flames photo)
Two people –- including a former Cave Spring High School football standout who now plays for Liberty University – are charged with breaking into the school’s construction site two weekends ago. Roanoke County Police say 22-year-old Zachary Foutz is charged with burglary, obstruction of justice and larceny. A second person — from central Virginia — faces similar counts.
From Roanoke County Police: On Sunday, March 10, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a Roanoke County police officer observed a vehicle parked in front of Cave Spring High School, near the construction fence. There was a gap in between the fence so they conducted a security check of the construction site of the school. Two subjects, Zachary Foutz (Roanoke, Va) and Beau Carter (Kents Store, Va), both 22 years old, were located inside the school area. They were charged with:
Foutz – Burglary, Obstruction of Justice and Larceny
CROZET, Va. (AP) – Federal investigators say a trash truck driver was likely under the influence of marijuana and anti-seizure medication when his vehicle was struck by an Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers in Virginia last year.The National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on the accident Thursday. The crash killed a passenger in the truck and injured a congressman and others on the train.The NTSB said the probable cause was the truck driver’s decision to enter a railroad crossing with the gates down and his inaction after encountering obstacles on the tracks.The NTSB said his decisions were “most likely due to his impairment.”The driver was charged locally on involuntary manslaughter and DUI.A judge threw out blood evidence. A jury acquitted the driver of manslaughter last month.
Roanoke City Police say an officer fired at a person who pointed a gun at them while in a vehicle. It happened today after the officers heard the sound of gunshots near 17th and Loudon Northwest. Police say they found the vehicle unoccupied a few minutes later several blocks away. There are no injuries reported.
From Roanoke Police: On March 19, 2019 at approximately 3 pm, Roanoke Police were in the area of 17th Street and Loudon Avenue NW investigating a nuisance call. While officers were on the scene, they heard the sound of gunshots and observed a vehicle driving in the area. As the vehicle drove past the officers, they saw a gun pointed at them. One officer fired his service weapon at the occupant. The vehicle left the scene and was located unoccupied a few minutes later on 12th Street NW. No injuries have been reported as of this release. In accordance with department policy, Virginia State Police have been notified and will be conducting the investigation.
Alison Parker – killed live on-air in 2015
The father of slain WDBJ-7 reporter Alison Parker – killed live on-air in 2015 – wants social media platforms to clean up their acts when it comes to what they put on line. More from Andy Parker’s appearance on CNN yesterday from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Lee Malvo (AP photo)
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has agreed to consider Virginia’s plea to reinstate the life-without-parole sentence of a man who participated in sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington, D.C., region in 2002. The justices said Monday they will take up the state’s appeal in the case of Lee Boyd Malvo. Malvo was 17 when he and John Allen Muhammad fatally shot 10 people in Maryland, Virginia and Washington. Malvo was sentenced to life-without-parole terms in Virginia and in Maryland. Muhammad was sentenced to death and was executed in 2009. An appeals court in Virginia ruled last year that Malvo should be resentenced in that state because of Supreme Court decisions that came after his sentence and altered sentencing requirements for juvenile offenders. The Supreme Court will review that decision.
UPDATE from State Police: Investigators have confirmed that the shootings occurred within the vehicle and, at this stage, are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide. A firearm was recovered from inside the vehicle. There is no evidence to indicate another vehicle or individual was involved in the shootings.
News release: The Virginia State Police investigation into the deaths of two individuals Sunday morning in Lee County remains ongoing at this time. At 4 a.m. Sunday (May 10), Virginia State Police responded to a call for a traffic crash on Route 23 at the 28 mile marker in Lee County. A 2015 GMC pickup truck had been traveling north on Route 23 when it ran off the left side of highway into the median.When Trooper D.G. Giles arrived on scene, he found both of the vehicle’s two occupants deceased. Further investigation revealed both occupants – Bailey S. Smith, 21, of Duffield, Va. and Emeri A. Connery, 26, of Coolville, Ohio – had suffered gunshot wounds. The bodies were transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke for autopsy and examination. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Virginia State Police Wytheville Division at 276-228-3131 or email us at questions@vsp.virginia.gov. Smith is male; Connery is female.