Crime and Public Safety

U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen makes the announcement (Photo: WFIR/Gene Marrano)

Four people face federal charges for what prosecutors say are Roanoke gang-related activities that include murder. The U.S. Attorney’s office say the indictments are part of renewed efforts to fight gang-related violence in the city. Sean Guerrant, Demonte Mack, Trayvone Kasey and Chancey Levesey are alleged members of the “Rollin 30’s” gang in Roanoke, and operated mainly in the city’s northwest Landsdowne neighborhood.  Mack and Kasey could face the death penalty in the deaths of Nikolas Lee and Markel Girty, who may have been killed as some type of gang initiation.

PREVIOUS: Four people face federal charges for what prosecutors say are Roanoke gang-related activities that include murder. The U.S. Attorney’s office says the indictments are part of renewed efforts to fight gang-related violence in the city. Prosecutors say Sean Guerrant, Demonte Mack, Trayvone Kasey and Chancey Levesey are members of the “Rollin 30’s” gang in Roanoke, and they operated mainly in the city’s northwest Landsdowne neighborhood.

From the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia: Roanoke, VIRGINIA – Federal, state and local authorities announced this afternoon the first major federal prosecution of organized gang activity in Roanoke as part of the newly reinvigorated Project Safe Neighborhoods violent crime reduction initiative.  The indictment charges four suspected gang members of the “Rollin 30s” gang in Roanoke with crimes including racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder.  Two of the defendants were charged with murder in aid of racketeering and related firearms offenses.  United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen, Roanoke City Police Chief Timothy Jones, and John Lenkart, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement.

“This indictment is the first step in what will be a coordinated and sustained assault on gang-related violence in the City of Roanoke,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated.  “I am grateful for the FBI’s leadership, as well as the cooperation and dedication of our other federal, state, and local law-enforcement partners.  Reducing violent crime is my top priority as U.S. Attorney, and we are all committed to working together to achieve this goal.”

“A little over three months ago U.S. Attorney Cullen and I stood with our fellow law enforcement partners in Danville, Virginia announcing indictments for over a dozen violent criminals related to gang activity; we stand here today in Roanoke making a similar announcement.  I said then, “We are not finished” and today’s indictments reflect our continued effort to make communities in the Commonwealth safer,” Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today. “Our Central Virginia Violent Crimes Task Force will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to address this criminal plague that lingers in the corners of your neighborhoods; and encourage concerned citizens to report criminal activity to law enforcement.”

On September 25, 2018, a federal grand jury seated in U.S. District Court in Roanoke returned an indictment, under seal, charging four individuals. Those indictments were unsealed today.

The grand jury has charged the following:

  • Sean Denzel Guerrant, a.k.a. “Denk” “Dink” and “Harlem Denk,” age 27, of Roanoke, with one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
  • Demonte Rashod Mack, a.k.a. “Murda,” age 29, of Roanoke, with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.
  • Trayvone Raycron Kasey, a.k.a. “30,” age 19, of Roanoke, with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.
  • Chauncey Dion Levesey, a.k.a. “Cee Guzman,” age 24, of Roanoke, with one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

The Rollin’ 30s Crips, also known as the Rollin’ 30s or “Dirt Gang” is a national street gang founded in the greater Los Angeles, California area with smaller sets in other cities throughout the United States, including Roanoke, Virginia. The Roanoke set of the Rollin’ 30s operated primarily in northwest Roanoke, centered in and around the Lansdowne neighborhood.

According to the indictment, beginning no later than April 22, 2017, Guerrant, Mack, Kasey, and Levesy, together with others known and unknown to the grand jury, conspired to conduct a pattern of racketeering activity including multiple threats and acts involving violent crime.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that between on or about June 14, 2017, and June 15, 2017, Guerrant, Mack, Kasey, and Levesy conspired to murder “Victim D.F.” The indictment further claims that Mack, Kasey and Levesy murdered “Victim N.L.” at the direction of Guerrant.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Roanoke City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force.  The investigation was a coordinated effort involving law enforcement assets from the Virginia State Police, Roanoke County Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency.  Assistant United States Attorneys Grayson A. Hoffman and Matthew M.  Miller are prosecuting the case for the United States.

A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal program designed to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting each community’s most violent criminals.  Attorney General Sessions directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as the local civilian community, to develop effective, targeted strategies to reduce violent crime.  This case is a product of that collaborative effort.

State Police photo

UPDATE: State Police say a man who barricaded himself inside a strangers Botetourt County apartment for about 11 hours has been arrested. Officials say 39-year-old Chad Ira Montgomery, of Covington, was taken into custody after police used tear gas to get him outside of a duplex in the 100-block of Westview Road in Troutville. State Police say it started after Montgomery fled an attempted traffic stop on I-81 south shortly after 10 am yesterday. Officials say he crossed the median and began heading north before crashing and taking off on foot from the Interstate. No word on the exact charges Montgomery faces, but officials did say they have several felony warrants in hand.

UPDATE: State Police say the suspect has fired at them “multiple times” from the apartment, but officers have not returned fire. Officials say they have attempted various non-lethal means to secure his surrender.

FROM STATE POLICE: State police and the sheriff’s office have made repeated attempts to negotiate with the suspect to surrender. During the course of the afternoon, the suspect has fired multiple times at state police inside the residence. State police did return fire and have attempted various non-lethal methods to secure his surrender.

PREVIOUS: State Police say a man who fled an attempted traffic stop on I-81 remains barricaded inside an apartment north of Roanoke in Troutville. Officials say he crossed the median before taking off on foot from the Interstate. At last word, negotiators were attempting to talk him out of the residence. State Police say no one was home at the time, and there is no danger to the public.

State Police news release: State Police attempted to stop a vehicle traveling south on Interstate 81 at the 155 mile marker. When the trooper activated his lights the vehicle fled. The traffic pursuit traveled south on Interstate 81 when the driver crossed the median at the 152 mile marker to the north side of the Interstate and continued to flee. The vehicle crashed shortly after entering the northbound side of the Interstate, at which time he fled east on foot toward Troutville. Botetourt County and State Police units located the subject on Sunset Drive in Troutville, where he has barricaded himself in an apartment. At this time State Police negotiators are attempting to talk him to of the residence. There is no danger to the public at this time, as the subject is contained and the residence was unoccupied when the suspect gained access.

Highly experienced law enforcement officers and a former New Hampshire State Supreme Court Justice are taking an interactive police use-of-force simulator to different cities in Virginia. WFIR’s Ian Price tried it out while they were in Roanoke:

 

 

State Senator Bill Carrico at police simulator in Roanoke

State Senator Bill Carrico at police simulator in Roanoke

 

 

From Roanoke County Police: (Roanoke County, VA—September 25, 2018) Just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Toyota minivan struck a Roanoke County school bus en route to Mountain View Elementary School near the intersection of Plantation Road and Magnolia Drive. The minivan was traveling southbound on Plantation Road at Magnolia Drive when the minivan crossed the centerline and struck the bus. The driver of the minivan was identified as Richard Wayne Taylor, 28, of Bedford County. Taylor was subsequently arrested and taken to the Roanoke County‐Salem Jail. He was charged with: Driving Under the Influence Failure to Drive on Right Side of Highway Driving without Operator’s License The school bus was occupied with children at the time of the crash. It was initially stated that individuals were transported to the hospital, however, the injuries were minor and instead several students were treated by Roanoke County Fire & Rescue at the scene and released. Taylor was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was uninjured. The road was blocked for a short period of time but has since been cleared.

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A state agency has rejected an application from a rural Virginia school district that voted to arm teachers and other employees as protection against a school shooting. The Washington Post reports that the Department of Criminal Justice Services turned down Lee County Superintendent Brian Austin’s application to register as an armed special conservator of the peace. The school district had hoped the designation would allow school employees to carry guns in schools. The department cited an advisory opinion from state Attorney General Mark Herring in deeming the plan unlawful. Austin said the district’s working with its legal counsel to review its options. The school board voted in July to arm an unspecified number of teachers and staff members to carry concealed weapons or store guns in safes on school property.

UPDATE from the National Weather Service:  Flood Warning for Roanoke County, the City of Salem, the City of Roanoke, west central Bedford County, southern Botetourt County and northwestern Franklin County until 1130 PM EDT. At 825 PM EDT, Roanoke County emergency management reported flooding in the Cave Spring area. Flooding was also reported in the Boones Mill area from a mudslide. Excessive rainfall from earlier have since ended. However, additional lighter-intensity rains will progress northeast into the warned area. This may trigger new areas of flooding. Some locations that will experience flooding include Roanoke, Salem, Vinton, Boones Mill and Stewartsville. This includes The following Locations The Salem Fairgrounds and Roanoke Regional Airport.

PREVIOUS: From the National Weather Service:  Flash Flood Warning for Roanoke County in west,  the City of Salem, the City of Roanoke, west central Bedford County, southern Botetourt County and northwestern Franklin County until 830 PM EDT.

At 531 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated slow-moving and redeveloping thunderstorms in central and eastern Roanoke County. As much as one and a half inches has fallen according to Doppler radar estimates in western Roanoke County. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly as storms produce torrential rain.  Some locations that will experience flooding include Roanoke, Salem, Vinton, Stewartsville and Bent Mountain. Additional rainfall amounts of up to 2 inches are possible in the warned area. This includes The following Locations The Salem Fairgrounds and Roanoke Regional Airport. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other drainage areas and low lying spots.

Photo: VSP

From Virginia State Police: At 6:09 p.m.Friday (Sept 21), Virginia State Police stopped out with an abandoned, disabled vehicle on the northbound shoulder of Interstate 81 at the 133 mile marker in Roanoke County. The 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan is registered to Priscilla Sosebee, 31, who is wanted out of York County, S.C. She is believed to be traveling with 5 juveniles of unknown ages. She is a white female, 5’5 in height and weighs 120 lbs.  For the children’s safety and welfare, Virginia State Police are trying to locate Sosebee. Anyone with information about Sosebee or has seen her in the Roanoke County or Dixie Caverns area is asked to please call #77 on a cell phone or 911 or 540-375-9500.