Crime and Public Safety
(from Roanoke PD) On February 17, 2023 just before 6:00 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of reports of a person who had been struck by a vehicle in the 2900 block of Williamson Road NW. Responding officers observed an unresponsive adult male victim lying in the roadway with significant injuries. Roanoke Fire-EMS personnel pronounced the man deceased on scene.
Preliminary investigation indicates the pedestrian was in the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle traveling north on Williamson Road NE. That driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been placed at this time.
Terry Eugene Michel
On Tuesday, February 7th, 2023, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a case of two stolen dogs from Waid Park. The owner reported that the dogs had broken away from him and were picked up/stolen by men in an unknown vehicle. As the investigation continued into this week, the dogs were located deceased in the 500 block of Carolina Springs Road on Tuesday, February 14th, 2023.
After transporting the dogs to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech for necropsies, the cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds. Great investigative work from the Office of the Sheriff, in addition to assistance from the community, has led to an arrest in this case.
The owner of the dogs – Terry Eugene Michel, 58 years old of Ferrum, VA – was arrested and charged on February 16th, 2023, in relation to this incident. Charges include the following: two counts of Felony Animal Cruelty, one count of Filing a False Police Report, and two summons for improper disposal of a companion animal. Michel is being held without bond.
The Office of the Sheriff is thankful to be able to provide a resolution to this case, although the reasons why are still hard to comprehend. We have noticed the many comments with concerns about this occurring at the Waid Park Recreation Area, but we do want to confirm that the reported theft and subsequent death of these dogs have no connection to Waid Park.
After a local woman was caught at a TSA checkpoint with a loaded gun, an expert shares what happens after the stop. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has details:
Click here to learn how to travel with firearms
MGN
Last summer Roanoke City Public Schools approved more than two dozen updated and new safety measures designed to keep students, teachers and staff out of harm’s way. The school board will hear a progress report at its regular meeting tonight, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
(from Roanoke PD) on February 12, 2023 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 2800 block of Hershberger Road NW. Responding officers located an adult male victim inside of a residence in the area with a gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of what appeared to be serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made regarding this investigation at this time. Further details about what led to the shooting are limited. No further information can be released and this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540)344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text us at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.
Jason Miyares
Last month the office of the Virginia Attorney General released its report on the Virginia Parole Board, where according to AG Jason Miyares the former chair of that board – now a judge – abused her power. He spoke recently with WFIR’s Gene Marrano about those findings:
On February 11, 2023 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 2700 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW. Responding officers located an adult male victim with what appeared to be a serious gunshot wound outside of a residence in the area. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Witnesses on scene advised the suspect involved in the shooting was inside a nearby residence. Officers verbally engaged with the suspect, who came out of the residence shortly after officers’ arrival. The suspect eventually complied with officers’ verbal instructions and was taken into custody without further incident. The adult male suspect was taken to the Roanoke Police Department to speak with detectives.
Roanoke Police arrested Curtis E. Keaton, Jr, 39 of Roanoke, and charged him with malicious wounding regarding this offense.
Details about what led to this shooting are limited, but it’s believed the two men are known to one another and a verbal altercation precipitated the shooting. This remains an ongoing investigation and no further details can be shared at this time.
Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine says he know who President Joe Biden was talking about at the State of the Union the other night when Biden accused a handful of Republicans of wanting to end social safety net programs like social security and Medicare. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
(Roanoke County, VA—February 10, 2023) Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 5:45 a.m. on Friday, February 10, 2023 to the 5300 block of Hawthorne Road, in the North County area, for the report of a commercial structure fire at Ridgeview Apartments. Upon arrival units from Station 1 (North County) found a six-story apartment building with nothing showing from the exterior except a burning smell in the lobby area. After further investigation, one apartment on the sixth floor was found to have heavy smoke and one patient from that apartment was transported with non-life-threatening injuries. Later another resident was also transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office has investigated and determined that the cause was improperly discarded smoking materials. The damage estimate is $100
(from Roanoke PD) On February 4, 2023 at approximately 8:35 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 2600 block of Peters Creek Road NW. Responding officers located two adult victims, one male and one female, with gunshot wounds inside of a business in the area. The woman’s injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, but the man’s injuries appeared to be serious. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported both victims to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Officers located an adult male suspect on scene and took him into custody without incident. The man was transported to the Roanoke Police Department to speak with officers and detectives. After consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the suspect was released from police custody. No charges have been placed regarding this incident at this time.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540)344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text us at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.