Crime and Public Safety
Higher-profile big companies get the headlines when they are hacked by ransomware – but smaller businesses are more likely to be targeted, since their cybersecurity measures may not be as “robust.” An expert whom works with the federal government on such measures has some advice, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Update: What was reported as gunshots at Valley View Mall this evening were determined to be loud noises. Roanoke City Police believe the noises came from a group of teens tearing down and banging signs inside the mall. There is no danger to the public.
Previous: We are hearing reports of gunshots at Valley View Mall in Roanoke. We will provide more details when they become available.
(from VSP Virginia State Police is investigating a single-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Friday, (Aug 9) at 7:20 a.m. on Six Mile Post Road, one half of a mile west of Calico Road, in Franklin County. A 2004 Ford F-350 was traveling east on Six Mile Post Road, when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver of the Ford was identified as Michael Hunter Stiltner, 18, of Callaway. Stiltner was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. Speed was a factor in the crash.
Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are making their way through Virginia today, and with 4 to 7 inches of rain predicted by Friday in the Roanoke Valley, AAA warns drivers to turn around when faced with flooded roadways. WFIR’s Alex Torres has more:
Left to right: Kris Robey, De’Andre Hurt, Valerie Koeppel
Following the Department of Justice issuing a grant to 3 Roanoke organizations for over 500 thousand dollars, a violence support program that spawned from the funds gives an update nearly 7 months into their launch. WFIR’s Alex Torres has details:
A Virginia man has been arrested and charged with threatening online to kill Vice President Kamala Harris and harm other public officials. Sixty-six-year-old Frank Carillo of Winchester made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Roanoke and is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. According to an FBI affidavit, agents in Phoenix began investigating after threats appeared against a Maricopa County official on a social media website called GETTR. Agents found that an account they later linked to Carillo made numerous threats against politicians, including Harris and President Joe Biden. Agents seized a rifle and a handgun from Carillo’s home when they searched it Friday and arrested him.
Ian Price photos
New security technology that rolled out last month and should get travelers through checkpoints quicker was demonstrated at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport this morning. With the number of travelers flying out of the local airport up this year compared to 2023, the real-time ID system should shorten the security process – flyers will no longer have to show their boarding pass before they reach the gate. TSA calls it real-time identification that is also designed to detect fraudulent documents at security checkpoints. TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein was on hand:
Outside the Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office in downtown Roanoke today, a memorial was unveiled in the parking lot for Deputy Corporal Barry Lee Pendrey, who was killed inside the Roanoke City jail 39 years ago by an inmate. Members of Pendrey’s family and former retired Sheriff’s office employees he worked with were on hand for the plaque unveiling; Barry Lee Pendrey was 29 years old when he died in the line of duty in February 1985.
A $20,000 grant from the Virginia Law Enforcement Memorial Fund paid for the plaque and small plaza in the courthouse parking lot. Roanoke City Sheriff Antonio Hash presided over the ceremony:
(from Roanoke City PD) On July 28, 2024, Roanoke Police at approximately 7:50 pm responded to an unresponsive person in a vehicle in the parking lot of 1100 block of Peters Creek RD Nw. Upon arrival, they located an adult male inside of a sedan. Roanoke Fire/EMS pronounced the man deceased. The medical examiner responded to the scene. We do not believe that there is a danger to the public however, the incident is still under investigation.