Crime and Public Safety
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted a Virginia man Thursday on charges of possessing and selling unregistered machine guns, a federal prosecutor said.
According to the indictment, Patrick Tate Adamiak, 28, of Virginia Beach was obtaining unregistered machine guns and selling them online between October and April, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced in a statement.
After the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives bought eight machine guns from Adamiak through a confidential source, the agency executed a search warrant at Adamiak’s home and found 25 more unregistered machine guns, according to a news release.
Adamiak is charged with receiving, possessing, and transferring unregistered machine guns, and selling firearms without a federal firearms license, the news release said. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if he is convicted.
JAYTWON SHEPHERD
BRYSON BERGER
UPDATE: Roanoke Police have identified and charged Jaytwon T. Shepherd, 20 of Roanoke, with the murder of Arnez Kirtley on February 12. This case was seen before the May meeting of the Roanoke City Grand Jury where indictments of 1st Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in Commission of Murder were issued. Those indictments were served on Tuesday without incident and Shepherd remains in custody in the Botetourt County Jail.
Throughout the course of the investigation, Detectives determined that two suspects were involved in this homicide. (Bryson W. Berger, 21 of Roanoke, was identified as a suspect. Warrants for second degree murder were obtained shortly after Mr. Berger was identified in February). Detectives and Officers worked to gather evidence, which indicated that Mr. Shepherd was the other suspect. We began working with the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate Mr. Shepherd. Roanoke Police were notified by personnel from the High Point Police Department in North Carolina that they had taken Mr. Shepherd into custody. Shepherd was brought back to our jurisdiction without incident
(previously) On February 12, 2022 at approximately 11:15 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 1200 block of Jefferson Street SW. Responding officers located an adult male inside a residence in the area with what appeared to be a critical injury. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The name of the victim will be released after next-of-kin is properly notified.
Details about what led to this shooting are limited at this time. Throughout the course of the investigation, Bryson W. Berger, 21 of Roanoke, was identified as a suspect. Warrants for second degree murder were obtained shortly after Mr. Berger was identified. The warrants were served and Mr. Berger was taken into custody earlier this morning without incident.
Roanoke Police have identified and charged 30 year old Lavon Belcher, of Roanoke, with the murder of Brooks Mullen. That’s in connection to a homicide on January 10 that took place in the 3500 block of Yellow Mountain Road. Mullen was found deceased at the scene. The case went to the Roanoke City Grand Jury this month, when indictments of 1st Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony were issued. Belcher was taken into custody yesterday.
(update) UPDATE: Roanoke Police have identified the victim of this incident as Ulysses K. Williams, 30 of Roanoke. There are no further updates available at this time. This remains an ongoing investigation.(previously from Roanoke PD) On May 4 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 1200 block of Hanover Avenue NW. Responding officers located a male victim with what appeared to be a critical gunshot wound lying in the street. Roanoke Fire-EMS pronounced the person deceased on scene. The victim’s identity will be released after next-of-kin have been properly notified. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made at this time. Details about what led to this shooting are limited at this time. This remains an ongoing homicide 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.
Suspect. Roanoke County photos.
Update: Brandon Alley, 33, of Callaway, has turned himself into Roanoke County Police and now faces five summonses for abandoning an animal. He was cooperative with police. The department would like to thank the media and citizens for their assistance. Mom and puppies are doing well and settling into their foster homes
Previous: Tuesday around 1 p.m. Roanoke County Police received a call about an abandoned pit bull with four puppies found along Crowell Gap Rd, near the Franklin County line. An officer retrieved the dogs and brought them to the Regional Center for Animal Care & Protection (RCACP). It was discovered that earlier a male had been to the RCACP to surrender some dogs. He was given the contact information for the Franklin County animal shelter and asked to take them there as he was a resident of Franklin County.
Police believe this may be the same individual who left the dogs abandoned on the roadside and need the public’s help in identifying him. Attached are photos taken from the RCACP’s security cameras. He is a white male and was seen driving a white Chevrolet pickup with a black brush guard/grill. It is believed that he may be a welder as there is a large red welder in the back of the truck. The truck also matches the description given by the caller. Pictures of the pit bulls are also included. Everyone appears to be healthy at this time and they are all hungry and sweet. The puppies and mom will be in foster during their 10-day stray hold period and until they are old enough to have their vetting complete.
(from Roanoke City PD) On May 1 at approximately 3:15 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 600 block of Westside Blvd NW. Responding officers located a large group of individuals in the area before locating the victim. The adult male victim had what appeared to be a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the victim to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
While officers were on scene at Westside Blvd, they were notified that another person with a gunshot wound had arrived via personal transport to Lewis Gale Hospital. The adult male victim also had what appeared to be a non-life threatening gunshot wound. The investigation indicated that this victim was also injured at the Westside scene.
At approximately 4:15 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified of a person with a gunshot wound in the 1300 block of Melrose Avenue NW. Responding officers located an adult male with what appeared to be a non-life threatening gunshot wound inside a vehicle in the area. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Preliminary investigation indicates that there is a connection between the victim located on Melrose Avenue and the scene on Westside Blvd. No arrests have been made at this time and this is an ongoing investigation. No further details can be released. 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.
Sunday, May 1 — Roanoke County Police responded to a home invasion robbery in the 4100 block of Daugherty Rd (Glenvar area) at 7:00 a.m. A firearm was used and two adults were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspects are unknown at this time.
Police do not believe there is any danger to the community and that this was a targeted incident. This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is expected to be released today
A man from Roanoke was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers prevented him from carrying a loaded handgun onto his flight on Wednesday, April 27, at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.
The .380 caliber handgun was loaded with five bullets. A TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor spotted the weapon and ammunition as they entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. TSA alerted the police who confiscated the handgun and cited the man on weapons charges. He also faces a federal financial civil citation.
On Wednesday, April 27th, at 9:58 p.m., Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to the 900 block of 9th Street SE for reports of a fire in an abandoned residential structure. Crews arrived to find heavy flames from the back side of the building and began a defensive attack. In order to ensure the safety of all personnel on scene, the call was upgraded to a second alarm in order to get additional resources. The fire was marked under control in under an hour. There were no injuries. Damages to the structure and contents are estimated at $21,000. At this time, the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.
A group of Roanoke City firefighters are speaking out against a pay scale being discussed by city council. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has details