Crime and Public Safety
A group of Roanoke City firefighters are speaking out against a pay scale being discussed by city council. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has details
( Photo from JMU athletics)
(update 4/27 3pm) Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson, in an update into the death investigation surrounding James Madison softball catcher Lauren Bernett, said in a statement today that the death is currently being classified as an apparent suicide. An official report from the medical examiner’s office is pending, Hutcheson said. JMU announced the passing of Bernett yesterday. The sophomore was a standout in the Dukes’ softball program.
Previous Statement from JMU: Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes. Lauren Bernett was a high-achieving member of our softball team and a great ambassador of JMU and our athletics program. She was a key member of our 2021 Women’s College World Series team as a freshman catcher last year.
College athletics is great because of the people with whom we get to interact every day. We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be a Duke. We will miss her dearly.
Our thoughts are with her family; her coaches, teammates and friends; the rest of our department staff and student-athletes; and the entire JMU community. JMU Nation is a close community, and we grieve together.
On April 23, 2022 at approximately 11:00 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the900 block of Crescent Street NW. Responding officers located an adult male with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries inside of a vehicle in the area. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. Details about what led to the shooting are limited at this time. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made 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.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a two-vehicle crash, which resulted in two fatalities. The crash occurred Thursday (Apr 21) at 5:29 p.m. on Route 220, at the intersection of Fork Mountain Road in Franklin County.
A 2017 Chevrolet Cruze was crossing Route 220 and failed to yield the right-of-way. The Cruze was struck by a 2007 Freightliner tractor-trailer, which was traveling north on Route 220.
The driver of the Chevrolet was identified as Wallace Lester Gusler, 90, and the passenger was identified as Ruby Zelma Gusler, 86, both of Collinsville, Va. Mr. and Mrs. Gusler were wearing their seatbelts and died at the scene. No charges are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
Thursday, April 21, 2022 — At 12:08 a.m. Thursday, Roanoke County Police were called to the Pebble Creek/Honeywood Apartments (in the Cave Spring area) after residents spotted an individual peeping into occupied dwellings. Officers attempted to make contact with the individual and he fled on foot into a wooded area. The individual was later observed leaving the property in a blue Nissan Xterra . The individual is described as being a black or Hispanic male, approximately 6 feet tall, 200 lbs, with stubble on his face, and wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. The Police Department is asking residents to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. If anyone has information regarding this individual or vehicle, please contact the Emergency Communications Center at (540) 562-3265
Photo: FBI
(FOX News) — A Wirtz, Virginia physician assistant is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend for three days before violently murdering her husband in New York and fleeing the state, according to officials and a local report.
Jacob L. Klein was arrested in Virginia late Friday and is in federal custody on a charge for unlawful flight from prosecution, the Times Union reported Monday. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said Klein was expected to be arraigned Monday and would then return to New York, where he faces a charge of second-degree murder.
Klein, 40, is accused of murdering 35-year-old Philip L. Rabadi, who was found “bound and with multiple stab wounds and mutilation to his body” on Wednesday morning when officers responded to his New Scotland, New York, home, Apple said during a press conference related to the arrest. Authorities and loved ones made the gruesome discovery during a welfare check after Rabadi did not show up for work as a physician assistant at a local hospital, according to the report.
Times-Union reported the woman and Klein were once in a relationship, and she did not know Klein had been stalking her before his attack.
New Scotland is located just southwest of Albany.
According to the report, Klein took his own vehicle from his Franklin County, Virginia, home to an Enterprise rental car location in Albany. There, he allegedly swapped cars and began to watch the victim’s home and the hospital where both Rabadi and his wife were employed.
Apple described how the woman had already left for work on Wednesday when residential surveillance camera footage showed Rabadi opening the front door to Klein around 7:30 a.m., according to Times Union. Times Union described Rabadi as appearing “to react as if a weapon was brandished.”
Apple said police recovered a handgun from the vehicle Klein was driving when he was arrested, but investigators were still tracing the weapon.
Klein reportedly has no prior criminal history and is a U.S. military veteran who has also lived in California and New York.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a two-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Friday (Apr 17) at 2:25 a.m. on Route 220, just north of Bonbrook Mill Road in Franklin County. A 2012 Chevrolet Malibu was traveling south on Route 220, when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned. The driver of the Chevrolet exited the vehicle and was struck in the roadway by a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, which was also traveling south on Route 220.
The driver of the Chevrolet and the individual struck in the roadway was identified as Lauren Virginia Davis, 25, of Roanoke. Ms. Davis died at the scene. The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured. No charges are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
(from Roanoke County PD) Sunday, April 17, 2022 — At approximately 10:15 a.m., a store clerk called 911 to report a shoplifting incident in the 5500 block of Plantation Road. A Roanoke County Police officer spotted a vehicle on Hershberger Road matching the description of the suspect vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the vehicle sped away. The vehicle turned right onto Williamson Road and right onto Hildebrand Rd, NW (in Roanoke City) and the driver began running stop signs.
The officer terminated the pursuit but the suspect vehicle continued driving at a high rate of speed, eventually crashing into a home in the 3300 block of Birchlawn Avenue, NW. The suspect got out of the vehicle and after a brief foot pursuit was taken into custody by Police, at approximately 10:18 a.m. An individual inside the home and the driver of the vehicle were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. This investigation is ongoing
(from Blacksburg PD) On Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 1:48am the Blacksburg Police responded to the report of shots fired on 300 block of Hunt Club Drive, Blacksburg. Police were notified of a victim of a gunshot wound, related to the incident, who was treated and released from a local hospital. There is no immediate threat to the community while suspects remain at large and an active investigation continues.
This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Blacksburg Police Department at (540) 443-1400 or you can remain anonymous by calling the Blacksburg Police Tip Line at (540) 961-1819 or by emailing ciu@blacksburg.gov
The last day in March marked Sam Roman’s two-year anniversary as Roanoke’s top cop. In conjunction with the online news source, the Roanoke Rambler, WFIR’s Taylor Sherrill breaks down how he would describe the tumultuous past two years.