Crime and Public Safety
(update 1/24/pm) UPDATE: Roanoke Police have identified the victim of this incident as Jody McFarland, 35 of Roanoke. No further updates are available at this time.(from Roanoke City PD) On January 19 [this morning] at approximately 6:50 a.m., the City of Roanoke E-911 Center notified Roanoke Police of a person with injury in the 3700 block of Williamson Road NW. Responding officers located an unresponsive adult female partially in the roadway. Roanoke Fire-EMS personnel pronounced the woman deceased on scene. Her identity will be released after next-of-kin is properly notified. Preliminary investigation indicates this incident is a traffic fatality. The suspect vehicle has not been located at this time and further details are limited. This is being investigated as a fatal hit-and-run.
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.
(from Governor Northam’s office) On this date, January 14, 2022, I declare that a state of emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia to prepare and coordinate our response to severe winter weather. The Virginia Emergency Operations Center has been actively monitoring the movement of a major winter weather system heading toward Virginia, with anticipated tracks showing impacts beginning the evening of Saturday, January 15, 2022. The National Weather Service is still refining its forecasts based on real-time data, but initial forecasts are predicting impactful to highly impactful snow, sleet, ice, and freezing rain across broad swaths of the Commonwealth, to include higher impacts in the same area affected by the first event.
This area is still dealing with the consequences of last week’s back-to-back events, including power restoration and significant debris removal. This upcoming weather system is likely to include additional downed trees, more electrical outages, and significant impacts on travel conditions. Given the storm’s current forecast, the Commonwealth is leaning forward to assist localities and assist all Virginians who face the impacts of this complex, statewide storm while also coordinating continued COVID operations. Pre-positioning response assets and supplies will be necessary to assist our local and state partners whose resources have been severely strained by ongoing events. The Virginia Emergency Support Team will activate for this incident.
RoCo Fire & Rescue FB photo
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded around 1:45 p.m. today in the 6600 block of Back Creek Road, in the Clearbrook area, for the report of smoke in the trees. First arriving crews found a double-wide mobile home that was fully involved in fire. The home was occupied by a single adult and one dog at the time of the fire. The adult and the dog were not able to evacuate and both perished in the fire. The home is a total loss. The fire was under control in approximately 50 minutes. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene along with the Roanoke County Police Department to investigate.
MGN
(Update 1/12 940am) Roanoke Police have identified the victim as Brooks M. Mullen, 23 of Roanoke. There are no further updates and this remains an ongoing
investigation.
(from Roanoke PD) On January 10, 2022 at approximately 1:30 a.m., the City of Roanoke E-911 Center advised Roanoke Police Officers of a suspicious call with injuries in the 3500 block of Yellow Mountain Road SE. Responding officers located an adult female lying outside of a residence. The woman was unresponsive and appeared to be injured. Roanoke Fire-EMS personnel pronounced the woman deceased on scene. The victim’s identity will be released after next-of-kin is properly notified. No suspects were located on scene and no arrests have been made regarding this investigation. Further details on this investigation are limited at
this time.
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.
SALEM – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is warning drivers to watch out for icy spots on roadways throughout western Virginia as low overnight temperatures may cause re-freezing of any moisture on roadways.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam has granted a full pardon to a man sentenced to life in prison in the 2002 killing of a pregnant woman and the shooting of her boyfriend. The Virginian-Pilot reports that Northam granted the “absolute pardon” Tuesday to Lamar Edward Barnes, now 40, in the slaying of Amy McRae, and the shooting of Mark King inside a house in Portsmouth.
“This absolute pardon reflects Barnes’ innocence of the convictions handed down to him in 2003, for which he has been incarcerated for nearly the last two decades,” Northam’s office said in a statement. King and McRae’s unborn baby daughter both survived. Barnes, who was then 20, maintained from the outset that he didn’t commit the crime. But following an August 2003 jury trial, Barnes was convicted and sentenced to life plus another 28 years behind bars.
In recent years, the case was taken up by the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia’s law school. Northam’s office said an investigation found that Barnes had a “corroborated alibi” at the time of the killing, but that evidence was “disregarded” during his trial. The governor’s office also said eyewitnesses who testified against Barnes, including King, later “recanted their identifications” of him.
“As his memory came back, he became more and more unsure, and then ultimately became convinced that it was not in fact Mr. Barnes who was the shooter,” said Jennifer L. Givens, a U.Va. law professor and director of the school’s Innocence Project. “He made repeated attempts before trial — and after trial — to right that wrong, and to make sure that Mr. Barnes got out of prison,” she said. “Because he felt horrible that an innocent man was behind bars.” King died in 2020 of unknown causes. After receiving the pardon Tuesday, Barnes was released from the Sussex State Prison in Waverly.
MGN
(Roanoke County, VA—January 8, 2022) Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at approximately 5:17 p.m. on Saturday, January 8, 2022 to the 3400 block of Locust Grove Lane, in the Ft. Lewis area, for the report of a residential structure fire. First arriving was Chief 1 and Roanoke County Station 9 (Ft. Lewis). Chief 1 reported smoke and fire showing from a one story, brick-sided, single family home with all occupants out. The fire was knocked down in 30 minutes.
The house was occupied by a single wheelchair bound adult at the time of the fire. That occupant had self-evacuated to the front porch and then was assisted by several bystanders to safety. The occupant of the home was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. We appreciate the assistance of Salem Fire & EMS on this call.
According to the Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office: the fire on Locust Grove Lane remains under investigation at this time. The occupant was transported to the hospital with burn injuries. Thanks to a couple bystanders the occupant was rescued from her porch preventing further injury. Damage estimates are $250,000.00. One firefighter also sustained an injury during suppression efforts.
(from Roanoke PD) On January 7, 2022 at approximately 1:40 a.m., the City of Roanoke E-911 Center advised officers of a person with a gunshot wound in the 3800 block of Williamson Road NW. Responding officers located an adult male inside of a business in the area with what appeared to be a critical gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. Throughout the course of the investigation, Officers on scene determined that Jeffrey E. White, 52 of Roanoke, was the suspect in the shooting. Witnesses advised that Mr. White and another patron of the business became involved in a physical altercation before Mr. White left the business. Mr. White was confronted by the victim of this incident outside of the business, which is when the shooting occurred. Mr. White then fled the scene on foot. Officers did not immediately locate Mr. White after the incident occurred.
Patrol Officers working with regional task force investigators relentlessly sought Mr. White, who was ultimately located in the City of Roanoke earlier this morning. Mr. White was taken into custody without incident and charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
From Roanoke City Police Department: On January 3, 2022 at approximately 3:15 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified of a person with a gunshot wound in the 500 block of Orange Avenue NE. The City of Roanoke E-911 Center advised responding officers that the victim of this incident would be outside of a business in the area. Officers located an adult male with what appeared to be serious but non-life threatening injuries. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the man to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment. Officers were quickly able to identify and locate a suspect believed to be involved in this incident. At this time, it appears as though the individuals were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated. The suspect and victim are known to one another. No arrests have been made at this time and this remains 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.