Crime and Public Safety

(from Roanoke County PD) On Tuesday August 22 a 2005 Mack Truck driven by Michael Thornton was traveling northbound in the 4200 block of Jae Valley Rd in Roanoke County. The vehicle lost control, crossed the center line and ran off the left side of the road. The truck struck a guardrail and continued down an embankment where it overturned and caught fire. Mr. Thornton died at the scene. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash. The road was closed to traffic for several hours but has reopened. There are no charges pending in this case and the investigation continues

Salem Police arrested Leonard Childress of Roanoke this morning and charged the 45-year-old with two counts of Robbery related to a call for help in the 1200 block of W. Main Street. Officers arrived at the West Gate Center after receiving a 911 call about a robbery in progress at approximately 10:15 a.m. A store employee advised the officers that an unknown male subject entered the retail business and demanded cash from the worker who was on duty.

The cashier complied with the demand and the subject quickly exited the store with an undetermined amount of money. After investigation, officers were able to locate the suspect and positively identify him as the subject who perpetrated the crime. There were no weapons involved in the crime and no injuries resulted from the incident. Childress was arrested and transported to the Roanoke County-Salem Jail where he remains. This incident remains under investigation and anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Salem Police Department at 540-375-3083.

A crash that occurred around 3:30 p.m. yesterday on I-81 southbound at the 163-mile marker in Botetourt County involved eight vehicles – with one reported fatality. 61 year old William Towns of Richmond was driving a 2023 Dodge Ram when he slowed for traffic and was struck in the rear by a Kenworth tractor-trailer. Towns was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. No further information including any possible charges are available at this point according to Virginia State Police. Yesterday’s accident closed 81 southbound at mile marker 163 for a time with traffic diverted off the highway.

(from Roanoke PD) On August 12, 2023 at approximately 12:05 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 100 block of Patton Avenue NW. Responding officers located a juvenile male victim lying outside of a residence in the area with what appeared to be a critical gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the teen to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A second juvenile male was located in a vehicle near the intersection of 2nd Street and Gilmer Avenue NW with what appeared to be non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. That teen was also transported by Roanoke Fire-EMS to Carilion Roanoke Memorial hospital for treatment. Preliminary investigation indicates the two teens were injured during the incident on Patton Avenue NW. Sometime later, officers were notified that first victim who was located had succumbed to his injuries. This incident is now being investigated as a homicide.

MGN

(from Roanoke PD) On January 30, 2023 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a report of an unresponsive juvenile at a residence in the 600 block of Morrill Avenue SE. Responding officers located an unresponsive female infant inside of a home in the area and immediately began rendering aid. Roanoke Fire-EMS personnel arrived and transported the infant to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A short time later, officers were notified that the infant had passed away. Due to the infant’s age, the Medical Examiner’s Office elected to perform a full autopsy.

At the end of April, Roanoke Police received the full report from the Medical Examiner’s Office. The official cause of death was determined to be a “homicide.” Roanoke Police Special Victims Unit Detectives interviewed the infant’s caretakers, reviewed medical records from the child’s birth until her death, and closely examined evidence collected at the scene of the incident. SVU Detectives worked to rule out the possibility that the injuries the child sustained were caused by an accident. Ultimately, they determined that this incident was criminal in nature and would be investigated as a homicide.

At this time, all potential suspects have been identified and have spoken with police. No charges have been placed regarding this investigation.

Roanoke County photos

Following this morning’s protest activity on Bent Mountain, Roanoke County Police have arrested and charged two individuals for Interfering with Property Rights as they were on the pipeline right-of-way.  The two charged are identified as (Ms.) Christen Marie Mooney Corcoran, 32, of Washington, D.C. and (Mr.) Adrian Tung, 43, of California. They were taken to the Roanoke County Jail.

Today’s event required more than 20 police personnel on scene over the course of eight hours to investigate, access the protesters, secure the area, and safely remove the two individuals locked to the equipment. Attached are photos of Roanoke County Police safely removing the individuals. (photo credit: Roanoke County Police Department)