News
Michael McAlister (DOC photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed budget includes $1.3 million in restitution for a man who spent 29 years in prison for an attempted rape that officials say he didn’t commit. McAuliffe pardoned Michael Kenneth McAlister in March after another man confessed to the abduction and attempted rape of a woman in 1986. The compensation is part of McAuliffe’s $109 billion budget proposal and must be approved by the General Assembly. McAlister said Friday that the proposed compensation is more than he had expected. Virginia law allows exonerated former inmates to collect an amount equal to 90 percent of per capita income for up to 20 years of wrongful imprisonment, which would come out to about $900,000. But the General Assembly has waived the 20-year cap before.
As the Democratic party’s presidential candidates prepare for their next debate Saturday night, the latest Republican debate may help solidify several candidates in particular. Virginia Tech Professor and political analyst Bob Denton says Ted Cruz did the most to help himself, and he expects few, if any , GOP candidates to drop out before Virginia’s president primary. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ The organizers of a Christmas parade in downtown Roanoke are having second thoughts about allowing a Southern heritage group to march in the parade with a Confederate battle flag. The Sons of Confederate Veterans carried the flag in the parade one week ago despite complaints from the local chapter of the NAACP. The civil rights group wanted the flag banished from the parade. But city officials and the parade organizers defended the group’s First Amendment rights to fly the flag. Since then, however, some residents complained that the group “hijacked” the parade. The Roanoke Times reports that as many as 50 Confederate flag bearers marched in the parade. Downtown Roanoke Inc. organizes the parade. It says it’s considering whether the group should be allowed to enter in the future.
From The Henry County Sheriff’s Office: Deputies have been searching for a runaway juvenile, Tylea Caroline Niblett, since December 11. 2015. Following efforts by the sheriff’s office to locate Tylea, she contacted her mother and stated she was safe but did not want to come home. Tylea refused to provide her mother her location or where she had been staying. Tylea returned to school today and is safe. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the media and others who disseminated her photograph and provided information as to her whereabouts. Continue reading for the original news release.
From the Botetourt Sheriff’s Office: Fincastle, VA – It was announced at the December 1st meeting of the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) that the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office was successfully accredited for the fourth time. A team of assessors representing the Commission visited the agency during the week of October 19th and found it in full compliance with all standards required for successful accreditation. In order to be accredited, agencies must show compliance with 190 standards relating to law enforcement functions. Examples of areas covered are evidence functions, traffic enforcement, and personnel policies. In the case of agencies seeking re-accreditation they must show proof of compliance for all standards for each year of the accreditation term. There are currently 92 law enforcement agencies accredited by VLEPSC throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office was initially accredited in 2003. The agency undergoes re-accreditation every 4 years and was last re-accredited in 2011. The next assessment will take place in October 2019. Deputy Greg Marshall has served as the agency’s accreditation manager since 2000. Sheriff Sprinkle would like to thank the community, staff, and cooperating agencies that have assisted the Sheriff’s Office with achieving this important goal.
From The Henry County Sheriff’s Office: The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that occurred at 16 Daffodil Lane Collinsville, Virginia. A call was received at 2:51am on December 17, 2015 reporting a female had heard several gunshots and felt pain in her arm. Deputies and EMS responded and located Terri Hodges, 58, of 16 Daffodil Lane Collinsville, Virginia, who was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Multiple gunshots were fired from outside the residence and one round struck Ms. Hodges. Ms. Hodges was transported to the Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County and was subsequently transferred to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. She is currently in stable condition. Investigators are currently interviewing several individuals who have information related to the shooting. Anyone having information regarding this crime is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
