Monthly Archive for September, 2001

Elderly Man Carjacked, Murdered

WVIR reported this evening that 81-year-old Fulton Scruggs was carjacked and murdered in Charlottesville this afternoon. The elderly man was giving a ride to 20-year-old Robert Preston Taylor and a 16-year-old juvenile when they attempted to carjack him, shooting him twice in the head in the process. The two suspects escaped on foot, though they were quickly apprehended by police. Scruggs died at the hospital early this evening. WINA has a brief story.

Med. School Gets $38M Grant

The National Institutes of Health has given the Medical School $38 million to study cell migration. It’s what’s known as a “glue grant,” one that combines researchers from a varity of institutions to collaborate on a single research project. The study will hopefully reveal information about how cells migrate between parts of the body, which would, among other things, reveal how cancer spreads. For more information see UVa’s press release or David Glynn’s article in the Cav. Daily.

Investigators Find Body of Missing Girl

Yesterday investigators in Louisa found the remains of who they believe to Shantay Latrice Wheeler. The 18-year-old went missing in April under rather surprising circumstances: her boyfriend dropped her off at the Fork Union Motor Lodge to meet her sister, and she walked to a nearby pharmacy. She never got there. The remains of the 8-month-pregnant Fluvanna girl were found in the woods near the intersection of 15 and 22 in Boswells Tavern. The Progress has the full story, though you can read a brief version on WINA’s site.

It WAS an Earthquake

It’s confirmed: Saturday’s 12:00pm big boom was, in fact, an earthquake. WINA reports that a Virginia Tech seismologist has deemed Saturday’s Big Boom to be an earthquake that measured 3.2 on the Richter scale, slightly larger than our 1998 quake, which measured 2.8. The epicenter was located in Albemarle County.

Bomber Gets Life Sentence

Coleman Johnson, recently convicted of the December 1997 murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend via pipe bomb, has been sentenced. Judge Moon gave him life in prison, as per the recommendation of jury. After Johnson’s murder of Tammy Lynn Baker and her unborn child, much of Louisa went on alert, unsure if more pipe bombs might explode in the area. WINA has the story.

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