Fairfax County Deputy Chief of Police Steve Sellers has been named Albemarle’s new police chief, Carter Johnson reports for CBS-19. Chief John Miller is retiring after two decades as the county’s top cop. Sellers was selected from 108 candidates. He’ll start the job at the end of January.
cvillenews.com
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Well, we’ve figured out exactly who is getting coal in his stocking for last week’s Salvation Army robbery: the purported victim. Stephanie Satchell reports for CBS-19 that Lawrence Egnor has been charged with embezzlement and making a false report to police after allegedly faking a robbery on his first day on the job as a bell-ringer. Three others—his accomplices—were also charged in the case. Since less than $200 was stolen in total, that’s a take of about $50/person for this sad little caper.
At a November 11 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors denied Wendell Wood’s request to have 140 acres of his land on Route 29 added to the growth area. Forest Lakes residents opposed the expansion en masse and, at the conclusion of the hearing, Ken Boyd said that though he personally favored Wood’s request, he would bow to the overwhelming public opposition. With a majority of the board opposed, that was the end of that.
So, as Sean Tubbs writes for Charlottesville Tomorrow, it came as rather a surprise when Boyd said at yesterday’s meeting that he’s changed his mind. “There’s some additional information that’s been brought to my attention that’s made me reconsider what I said. And I’m perfectly willing to take the political heat for that.” No additional public hearing is even required—the board could simply take a new vote and make Wood’s relatively worthless land enormously valuable. As a fellow from the Forest Lakes Community Association said: “A community rose up overwhelmingly and indicated that this is a bad thing. As soon as the spotlight is off, an elected official tries to go back and do the same thing… You do not develop these parcels until you have the infrastructure.” Boyd’s fellow Republican board member, Duane Snow, admonished Boyd at the meeting, saying that “to have everyone here and take a vote and then change it in the back room, I don’t think is fair to the citizens.”
No decision was arrived at about whether they should revisit the topic or not. Audio, maps, and details are available from Charlottesville Tomorrow.
Elisha Strom has been found not guilty of charges of stalking, the Daily Progress reports. The white supremacist and ex-wife of child pornographer Kevin Strom was arrested in July of 2009 for harassing local undercover police officers, in the form of her blog, where she describes stakeouts of their stakeouts, posts photos of the officers leaving their homes, provides dozens of surveillance photos of the detectives, and relates stories about how she goes about stalking them. It turns out that to be convicted of stalking, state law says that one must be somebody who:
on more than one occasion engages in conduct directed at another person with the intent to place, or when he knows or reasonably should know that the conduct places that other person in reasonable fear of death, criminal sexual assault, or bodily injury to that other person or to that other person’s family or household member…
Since her target could not be shown to be placed in reasonable fear of bodily injury, Judge William Barkley found her not guilty. The judge did agree that her behavior is bizarre, though, and granted the police officer a protective order to keep Strom away from him. Strom informed a reporter that she simply never knew that the officers felt threatened by her actions, but that she intends to carry on anyhow.
Interim City Manager Maurice Jones has been offered the job on a permanent basis, Henry Graff reports for NBC-29. The city isn’t talking, as contract negotiations are said to be underway, and Graff cites only “two city hall insiders” as his sources. He goes on to say that “sources inside city hall say Jones is the choice and has been at the top of the list all along.” After last week’s Progress story saying suggesting that Richard Brown was the top pick, one person involved in the hiring process e-mailed me, insisting that the paper had jumped the gun, and that the offer hadn’t gone to anybody at that point. Assuming that Graff’s story is right, I suspect that we won’t hear anything else until the city makes this official.
12/03 Update: The city made it official in an announcement this afternoon.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments