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Public aids Suffolk police in arrest of most wanted & alleged church shooter
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Public aids Suffolk police in arrest of most wanted & alleged church shooter

Within days, Suffolk Police arrested suspects in two unrelated shootings, and both arrests were made possible due to help from the community. Micheal McKinley Jr. who Suffolk Police Department as its “#1 most wanted” was arrested on December 11. Suffolk Police named the 22-year-old as the suspect in a shooting incident that occurred on November 29 in the 100 block of Kennet Drive. SPD alleges he shot at two people in a vehicle and an occupied dwelling. No one was injured during this incident, but McKinley already had numerous active violent felony warrants including charges of attempted murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, the department announced. SPD described McKinley as armed and dangerous and called on the public for assistance locating him. After hi...
Man who escaped ICE facility in Caroline sentenced, now appealing
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Man who escaped ICE facility in Caroline sentenced, now appealing

Dennis Zeledon Hernandez, the Salvadorian man who escaped from Caroline Detention Facility (CDF), was sentenced last Wednesday. But he’s adding to his lengthy legal tennis match with the federal government by filing an appeal. Early years in U.S. Court records show Zeledon Hernandez has a history with the feds that dates back to July 2016 when ICE officials found him near the border in Hidalgo, TX. At that time, he claimed to fear gang members in El Salvador. An asylum officer found he demonstrated credible fear of persecution, and he was served with a Notice to Appear that warned that failure to appear may result in a removal order and arrest, the records state. After several months in ICE detention, Zeledon Hernandez was ordered to be released on bond. Court records show, a mont...
2 Fredericksburg suspects accused of murder for body found in Caroline
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2 Fredericksburg suspects accused of murder for body found in Caroline

Last week, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office announced there was an investigation underway after a Stafford man’s body was discovered by a gravel road in a rural part of the county on the morning of Nov. 18. The man had no known connections to the area where he was found. And preliminary investigations indicate that the victim was abducted, transported, and shot in the area of Caroline where he was found, the Sheriff’s Office said. Days later, CCSO arrested two Fredericksburg suspects, 30-year-old Laurel Ainsleigh Thrift and 47-year-old James William Jackson. Explaining how the pair were caught, CCSO said during the investigation, investigators went and interviewed people in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Fredericksburg. That provided critical leads that led CCSO to request assistance...
Body recovered after report of person jumping from Harry Nice bridge
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Body recovered after report of person jumping from Harry Nice bridge

On Wednesday, a man reportedly jumped from the Rt. 301 bridge that crosses the Potomac River and connects King George County, VA and Charles County, MD. Charles County and King George were both dispatched after a call came in at approximately 11:45 a.m. reporting “person jumping,” noted William Smith, public information officer for Charles County Volunteer Fire & EMS. A range boat from Dahlgren was already in the area and went to work assisting Newburg Boat Fire #14 and Colonial Beach Fire Boat #1 in the search. According to Smith, the marine crews found a male subject on the surface of the river, and he was deceased when they discovered his body. Smith said it was Colonial Beach Boat #1 that retrieved the body. The man, whose identity hasn’t been released, was brought to the ...
Found: Virginia Beach man accused of hitting state trooper and fleeing the scene
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Found: Virginia Beach man accused of hitting state trooper and fleeing the scene

A 23-year-old Virginia Beach man who allegedly hit a state trooper amid a getaway has been found and is in Virginia Beach City Jail. According to Virginia State Police, at approximately 5:16 this morning, troopers attempted to make a reckless driving stop on a blue Dodge Charger that was traveling 125 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-264 East near Laskin Road. The car didn’t stop, VSP claims, and a police chase ensued. The Charger got off the highway on the Birdneck Road exit ramp. When the car made a right on Americus Way, troopers were able to block it in because it’s a dead end road, VSP stated. The driver, who VSP alleges is Jayden Markel Wallace, accelerated towards the side of a trooper’s vehicle but was “unsuccessful,” VSP Sgt. Michelle Anaya reported. At that point, a trooper ...
Sheriff warns scammers across VA are showing up to people’s homes to collect
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Sheriff warns scammers across VA are showing up to people’s homes to collect

It appears there are a bunch of scams “plaguing” the Commonwealth of Virginia, and scammers are now showing up at people’s homes to collect, warned Mathews County Sheriff April Edwards. In a public service announcement, Edwards said the scam has found its way to Mathews, a rural county at the tip of the Middle Peninsula. In one instance, a Mathews family was contacted by someone claiming his son had been arrested in another state and was injured from getting into a car accident, the sheriff explained. The caller requested $9,800 in cash to pay the public defender’s office for defense. “The family went to the bank, withdrew $9,800 in cash, and these fools actually had the nerve to show up to the house to collect the $9,800,” Sheriff Edwards said. “Do I need to explain to you jus...
Patrick County, VA man accused of trying to set his father on fire
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Patrick County, VA man accused of trying to set his father on fire

A 28-year-old Stuart man in Patrick County was arrested after allegedly attempting to set his father on fire. It was after 1 p.m. yesterday, Wednesday, Nov. 6, when a 911 call came in reporting a disturbance at 3243 Clark House Farm Road in Stuart. According to Lieutenant Steve Austin, when deputies, arrived Eric William Walker was outside of the residence subject to the call. The preliminary investigation revealed that Walker and his father got into argument that escalated into a physical altercation, police say. Walker allegedly went outside got a bottle of “suspected lighter fluid” and poured it on his father. Walker then attempted to ignite it, according to the police account. The father was able to escape and ran to a neighbor’s house. The Sheriff’s Office said Walker ...
Fentanyl treasure map leads to federal convictions for 2 Virginia men
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Fentanyl treasure map leads to federal convictions for 2 Virginia men

Two Hampton Roads men pled guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in a case involving a fentanyl treasure map. Ronald Devon Matthews, a 39-year-old from the Isle of Wight, acknowledged in court documents that he’s known as “MacGyver” and “Mac” and has been in custody since he was arrested in December 2021. He pled guilty to three federal counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Sept 29, 2022, court documents show. Matthews draws a map Matthews admitted, on May 2, 2023, while serving his 6-year and 9-month sentence for those charges at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg, he drew a treasure map to fentanyl that he buried in the ground outside his home in Carrsville before he was arrested. In the statement of facts submitted in feder...
MS-13 inmate accused in 2nd correctional officer stabbing in Virginia
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MS-13 inmate accused in 2nd correctional officer stabbing in Virginia

A prisoner who is a “confirmed affiliate” of MS-13 is accused of another stabbing, this time at Greensville Correctional Center, Virginia Department of Corrections announced. Inmate Axel Wilfredo Ortiz Garcia, a 26-year-old Guatemalan national, is accused of stabbing two correctional officers on Tuesday at around 2:30 p.m., VADOC disclosed. VADOC has not yet revealed details about the events that led up to the incident because an investigation is still underway but confirmed both officers have been discharged from the hospital. VADOC also explained that Ortiz Garcia, who has maximum security status, was being temporarily detained at Greensville due to a court order from Sussex Circuit Court related to his prosecution for an incident at Sussex 1 State Prison. He is accused in the A...
Hampton Roads port operations shut down by strike, reopening date unknown
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Hampton Roads port operations shut down by strike, reopening date unknown

Port workers from Maine to Texas started striking at midnight on August 1. The Port of Virginia (POV) confirmed that no cargo is moving in or out of its port during this work stoppage. This strike has closed several Hampton Roads operations, including: Norfolk International Terminals Virginia International Gateway Newport News Marine Terminal Pinners Point Container Yard Portsmouth Chassis Yard Reefer Service Area The Damage Annex During strike, the port will not be receiving vessels at the impacted locations. No containers will be moved in or out by train, and the truck gates are closed, said POV. The impacted locations have also stopped receiving empty containers or providing any chassis or repair services. And POV said the Richmond Express barge service i...