Wednesday, June 10WATCHFUL EYE

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Former Lancaster deputy charged with new child sex crimes
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Former Lancaster deputy charged with new child sex crimes

A former Lancaster County deputy has been arrested for child offenses again. According to Hanover Sheriff’s Office, last month, 29-year-old Motley Allen Haynie was posing as a juvenile online and interacted with an investigator. Haynie was attempting to arrange a meeting to engage in sexual activity. Hanover Sheriff’s Office said the individual was identified as Haynie, then, on July 25, warrants were obtained for two counts of solicitation of a minor and one count each for solicitation of child pornography and taking indecent liberties with a minor. At the time, a Lancaster Sheriff's Office employee, Motley Haynie graduates from Jail Basic at Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy. (Photo: Public Records) Haynie, a Heathsville resident, has an open case in Lancaster where he wa...
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No more private-run state prisons in VA, state takes control of Lawrenceville
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No more private-run state prisons in VA, state takes control of Lawrenceville

There are no more private-run state prisons in Virginia. As previously reported, in December, Virginia Department of Corrections announced a plan to take over control of Lawrenceville Correctional Center, which was the state’s only privately-run prison. On schedule, VADOC announced that it assumed control of the Lawrenceville today, August 1. VADOC assumed control from the GEO Group, a company that owns, leases, and manages prisons in the U.S., Australia, and South Africa. Lawrenceville opened in 1998, and today marks the first time during its existence that the facility has been run by the state, VADOC confirmed. “Today marks a new day at Lawrenceville Correctional Center,” said director Dotson. “Our Department is excited to assume operations at this facility – and to ...
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4 men beat felonies for bringing guns to Gloucester School Board meeting
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4 men beat felonies for bringing guns to Gloucester School Board meeting

Last summer, four out-of-town men were charged with felonies for bringing guns to a Gloucester County School Board meeting. Last week, on July 19, a jury found them not guilty. The charges stemmed from a previously reported incident at the July 2023 Gloucester School Board meeting. Trevor Herrin, of Williamsburg, came to the podium to offer some words of caution to school board members. He said someone slashed his tire at the school board meeting the month before. The self-described “experienced political operative” described the tire-slashing as an act of violence and told the School Board they had an opportunity to make things right. Herrin had a knife visible on the back of his belt, as shown in this Watchful Eye video. But a Gloucester deputy claimed he also spotted a gun. ...
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Why Kroger may sell Harris Teeter stores in VA, DC & Maryland
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Why Kroger may sell Harris Teeter stores in VA, DC & Maryland

Grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons are trying to get approval for a merger. To address antitrust concerns raised by state and federal regulators, the companies agreed to sell assets to C&S Wholesale Grocers, the parent company of Piggly Wiggly. On Tuesday, the companies revealed which stores, plants, and distribution centers are in the divestment plan. There are 579 stores to be sold across 19 states, including three Harris Teeter locations in Northern Virginia at: 735 N Saint Asaph St., Alexandria 2425 N Harrison St., Arlington 105 Purcellville Gateway Dr, Purcellville These are the only assets in Virginia that are slated to be divested as part of this deal. But there is a Harris Teeter in DC’s Navy Yard and four in Maryland that are also slated for sal...
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Companies plan to ramp up shift to automation, reports Richmond Fed
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Companies plan to ramp up shift to automation, reports Richmond Fed

Workers may want to prepare. According to the Richmond Federal Reserve, companies have been investing in automation and plan to ramp up that shift as inflation persists. Over the past year, about 60% of companies have automated tasks previously performed by employees, and nearly two-thirds of companies have made it a “strategic priority” to now ramp up automation going forward, the Richmond Fed said the CFO Survey revealed. The automation that occurred over the past year has come from a combination of software, equipment, and technology. But the  Fed said the majority of firms that plan to automate over the next 12 months intend to do so with AI. And why are companies increasing automation? The majority, 58%, reported using automation to improve product quality, the Fed no...
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South Carolina man pled guilty to killing Virginia police officer
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South Carolina man pled guilty to killing Virginia police officer

On Wednesday, Michael Donivan White, a 36-year-old South Carolina man, pled guilty to eight federal charges linked to the murder of Michael Chandler, a Big Stone Gap Police Officer. Chandler was killed in the line of duty on November 13 at 2505 Orr Street. That location, referred to locally as “the red house,” was well-known to police who were dispatched there for civil disturbances, warrants, welfare checks, overdoses, assaults, and drug-related activities, according to Virginia State Police. On the morning he was killed, Chandler was dispatched to the red house for a welfare check. Federal court documents show it was just after 4 a.m. when he parked his patrol vehicle on the street, approached a Sonata sitting in the driveway, and knocked on the window with his flashlight. Three...
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Former Chesapeake & Spotsylvania teacher facing charges for child sex crimes
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Former Chesapeake & Spotsylvania teacher facing charges for child sex crimes

A 31-year-old man who taught in Chesapeake and Spotsylvania is now in jail facing charges in both jurisdictions for child sex offenses. The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office announced it recently filed a charge against Daniel Brian Fleming for taking indecent liberties with a child. That charge stemmed from allegations of inappropriate contact with a juvenile in 2019. According to Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, detectives from the Child Victim Unit opened a criminal case after receiving information from Chesapeake, which already had its investigation of Fleming underway. Chesapeake Police Department stated it received information in January accusing Fleming of being involved with criminal activity involving children, prompting its investigation. From its findings, CPD charged Flemi...
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2nd man arrested in Leesburg 3-person shooting case
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2nd man arrested in Leesburg 3-person shooting case

Leesburg Police Department announced a second arrest in the May 30th shooting case that sent three men to the hospital. Zeon Garner, a 21-year-old Herndon man, was arrested last Friday at an apartment in the in the 800 block of Edwards Ferry Road NE. That is the same block where the shooting took place. LPD credits a tip from a community member for the arrest. Garner was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, a Class 6 felony. He was transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center and is being held without bond. His arrest follows that Sylvanus Massaquoi, a 19-year-old Sterling resident, who is facing an aggravated malicious wounding charge stemming from the shooting. As of Friday night, two of the three men shot had been released from the hospital. The...
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Arrests, drug busts, cash seizures: Wythe Sheriff says expect more
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Arrests, drug busts, cash seizures: Wythe Sheriff says expect more

In an effort that’s over a month long and counting, Wythe County Sheriff’s Office said they have been targeting “large amounts of methamphetamine and firearms being distributed in Wythe County.” WCSO has been serving search warrants, making arrests, and has seized thousands of dollars along with thousands of grams of illegal drugs. West Monroe St. bust WCSO reported that on April 23, members of the Drug Task Force and Tactical Team executed a search warrant on a West Monroe St. home in Wytheville. In addition to a total of $5,986 gathered from the residence and a vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said deputies seized: 341 grams of meth 14 grams of cocaine 223 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms Gary Edward McKinney Jr., 35, of Wytheville was arrested and charged with "vario...
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Richmond man found dead in Caroline County, Investigation underway
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Richmond man found dead in Caroline County, Investigation underway

Federal authorities are working with Caroline Sheriff’s Office on the investigation of a Richmond man found dead last Sunday, May 26. A “startled citizen” called 911 at 11:47 that morning to report finding a dead person in a wooded area along Sparta Rd. near the intersection of Tignor Rd, Caroline Sheriff’s Office reported. Deputies confirmed the death and Caroline forensic investigators along with personnel from the Chief Medical Examiner ‘s Office examined and processed the scene. “Investigators determined that the man likely died as the result of several gunshot wounds,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. Street view of the Sparta & Tignor Rd. intersection (Photo: Google Earth) By Sunday evening, with help from the FBI, the deceased man was identified as 51-year-old Reginal...
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