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Feds snag 88 lbs. of hash at Dulles amid focus on marijuana shipments
Crime, News, Popular

Feds snag 88 lbs. of hash at Dulles amid focus on marijuana shipments

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) say they’ve uncovered “an increasing trend” of U.S. marijuana growers and retailers shipping products to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed earns them several times the U.S. price. Because of that, CBP is ramping up efforts to intercept those shipments. And it was “during one of these outbound inspections targeted on seizing marijuana,” that CBP officers found nearly 88 pounds of hashish in checked bags at Dulles, the agency reported. On Monday, officers retrieved 28 vacuum-sealed bags of brown bricks in three suitcases that were being loaded onto a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The material field tested as positive for hashish, CBP reported. The traveler associated with those bags was Johnathan Edward Perez, a California resident, an...
Northern Neck man pleads guilty to $2.4 million in bank fraud at Primis
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Northern Neck man pleads guilty to $2.4 million in bank fraud at Primis

James Stevens, a former Primis employee, is facing a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud. The 46-year-old man from Weems worked for the bank from 2002 to 2023, although, over that period, the bank was sold several times and operated under different names. According Stevens' own admission in federal court documents, from about 2008 up until his departure from Primis in 2023, he was exploiting his position to get money for himself, for others, and to pay fraudulent loans he was making at the bank. Stevens last position at the bank was as commericial lender. His “primary method” of fraud was issuing loans in other people’s names, the court documents state. For example, he admitted that he originated at least $530,000 in loans in the nam...
Another man killed as VSP warns of ‘alarming’ rise in pedestrian fatalities
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Another man killed as VSP warns of ‘alarming’ rise in pedestrian fatalities

A fatal pedestrian crash was reported in Greensville County Monday morning at nearly the same time as Virginia State Police was issuing a public advisory about the mounting number of pedestrian crashes in the Commonwealth. Greensville crash In Greensville, the incident was a hit and run that occurred on Pleasant Shade Road (Route 58). According to VSP Sergeant Michelle Anaya, a man was walking westbound on Pleasant Shade Rd. when an unknown vehicle hit him. The man was west of Emporia and VSP believes the incident occurred between 4 and 5:30 a.m. The pedestrian's identity has not been released. VSP is asking anyone with possible information, who may have witnessed or seen the pedestrian and/or the responsible vehicle around that timeframe to contact troopers at #(434) 634-44...
Inmate dies in custody in Alexandria, VA
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Inmate dies in custody in Alexandria, VA

Authorities in Alexandria have reportedly launched an investigation into the death of an inmate at William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. At around 4 a.m., on February 26, an unnamed deputy reportedly found Ahntais Jacoby Lucas, a 39-year-old Fairfax man, “unresponsive in his cell alone and experiencing an apparent medical emergency,” a statement from Alexandria said. A deputy immediately called for assistance from the jail’s medical staff, and together, they attempted life-saving measures. Medics from the Alexandria Fire Department responded to the scene, and they also attempted treatment, but Lucas was pronounced dead at 4:42 a.m., Alexandria’s statement added. Lucas had been in custody since August 20, 2023. The William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center where this in...
72 pounds of weed found at Dulles Airport, 2 men arrested
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72 pounds of weed found at Dulles Airport, 2 men arrested

A large marijuana shipment that was reportedly destined for Paris won’t be arriving because authorities seized the 68 bags of vacuum-sealed buds at Dulles International Airport and arrested the men accused of transporting it. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported that the large bags of weed, which weighed over 72 pounds, were found in three checked suitcases that were being loaded onto a plane headed to Keflavik, Iceland. Las Vegas residents Kaliq Talib McCallister, 33, and Christian Tyler Knight, 28, were identified as the travelers responsible for those suitcases. According to CBP, their plan was to pass through Iceland to get Paris. The material in the vacuum-sealed bags was field-tested, and the results were positive for marijuana, CBP reported. The 72 pounds of marijuana...
Governor declares today Winsome Earle-Sears Day
Biz & Life, News

Governor declares today Winsome Earle-Sears Day

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin declared today, February 23, Winsome Earle-Sears Day in honor of the Lieutenant Governor. Youngkin’s resolution recognizes Earle-Sears as the first female and the first female veteran to serve as lieutenant governor. Earle-Sears is also recognized as the first black woman to hold statewide office. In addition to serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Earle-Sears has held roles as Presidential appointee to the United States Census Bureau, a distinguished member of the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and as Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education, the Governor’s resolution notes. Earle-Sears “quintessential leadership is a beacon of light to the Commonwealth of Virginia, exhibited th...
Virginia’s roadkill bill boosting access to dead animals is heading to the Governor
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Virginia’s roadkill bill boosting access to dead animals is heading to the Governor

There’s at least one thing Virginia lawmakers agree on across party lines, and that’s roadkill. HB 1025, commonly referred to as the roadkill bill, aims to expand opportunities to claim dead animals from the roadway. Currently, if a person hits and kills a deer or bear, only that individual can claim that animal. And the roadkill can only be claimed if it’s hunting season for that type of animal. The bill put forth by Delegate Tony Wilt applies to deer, bear, turkey, and elk. It will allow anyone to take possession of those animals if it appears they were killed by a vehicle crash. And roadkill can be claimed any time of year. According to Wilt, this bill could alleviate some of VDOT’s workload. “Currently, if nobody takes the animal, it falls back onto VDOT,” The Hill ...
Driver killed in 4-vehicle Accomack crash identified as Hampton man
News, Traffic

Driver killed in 4-vehicle Accomack crash identified as Hampton man

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the identity of a driver killed in a four-vehicle crash in Accomack last Friday, VSP announced. The deceased, whose identity was previously unknown, is 39-year-old Romar Lamont Reid of Hampton. According to VSP, the crash occurred on Lankford Highway (Route 13), a 1/2 mile south of Coal Kin Road in the town of Painter. Reid was driving a 2012 Ford sedan heading north. He was “traveling at a high rate of speed” and rear-ended a 2016 Chevrolet Cruz, VSP noted. The impact from that crash sent Reid’s vehicle into oncoming traffic, and a 2021 Freightliner tractor trailer traveling southbound hit his Ford head-on. Reid was thrown from the car and landed in the ditch. VSP said he died upon impact. Meanwhile, after getting hit, the C...
VSP asking for tips after man shot on I-664 in Hampton
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VSP asking for tips after man shot on I-664 in Hampton

A 51-year-old man was shot while driving on I-664 in Hampton on February 20, and Virginia State Police is seeking witnesses. Based of the details that have emerged from the preliminary investigation, VSP said the victim was driving a black 2019 Toyota Yaris heading northbound in the far left lane. He was "a few car lengths" behind a school bus. VSP did not disclose which school’s bus it was. The victim reportedly told VSP that a black sedan attempted to merge into his lane to bypass the bus but wasn’t successful. That sedan went around the bus, pulled up beside his Yaris, and he heard a loud pop. VSP said when the man realized he had been shot, he pulled over and called 911. The call came in at 6:23 a.m., VSP said. The victim said he saw the suspect vehicle exit towards I-64 We...
Dozens of firefighters battle astroturf blaze in Essex
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Dozens of firefighters battle astroturf blaze in Essex

As of this morning, Tappahannock-Essex Volunteer Fire Department (TEVFD) said the cause of a massive astroturf fire is unknown. TEVFD said crew was dispatched to an area at the back of Lagrange Industrial Park in Essex at about 4 p.m. where they found approximately 100 rolls of astroturf on fire. The department immediately requested mutual aid from Richmond County Volunteer Fire Department. TEVFD issued a message advising that numerous units would be working the call and asked the public to refrain from using Lagrange. In total, over 50 firefighters worked to tackle the blaze with TEVFD requesting assistance from a variety of sources, including Essex County EMS, Upper King and Queen VFD, Upper Middlesex VFD, Middlesex (Urbanna) VFD, Walkerton VFD, Essex County Sheriff’s Office and...