News – Page 37 – Watchful Eye

1Mar

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Traffic

2 roads in King William have reopened

VDOT announced the completion of two projects this week in King William that allowed roadways to reopen. Jacks Creek Rd. On Monday, VDOT reopened the closed portion of Rt. 629 (Jacks Creek Road). Construction began last August to install a new concrete box culvert was installed to replace the original structure, which consisted of three corrugated metal drainage pipes built in 1943. Although this project is complete, VDOT advises drivers to expect rough ride with loose gravel. Crews are slated to return in mid-March to pave. Bridge over Herring Creek Herring Creek Rd. Today, March 1, Rt. 604 (Herring Creek Road) reopened to through traffic following the repair of the bridge over Herring Creek. For this project, the bridge was closed in December while crews were addr...

Traffic pattern changes on Rt. 17 in Spotsylvania starting today

1Mar

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Traffic

Traffic pattern changes on Rt. 17 in Spotsylvania starting today

Drivers in Spotsylvania who use Rt. 17 should be aware that a temporary traffic shift near I-95 went into effect today, March 1. Southbound traffic on Rt. 17 will be shifted slightly to the right to cross the new overpass of I-95. The shift is to allow construction crews the space to finish building the median of the new four-lane interstate overpass. And the new pattern will remain in place until construction is complete on the road widening and bridge replacement project. Northbound Route 17 traffic will continue to cross the original I-95 overpass. Construction on the $23.5 million project began in Dec. 2020 and was scheduled to be completed in late February 2024, but now the completion date is anticipated in May 2024, according to VDOT As part of the project, a shared-us...

Authorities warning deadly overdoses rising in northwest VA

29Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News

Authorities warning deadly overdoses rising in northwest VA

The Northwest Regional Drug & Gang Task Force is sounding the alarm on a spike of overdoses and overdose deaths in the northwestern corner of Virginia in recent weeks. And, it appears fentanyl is the suspected culprit. “The past few weeks have made the threat we face from fentanyl apparent,” said Chief Kahle Magalis with the Front Royal Police Department. “We want to caution the public and make them aware of exactly how lethal fentanyl can be." According to the Task Force, between Feb. 10 and Feb. 24, there have been 11 overdoses with five leading to death. That compares to only one death and five total overdoses from the beginning of the year until Feb. 10. Meanwhile, as overdoses and drug fatalities are rising, the Task Force is reportedly catching a lot more fentanyl in its...

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

29Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

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

28Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Trending

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

28Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Trending

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

28Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Popular

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

24Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Crime, News, Popular

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

23Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

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

23Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News

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 ...