Shenandoah – Watchful Eye

Hikers rescued from 2 different VA mountains within 24 hours

3Apr

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Hikers rescued from 2 different VA mountains within 24 hours

Med-Flight 1 conducted two hiker rescue missions within 24 hours from two different Virginia mountains. The first hoist operation came on Monday, March 31, after the National Park Service notified Med-Flight 1 of a hiker in distress on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. The chopper flew from its base in Chesterfield approximately 80 nautical miles to the rescue site in Madison County. Lt. Greg Jones of Chesterfield Fire/EMS explained this was a time-sensitive mission as thunderstorms were expected at 5 p.m. and the call came in at about 3:40 p.m. Med-Flight 1 in action in Madison County (Photos: National Park Service) A crew member descended and secured the 67-year-old hiker. She was hoisted and flown off the mountain while the crew member was left behind. The ...

Tractor-trailer crash shut down I-81, dozens of cows dead

8Oct

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

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Tractor-trailer crash shut down I-81, dozens of cows dead

At one point on Sunday, both the north and southbound lanes of I-81 between the mile markers 291 and 296 were shut down indefinitely. The cause was a tractor-trailer crash in Shenandoah County that is now being investigated by Virginia State Police. According to VSP public information officer Sgt. Brent Coffey, it was a single-vehicle incident. Around 4 a.m., the truck was heading northbound on I-81 hauling 105 cattle. The driver, Shawn E. Alford, 59, of Grottoes, ran off the left side of the road and the truck hit a guardrail then flipped over. (Photo: SCSO) Citizens, the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, and VDOT all worked to contain loose cattle after the crash. But 42 of the cows didn’t survive, Coffey reported. A veterinarian was called to the scene and had to euthanize 10...

Juveniles in Shenandoah charged for 4 separate school threat cases in a week

18Sep

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

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Juveniles in Shenandoah charged for 4 separate school threat cases in a week

Within one week, Shenandoah Sheriff’s Office has charged four teenagers for four separate cases of school related threats. The latest incident occurred yesterday, Sept. 17. A 16-year-old female from Edinburg was identified as the suspect for two verbal threats involving Central High School, SCSO reported. Her threats were reported to both school officials and local police. She is now facing two counts of 2 counts of threatening to bomb or damage buildings or transportation or providing false information about the danger or those buildings, SCSO noted. On Friday the 13th, SCSO announced a 14-year-old from Fort Valley was deemed the suspect for a written threat. His threats were reported to both school officials and police. This juvenile is now facing one count of threatening...

Frederick County deputy injured in Shenandoah dump truck crash

3May

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News, Traffic

Frederick County deputy injured in Shenandoah dump truck crash

Although a charge has already been filed, Virginia State Police is still investigating a crash in Shenandoah County involving a dump truck and a police vehicle at the 292 mile marker. The incident occurred this morning around 5:45 on Interstate 81. According to VSP, 71-year-old Gaylon Miller of Toms Brook, was heading north and accidently engaged the dump bed. The raised dump bed hit the Rt. 646 overpass and detached from the truck. The detached bed slid backwards, said VSP, and landed on a northbound 2022 Ford Explorer belonging to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. (Photos: VSP) The deputy, who wasn’t named, was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment. VSP characterized the injuries as minor. Miller wasn’t injured. Thus far, he is charged with reckles...

Stolen vehicle arrest leads to discovery of dead women in Manassas

3Apr

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Stolen vehicle arrest leads to discovery of dead women in Manassas

An investigation involving a stolen vehicle in Shenandoah County led to the discovery of what appears to be a double murder in Manassas. Prince William calls On Tuesday, April 2, at 12:45 a.m., Prince William County Police received two calls. One was for a report of a man with a gun in the area of 8100 block of Porter Ridge Ln. in Manassas, said PWCPD. The other call was a 61-year-old man who reported he was carjacked in the 8100 block of Portwood Turn in Manassas. PWCPD said when officers responded to the scene with the carjacking victim, he explained he had just parked his vehicle and was approached by a man with a gun who took his vehicle. When police didn’t find the man’s vehicle in the area, they entered it into the national database and advised other jurisdictions in t...

Truck driver killed in hit-and-run on I-81 in Shenandoah, VSP wants info

3Apr

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Truck driver killed in hit-and-run on I-81 in Shenandoah, VSP wants info

Virginia State Police is seeking information related to a hit-and-run that killed a truck driver in Shenandoah County. According to VSP, James W. Carr, Jr. a 64-year-old Alton, NH man was hit by an unknown vehicle on Saturday, March 23, on I-81 at the 296-mile marker. Police say the crash occurred between 5:00 – 8:12 a.m. Carr was a pedestrian and was in the roadway when he was hit by a northbound vehicle that didn’t stop. VSP has not provided any explanation for why Carr in the road. From the investigation, VSP determined that Carr had been driving a red 2022 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer with Crete Carrier Corp. on the sides. Earlier that day, Carr stopped at the Pilot Travel Center in the 1000 block of Mt. Olive Road in Toms Brook, which is in Shenandoah County, said...

Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah

2Feb

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Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah

A two-vehicle accident on I-81 in Shenandoah County proved fatal for an ejected passenger. The incident occurred Monday, January 29, at 6 p.m. at the 289 mile marker, Virginia State Police reported. A 2015 Ford F350 experienced a driver’s side blowout, which caused the truck to run off the right side of the road, flip, and hit the guardrail. Wilson R. Acosta Zelaya, a 21-year-old of Springfield, was in the backseat and was not wearing a seatbelt, VSP stated. He was thrown from the vehicle into roadway and was hit by a Kenworth tractor-trailer. He died at the scene, VSP reported. The driver of the Ford, Pedro Lemus Mendoza, a 49-year-old Manassas man, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment, VSP reported. Two other adult passengers we...

Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield

2Feb

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Traffic

Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield

Traffic delays around midday on Rt. 288 South in Chesterfield were caused by a crash near Watkins Center Parkway that sparked a fire and shut down all of the travel lanes. Around 11:30 a.m. a tractor-trailer and an SUV collided and a power line was hit, according to Virginia State Police. The toppled pole left power lines in the highway. Chesterfield Fire and EMS reported that one car got tangled in the power lines and an individual inside required assistance getting out. No one was injured, and there were no reports of any vehicles catching on fire. However, the powerlines sparked a brush fire that burned about 2 acres along the highway, stated Chesterfield Fire and EMS, which was assisted by Powhatan County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, and the...

Strasburg police officer shoots & kills 40-year-old woman

20Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

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Strasburg police officer shoots & kills 40-year-old woman

Virginia State Police are investigating the fatal shooting of 40-year-old Melissa R. Tompkins at the Ramada on Signal Knob Drive in Strasburg. On Sunday, December 17, at around 11 p.m. a call came in to the Shenandoah County Emergency Communication Center. According to VSP, the caller reported a person acting erratically, damaging property, and threatening people in the hotel. An unnamed Strasburg police officer answered the call and encountered Tompkins in the back parking lot. According to VSP, there was altercation after between her and the officer. She reportedly attacked him, got his ASP baton, and hit the officer in the head. The officer shot the woman, but according to VSP, she didn’t die at the scene. Tompkins was taken to Winchester Medical Center, where she later s...