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VSP assisting in rescue efforts of staff and patients from hospital roof in Tennessee
Read full article: VSP assisting in rescue efforts of staff and patients from hospital roof in TennesseeVirginia State Police Aviation assets from Abingdon are helping evacuate 58 staff and patients from a Hospital roof in Erwin Tennessee, VSP said.
‘There’s definitely something wrong’: Missing Virginia Tech student’s mother speaks out as search continues
Read full article: ‘There’s definitely something wrong’: Missing Virginia Tech student’s mother speaks out as search continuesVeronica Roop, Johnny’s mother, is issuing a plea to bring her son home.
Manhunt underway after two inmates escape Southwest Virginia Regional Jail
Read full article: Manhunt underway after two inmates escape Southwest Virginia Regional JailThe Washington County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two inmates who escaped from an Abingdon jail Thursday afternoon, one of which is a convicted murderer.
Southwest Virginia husband and wife realtor team sentenced for fraud
Read full article: Southwest Virginia husband and wife realtor team sentenced for fraudThe couple, Jessee DeLoach and Natasha DeLoach, both pleaded guilty to wire fraud in February 2022, and on Friday, the DOJ said they were both sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.
Experts hail big step forward in fusion technology in UK
Read full article: Experts hail big step forward in fusion technology in UKEuropean scientists have taken a significant step closer to mastering a technology that could allow them to one day harness nuclear fusion, providing a clean and almost limitless source of energy.
Southwest Virginia real estate couple indicted on federal fraud, identity theft charges
Read full article: Southwest Virginia real estate couple indicted on federal fraud, identity theft chargesA Wise County couple who owned and operated a local real estate agency has been indicted on federal fraud and identity theft charges.
Planes distribute rabies tablets across Southwest Virginia wildlife to prevent spread
Read full article: Planes distribute rabies tablets across Southwest Virginia wildlife to prevent spreadThe United States Department of Agriculture is on a mission to prevent rabies from spreading in Southwest Virginia.
Southwest Virginia man sentenced to 9 years for role in pandemic unemployment fraud scheme
Read full article: Southwest Virginia man sentenced to 9 years for role in pandemic unemployment fraud schemeOn Tuesday, a Southwest Virginia man was sentenced to 9 years, or 108 months, in federal prison for his role in a pandemic unemployment fraud scheme that cost the U.S. hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Southwest Virginia man sentenced after fraudulently filing nearly $500K in unemployment benefits
Read full article: Southwest Virginia man sentenced after fraudulently filing nearly $500K in unemployment benefitsA 28-year-old man, who authorities said conspired with 36 others to fraudulently file nearly $500,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Volunteers needed for COVID vaccine clinics in Southwest Virginia
Read full article: Volunteers needed for COVID vaccine clinics in Southwest VirginiaABINGDON, Va. – COVID-19 vaccination clinics rely on volunteers to operate, and more help is needed for events in Southwest Virginia. The Southwest Virginia Medical Reserve Corps is looking for more than 100 volunteers for clinics near the Interstate 77 corridor. The organization is partnering with the United Way of Southwest Virginia for a virtual recruitment event on Thursday at 12 p.m.You can register for the recruitment event at this link, or sign up to become a volunteer in any part of Virginia by clicking here. “Our two catchwords right now are ‘Have patience and be flexible,’” said Kristina Morris with the Southwest Virginia Medical Reserve Corps. “If you have those two things going for you and you want to help your community, this is the time we need you to step up.”AdThe areas covered by the Southwest Virginia Medical Reserve Corps include Galax, Hillsville, Bland County, Wythe County, and Grayson County.
WATCH: Girls and Boys Region 3D Finals
Read full article: WATCH: Girls and Boys Region 3D FinalsROANOKE, Va. – While many games will tipoff on Sunday during this Region Championship weekend in the Commonwealth, Region 3D was able to keep to its Saturday slate. On the girls side, top-seeded Cave Spring welcomed in a stout Carroll County squad. Zada Porter led the Knights with 11 points in the final game of her high school career. Carroll County defeats Cave Spring in the Region 3D Championship (WSLS)On the boys side, Northside traveled to a much-improved Abingdon team that knocked off defending Co-Champion, Cave Spring. It was a close back-and-forth game in the first half that led to a slim 2-point halftime lead for the Falcons.
WATCH: VHSL Region 3D wrestling tournament in Christiansburg
Read full article: WATCH: VHSL Region 3D wrestling tournament in Christiansburgover Dameon Robinson (Carroll County) 4-7, Jr. (Fall 2:48)Xavier Williams (Lord Botetourt) 5-2, So. (NC)Bryan Taylor (Christiansburg) 4-0, Sr. over Will Quesenberry (Northside) 4-3, Sr. (Fall 2:09)Bryan Taylor (Christiansburg) 4-0, Sr. over Will Quesenberry (Northside) 4-3, Sr. (Fall 2:09)2nd Place - Will Quesenberry of Northside2nd Place - Will Quesenberry of NorthsideEvan Elliott (Northside) 1-3, So. over Sam Francis (Lord Botetourt) 5-2, Sr. (Dec 8-4)Jake Baier (Christiansburg) 3-0, So. over Sam Francis (Lord Botetourt) 5-2, Sr. (Dec 8-4)JJ Pociask (Christiansburg) 4-1, So. (Dec 5-4)WATCH: VHSL Region 3D wrestling tournament in Christiansburg Christiansburg takes home the team title, advances 9 to State TournamentsIf you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1558.
Trial date set for 2019 Appalachian Trail murder
Read full article: Trial date set for 2019 Appalachian Trail murderABINGDON, Va. – We now know when the trial of James Jordan, the man charged with killing an Appalachian Trail hiker and attacking another with a hunting knife in Wythe County, will begin. It’s scheduled to begin in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon on Sept. 7 at 9 a.m.James Jordan, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is scheduled to go on trial in January in the 2019 killing of Ronald Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma City, and the wounding of a female hiker. He has a history of mental illness and was originally declared incompetent to stand trial, but a judge in June 2020 found that he is now competent and the case against him can move forward. Ad[’Out of a horror movie’: Wythe County tactical team describes hunt for Appalachian Trail suspect]Pretrial motions are scheduled for July 2 and Aug. 24.
Heres how the discovery of a dead body in Wythe County stopped a doctors opioid distribution scheme
Read full article: Heres how the discovery of a dead body in Wythe County stopped a doctors opioid distribution schemeABINGDON, Va. What started with the discovery of a dead body in Wythe County has progressed to two guilty pleas in federal court. Lelio wrote prescriptions for patients with the understanding that some or all of the prescriptions would be shared with his wife, according to Cullen. What sparked the investigation that led to their arrests and Wednesdays guilty pleas began in Wythe County in 2019. On February 14, 2019, deputies found 63-year-old Michael Miles, of Charlotte, North Carolina, dead inside a home in Wythe County, according to the Wythe County Sheriffs Office. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia, Wythe County Sheriffs Office, Virginia State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration collaborated on the investigation of this case.
Authorities arrest man they say called Sen. Mark Warner’s office, left death threat voicemail
Read full article: Authorities arrest man they say called Sen. Mark Warner’s office, left death threat voicemailABINGDON, Va. – A Virginia Beach man faces a federal charge after authorities say he called in a death threat to U.S. On Sept 2, 2019, Dylan Stephen Jayne called the office and left a voicemail in which he threatened to kill Warner regarding Jayne’s perceived lack of receiving Social Security payments, according to court documents. On Thursday, Jayne was arrested and charged with one count of transmitting a threat via interstate commerce by leaving a voicemail message and threatening to kill a United States Senator. The investigation of this matter is being conducted by the United States Capitol Police, and the Burlington, Vermont Police Department, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Burlington police are involved because at one time, Jayne lived or was believed to have lived in Vermont.
16-year-old killed, others hurt in southwest Virginia crash
Read full article: 16-year-old killed, others hurt in southwest Virginia crashWASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. – State police are investigating a two-vehicle crash that left a 16-year-old boy dead and several others hurt. It happened just before 7 p.m. on Saturday in Washington County on Route 19 (Porterfield Hwy) at Route 633 ( Black Hollow Road). There were four people in the Chrysler, including a 16-year-old boy from Abingdon who was taken to Johnston Memorial Hospital, where he later died from his injuries from the crash, according to Virginia State Police. The Chrysler’s driver, a 33-year-old man of Abingdon, wasn’t hurt in the crash, according to Virginia State Police. The Honda CR-V’s driver, Kayla Byrd, 35, of Abingdon, was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, according to Virginia State Police.
Leader of meth trafficking ring operating in Southwest Virginia sentenced to 30 years in prison
Read full article: Leader of meth trafficking ring operating in Southwest Virginia sentenced to 30 years in prisonJames Robert Johnson – Sentenced to 12 years, 7 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Christopher Lee Smiley – Sentenced to 5 years, 4 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Terry Melvin Dalton – Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine. Kimberly Ann Drake – Sentenced to 17 years, 6 months imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Melissa Darlene Barrett – Sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribute methamphetamine.
Man led trafficking operation bringing meth into southwest Virginia while he was in prison there
Read full article: Man led trafficking operation bringing meth into southwest Virginia while he was in prison thereABINGDON, Va. - A man who led a meth operation from a Virginia prison was sentenced to 235 months in a southwest Virginia prison. Adrian Romero, 31, of Georgia, is the first of four co-defendants to be sentenced in an interstate methamphetamine trafficking operation, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen. Romero admitted to leading the operation while he was in a southwest Virginia prison on other meth-related charged, according to Cullen. For more than a year, Romero led a conspiracy with at least five other people to distribute meth from sources in Georgia to southwest Virginia and beyond, according to court documents. Romero previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth.
Former Martinsville doctor sentenced to 40 years in opioid case
Read full article: Former Martinsville doctor sentenced to 40 years in opioid caseABINGDON, Va. - A Virginia doctor who prosecutors said ran his medical practice like an interstate drug distribution ring was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison for illegally prescribing opioids. Dr. Joel Smithers, of Greensboro, North Carolina, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Day Rottenborn said Judge James Jones sentenced Smithers to 40 years. Authorities say Smithers prescribed more than 500,000 doses of opioids to patients from Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee while based in Martinsville, Virginia, from 2015 to 2017. Smithers, 36, a married father of five, testified that he was a caring doctor who was deceived by some of his patients.
Florida duo used stolen car, BB guns in robberies across several states, including Virginia
Read full article: Florida duo used stolen car, BB guns in robberies across several states, including VirginiaABINGDON, Va. - A man and woman from Florida have pleaded guilty after they used a stolen car and BB guns in a string of robberies that spanned several states, including Virginia, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Michael Wilson, 25, and Perla Pineda-Osorio, 24, both of Sarasota, Florida, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to a collection of federal charges. After the trio took the man's money, they abandoned him on the side of the road and stole his car. Soon after, law enforcement spotted the stolen car and a high-speed chase began. The guns were recovered and although they looked like real guns, authorities say they were BB guns.
Man charged in deadly Appalachian Trail attack found not competent to stand trial
Read full article: Man charged in deadly Appalachian Trail attack found not competent to stand trialABINGDON, Va. - The man accused of killing one Appalachian Trail hiker and hurting another in May was foundmentally incompetent and will not stand trial at this time, according to WCYB. Federal judge Pamela Sargent ruled Wednesday that James Jordan doesn't meet the legal standard of mental competency. The results of a psychiatric evaluation ordered by the court remain sealed after Sargent's ruling. WCYB reports that Jordan will be transferred to a federal health mental facility for treatment. \While he won't go to trial at this time, if it's later determined that he meets competency standards, his case would be put back on the docket.