News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | April 2, 2026
Local News
New Kent meth lab bust defendants sentenced in federal court
Two suspects who were arrested in a May 2014 meth lab raid will each serve a minimum of three and a half years in a federal penitentiary. Whitney Renee Marciniak, 24, of the 200 block of N. Ivy Street, Highland Springs, and Jason Andrew Meade, 26, of the 6300 block of Hopewell Road, New Kent, were sentenced to lengthy terms of prison time following proceedings in federal court. In May 2014, New Kent SWAT team officers and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) descended on a ramshackle trailer parked at a New Kent campground. Inside the trailer authorities found…
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Chesterfield duo convicted of daytime burglary in New Kent
Two Chesterfield residents who robbed a home in New Kent were each convicted on charges of breaking and entering and grand larceny during a July 20 contested trial in New Kent Circuit Court. Rachel Nicole Dillon, 18, and Bailey Scott Strickland, 20, both of the 1900 block of Chatsworth Avenue, received guilty verdicts for burglarizing the home of Kenneth Dill. Testimony revealed that on Jan. 8, Dill left his home for work. After returning home that day, he noticed a light was on and a storm door opened. Dill thought nothing of it until a few moments later when he…
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New Kent under early consideration to become home of medical center
With the Bottoms Bridge area of New Kent booming with new businesses including proposals for Advanced Auto Parts and Waffle House, the diversity of attractions has made it a place for patrons to partake in a variety of services. But now, there may be a service that could occupy the area that could be both beneficial and life-saving for citizens in New Kent, Charles City, and adjacent counties. County Administrator Rodney Hathaway confirmed the possibility of a medical facility in Quinton. And while those talks are in the very early stages of development, he indicated the exciting possibilities to improve…
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Lanexa man enters guilty pleas in federal court
A Lanexa man who was arrested after his home was raided by the Twin Rivers Narcotics Task Force, has entered guilty pleas in federal court. Danny Ray Norwood, 54, of the 1400 block of South Waterside Drive, entered guilty pleas last week during federal court proceedings in Richmond. According to New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory and Detective J. Joseph McLaughlin III, Norwood pleaded guilty to one count each of manufacturing marijuana, possession of marijuana (more than five pounds) with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm while in possession of a marijuana. Last Dec. 15, Norwood’s home was…
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Wilco-Hess declines to go forward with travel plaza; Love’s submits plans to New Kent
A Wilco-Hess travel plaza originally designated to be the home for 120 parking spaces for trucks, an 8,000 square-foot convenience store, and a 3,400 square-foot fast food restaurant will not be coming anytime soon. Wilco-Hess has elected not to pursue the travel plaza that was to be located on Route 106 just south of Interstate 64, adjacent to the current Pilot truck stop. One of the reasons that the travel plaza may not have went forward is due to a change of ownership. Wilco-Hess was purchased by Marathon Oil in 2014. “Marathon Oil has indicated that they have no plans…
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Man soliciting sex with minor among six indicted in New Kent
A New Kent man who allegedly attempted to use electronic media to solicit an underage teen for sex was one of six people indicted by a grand jury during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Thomas Moody Garner, 22, of the 8000 block of New Kent Highway, was indicted on one count each of use of electronic communications to propose sex to a minor, and attempting to have a minor expose themselves in a sexual manner. According to the indictment, on Nov. 1, 2014, Garner engaged with a 15-year old teen and attempted to have the teen expose…
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Community unites after New Kent teenager dies on basketball court
Maurice Bey, a rising sophomore at New Kent High School, died on July 15 shortly after a routine pick-up basketball game at Quinton Park. The 15-year old teenager was resting between games around 7 p.m. that evening. Witnesses said that Bey began to have trouble breathing and paramedics responded to the scene. Emergency crews performed CPR before he was taken to a local medical facility where he was pronounced dead. Bey’s death becomes the latest in a list of tragedies involving youth in the county of New Kent. Over the last three years, six students enrolled in New Kent schools…
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Boy dies after collapse at Quinton Park in New Kent
A teenage boy is dead after collapsing at Quinton Park in New Kent yesterday afternoon (July 15). Details are limited at this time, but preliminary reports say that 15-year old Maurice Bey was engaged in a game of basketball before passing out. Witnesses report medics responded to the scene and performed CPR after receiving an emergency call to the park. Resuscitation efforts could not revive him and he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Bey was a rising sophomore at New Kent High School who was listed on the honor rolls in all four quarters of his freshman year. He was…
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Assault during home invasion leads to arrests in New Kent
New Kent Sheriff’s Office has arrested three individuals who allegedly assaulted a juvenile while allegedly burglarizing a home in the county. Comfort L. Goody, 18, and Bonnie S. Venable, 28, both of the 5100 block of Hemlock Road, Quinton, and Ahmad A. Hutchins, 19, of the 9800 block of Tunstall Road, New Kent, were arrested on July 7 after the trio allegedly burglarized a home in the 6300 block of Lakeshore Drive. According to the arrest report, the three suspects entered the residence in an attempt to remove belongings of the victim. Upon entering, they encountered the juvenile victim. Goody…
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Celebration of Lott Cary unites Charles City, Liberian natives
Contributions made to the country of Liberia by former Charles City missionary Lott Cary nearly 200 years ago continue to impact the nation today. And on July 11, more than 30 alumni from a school that resulted in his work celebrated in Charles City. Saturday morning’s program brought more than 200 attendees into the auditorium of Charles City’s Government and School Board Administration building. The gathering was part of the 17th reunion of the Lott Carey Alumni Association of the United States. Director of the Richard M. Bowman Center for Local History Judy Ledbetter provided an educational background on Cary’s…
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