News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | April 2, 2026
Local News
Psychological evaluation prompts plea deal in New Kent court
A North Carolina man who led a New Kent deputy sheriff on a New Year’s Eve high-speed chase through the county on Interstate 64 has pleaded guilty in New Kent General District Court to a felony count of eluding police along with three misdemeanors. A preliminary hearing in the case of Todd Michael Bowers, 43, had been scheduled for Feb. 24 in general district court. When proceedings commenced, however, a court-ordered psychological evaluation of the defendant changed matters. Commonwealth’s attorney Linwood Gregory said the report revealed the Weeksville, N.C. man suffers from a “delusional disorder.” The diagnosis qualified the defendant…
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Wanted man captured, indicted in Charles City Circuit Court
A Charles City man involved in a 2011 hit-and-run accident who later absconded from authorities has been arrested and indicted by a Charles City Circuit Court grand jury. Waverly Lindburg Charity, 54, of the 6000 block of Wayside Road, was indicted on one count each of felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor driving revoked (after license suspended for alcohol-related violations) during Tuesday morning court proceedings. According to the indictment, Charity was operating a vehicle that had two other occupants on Sept. 30, 2011 when it struck a tree on Wayside Road. After the accident, Charity fled the scene, leaving the passengers with…
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New Kent schools pre-plan for enrollment increase in near future
New Kent superintendent of schools David Myers is putting a final touch on plans to embrace a projected enrollment increase over the next few years. Myers addressed school board members Monday night, focusing on options to help accommodate student population. According to Myers, a projection of more than 3,000 students in FY2015-16 is still expected as the result of studies conducted by office personnel and the University of Virginia. The superintendent continues to raise concerns about capacity at New Kent Elementary and New Kent Middle School. “At New Kent Elementary, we are running out of options on where to place…
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Quinton man to serve six months for DUI, heroin possession time suspended
A Quinton man will spend six months in jail after being convicted for possession of heroin and driving under the influence (second offense). After a contested trial, Evan Roy Sluder, 32, of the 5300 block of Adams Road, received guilty verdicts on both offenses during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Last April 4, Deputy Wyatt Johnston responded to a call on Poverty Hall Road about a vehicle idling in the roadway. Upon arrival, he found a vehicle with its engine on, but not moving. The deputy testified he approached the vehicle and knocked on the window several…
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Freezing rain ices over New Kent, Charles City roads resulting in several crashes, some involving injuries
Thanks to icy road conditions, 16 crashes involving 21 vehicles have occurred Sunday in New Kent County. And as a result of those accidents, four people have been transported to area hospitals. New Kent Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe McLaughlin issued the report as of 3 p.m. Most of the accidents (10) took place on New Kent Highway (Route 249/30) with three each occurring in the 17800 and 9800 blocks and one each in the 16300, 16200, 9800, and 3800 blocks. Three accidents were reported on Pocahontas Trail (Route 60), one in the 13300 block and two in the 3800…
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‘Delay tactics’ over as judge sentences New Kent woman to one-year jail term
Deemed by Judge Thomas B. Hoover as employing “delay tactics” for stalling a case, a Quinton woman will serve one year in jail for assaulting a police officer. Lisa Marie Groffel, 36, of the 6400 block of Maple Road, received the sentence during Friday afternoon proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. In an Oct. 2014 trial, the defendant accepted a plea agreement to one count of assault on a police officer that occurred in October 2013. At her trial, she entered an Alford plea of guilt, stipulating that while she maintained her innocence, there would be enough evidence to convict…
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UPDATE: Motorists urged to be aware of icy conditions remaining on New Kent, Charles City roads
Icy conditions remain on some road surfaces Friday morning in New Kent and Charles City counties as a result of temperatures that dropped well below freezing overnight. New Kent Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe McLaughlin reports that since yesterday afternoon when a single vehicle accident with injuries occurred there have been six other crashes in the county but none resulted in injuries requiring medical transport to a hospital. Yesterday’s accident east of Barhamsville on Tabernacle Road near the intersection with Holly Forks Road in the county’s eastern end sent two people to a Williamsburg hospital. “The majority of the roadways…
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UPDATE: New Kent, Charles City main roads clear, VDOT working on secondary roads; single vehicle accident with injuries reported in New Kent
Snow has ended in New Kent and Charles City counties and main roads are clear, but secondary road conditions continue to be hazardous, resulting in a single vehicle accident with injuries in New Kent. The accident occurred around 3 p.m. on Tabernacle Road, near the intersection with Holly Forks Road east of Barhamsville in the county’s eastern end, said New Kent Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe McLaughlin. State Police and New Kent Fire/Rescue responded to the location, he added. Two people sustained minor injuries, but both victims were transported to a Williamsburg hospital. “The main roads are in great shape,”…
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After offer rescinded, NK leaders look for alternatives for emergency communications
After deferring action to join a regional radio due to unknown financial costs, New Kent supervisors are now looking for a new way to enhance emergency communications in the county. County administrator Rodney Hathaway announced to the public at the Feb. 25 work session that Motorola, the service provider that would have allowed New Kent to join the Williamsburg-James City, Gloucester, and York regional radio grid, rescinded its $6.7 million offer, ending negotiations with the county. Earlier at a work session on Jan. 28, supervisors elected to halt contract negotiations, citing the potential of $415,000 in unknown costs to join…
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Violent assault on jail deputies earns man seven-year prison sentence
A Pennsylvania man who violently assaulted five jail deputies in Henrico Jail East in New Kent while awaiting trial will spend the next seven years in prison. Shevinah Purnell Johnson, 20, learned his fate during Feb. 24 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings after receiving background information from a presentence report. And while that report recommended a range of 2 years, 11 months to 5 years, 8 months, a recount of his actions from November trials gave enough reason for Judge Thomas B. Hoover to exceed the guidelines. During a Nov. 10 trial, Johnson was convicted of burglarizing the Surf &…
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