News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | May 29, 2026
Local News
More students enter through doors of New Kent schools
As expected, early enrollment numbers depict an increase in New Kent Public Schools. Superintendent of schools Dave Myers provided an update during the Sept. 7 regular school board meeting. New Kent Middle School had an enrollment of 733 students as of day two. By comparison, after day ten in 2016, that number was 712. New Kent Elementary School also had a sizeable jump with 771 pupils coming through the door (including pre-K). By comparison, that number stood at 761 after day ten of last year. George Watkins Elementary School’s enrollment as of day two was 703 students, while New Kent…
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Price tag on unbudgeted item raise eyebrows of Charles City supervisors
A Sept. 6 Charles City Board of Supervisors work session provided county leaders with updates of current department actions, future projects, and focused on goals to continue growth of the county. But an unbudgeted item request for the current fiscal year from the sheriff’s office at a price tag of $160,000 raised the eyebrows of all three county representatives. County administrator Michelle Johnson said that towards the end of July, she received a call from ID Networks involving dialogue about upgrades to technology used by the county’s communication officers. Johnson said she didn’t know anything about it and approached Information…
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Inadequate road repairs upset Chickahominy Shores’ residents
What should have been routine maintenance by Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) on a road in New Kent has resulted in ire from residents of a subdivision. Approximately 15 Chickahominy Shores’ inhabitants attended Tuesday’s New Kent Board of Supervisors’ meeting, expressing dismay over a project to address road issues over the Labor Day weekend. Waterside Drive has been a concern for several years as it’s the main thoroughfare to the Chickahominy River for guests and residents. But a job by a contractor that VDOT hired left residents upset, with many emphasizing the road was more hazardous than before. “We have…
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Two indicted by grand jury in Charles City Circuit Court
Two individuals were indicted by a Charles City grand jury during Sept. 5 circuit court proceedings: –Charles H. Johnson Jr., 36, of the 4800 block of Cool Hill Road, Providence Forge, on one count each of unauthorized use of a vehicle and felony destruction of property. The defendant allegedly used an excavator belonging to Linwood Johnson without his permission and damaged it on June 22. –Carrie Faye Neal, 30, of the 6700 block of Church Lane, Charles City, on one count each of malicious wounding and felony destruction of property. On June 1, Neal allegedly threw a rock through the…
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Providence Forge Rite Aid robber sentenced to two-year jail term
A Lanexa man who robbed the Rite Aid store in Providence Forge will spend the next two years in jail. Richard Carlton May, 51, of the 300 block of Wahrani Trail, received his formal sentence during Aug. 28 proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. He entered Alford pleas of guilt to one count each of robbery of a business and possession of oxycodone during his June 12 trial. On Oct. 17, 2016, May went into the Rite Aid store in Providence Forge. Inside, he met the pharmacist in the breakroom and began to demand 30-milligram oxycodone pills. After the pharmacist…
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Internet service finally gets airborne in Charles City after numerous delays
That light you see at the end of the tunnel in Charles City probably isn’t coming from a train; it’s probably coming from the top of a tower that provides airborne Internet service. After receiving a $600,000 grant and nearly three years of waiting that consisted of setbacks and frustrated citizens, connectivity for county citizens to the World Wide Web may be just around the horizon. Charles City District 2 Supervisor and board chairman Bill Coada provided an update during Tuesday night’s regular board meeting. “I know people have been asking about the internet and when we are going to…
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Drug charge dismissed, but Quinton man to serve two years for violating protective order
A Quinton man had a charge of possession of cocaine dismissed against him, but will still serve two years in jail stemming from violating a protective order. Charles Frederick Kirby, 36, of the 3600 block of Poverty Hall Road, received the sentence after a Monday morning contested trial in New Kent Circuit Court. On Mar. 2, Rebecca Tinsley called New Kent Sheriff’s Office to complain about Kirby being on her property. Tinsley received an emergency protective order the day before stemming from an incident that said Kirby was driving erratically in a shared driveway. Tinsley testified, claiming the defendant stopped…
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Motorcyclist killed in Sunday morning accident in Quinton
A Sunday morning crash in New Kent has claimed the life of a motorcyclist. Around 11:45 a.m., Virginia State police responded to a two-vehicle crash at the 5300 block of New Kent Highway. According to the press release, a 2003 Harley-Davidson was traveling westbound when its rider lost control. The motorcycle slid into a westbound vehicle that had stopped to turn left and then into the eastbound lane where both the rider and motorcycle were struck by an eastbound Ford Transit van. The motorcyclist, Jeffrey A. Schwenk, 55, of Quinton, died at the scene. The driver of the van was…
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Update: Airplane crash in New Kent claims life of Richmond man
State police have confirmed one fatality and one injured person after a plane crashed in New Kent Friday morning. According to the Virginia State Police report, a small, privately owned aircraft crashed near Liberty Hall Road. According to early indications, the plane landed in a field before striking a fence. The state police also say that a student-pilot with an instructor occupied the plane and were practicing exercises before impacting the ground. The flight instructor, Andrew M. Jones, 38, of Richmond, succumbed to his injuries on Friday afternoon. The 67-year old student pilot, a New Kent man, is being treated…
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Petersburg felon receives mandatory sentence for firing AK-47 at Charles City shooting range
A Petersburg man will spend a mandatory two years in jail for possessing a firearm after he agreed to a plea deal during Aug. 18 proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. Rodman Gonzalez, 20, of the 1600 block of Valdas Drive, entered a guilty plea to a single count on an amended charge of possession of a weapon by a nonviolent felon (originally possession of a weapon by a violent felon). In a summary of evidence by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, on Mar. 11, conservation officer Christopher Adams heard rapid gunfire shots coming from a shooting range in the county….
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