News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | June 24, 2026
Local News
New Kent man admits to soliciting minor for sex
Editor’s note: This story may contain content unsuitable for some readers. A New Kent man who had trouble as a youth in the county’s school system entered guilty pleas to one count each of proposing sex with a minor through the use of an electronic device and attempting to have a minor expose themselves in a sexual manner. Thomas Moody Garner, 22, of the 8000 block of New Kent Highway, entered the pleas during Aug. 10 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. In a summary of evidence provided by prosecutor Clay Blanton, from Nov. 1, 2014 to Feb. 26 of this…
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VDOT projects to occupy overnight hours on Interstate 64 in New Kent
Several Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) projects are scheduled to undergo maintenance this week in both directions on Interstate 64 in New Kent during overnight hours. Aug. 9- Interstate 64 eastbound between mile marker 213 and mile marker 216 will have the right lane closed from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. for paving. Aug. 10- Interstate 64 eastbound at mile marker 205 (Bottoms Bridge) will have the left lane closed from 9 p.m.-5 a.m. for guardrail repair. Aug. 10- Interstate 64 eastbound between mile marker 220 (West Point) and mile marker 222 will have the left lane closed from 7 p.m.-6 a.m….
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Broadband initiative in Charles City targets October completion date
Progress of improved telecommunications in Charles City is on task for an October completion. County planning director Matt Rowe updated county supervisors at the July 28 regular board meeting. After receiving a $600,000 state grant in December 2014, negotiations, pre-engineering work, and planning have hit full stride. Construction is slated to begin to install fiber optic lines to Roxbury Industrial Park by late August on early September according to Rowe. The planning director expects all work to be completed by late October barring any setbacks from inclement weather. As part of the effort to bring wireless broadband to the county,…
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New Kent water-skiing ordinance’s history may affect future decision on issue
During the July 7 regular meeting of the New Kent Board of Supervisors, two citizens asked county leaders to consider changing a 30-year ordinance that prohibits water-skiing on Chickahominy Lake. And while county attorney William Hefty said the ordinance was completely legal, logistics of the shape and size of the lake may factor in an ultimate decision to lift the ordinance. Supervisors sat down at a July 28 work session to discuss the ordinance. Looking to get a better grasp on the history they asked Ed Allen Jr., who served as a county supervisor in 1979, to give them insight…
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Two men accept plea deals in New Kent Circuit Court
Two men involved in separate cases accepted plea deals as part of July 27 morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. –Nicholas Warren Bryant, 20, of the 200 block of Buckroe Road, Hampton, entered a guilty plea to one count of obtaining money by false pretenses. One charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses was dropped. In a summary of evidence, on Dec. 13, 2014, Bryant and Shalia Marie Brown, a co-defendant, went to Gold and Silver Mine in Quinton and pawned stolen jewelry, receiving $3,000 from the transaction. A subsequent investigation led to Bryant’s arrest. Under the…
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Rescue crews recover body of 8-year old from Pamunkey River
The body of an eight-year old boy who fell off a pier near the Eltham Bridge into the Pamunkey River was recovered during the early morning hours on July 27. Joel Martinez Mercado was pronounced dead after a 12-hour search upon a report of his disappearance. New Kent Sheriff’s Office spearheaded a search on Sunday, July 26 after receiving a call around 5 p.m. that an adult and child fell into the river near Mill Creek in Eltham. Rescue crews from New Kent, West Point, James City County, and the United States Coast Guard arrived, pulling the adult from the…
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Rescue crews search for 8-year old boy who fell in York River
New Kent Sheriff’s Office is leading a search to find an 8-year old boy who fell from a bridge into the water near Mill Creek near Eltham. Around 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon (July 26), reports that two people fell into the York River were received by New Kent Sheriff’s Office. A search and rescue effort initiated shortly afterwards. An adult was rescued, but the search for the boy, identified as Joel Mercado, continued before the search was called off at 11:30. Divers, boaters, and helicopters searched for the boy until suspended due to safety concerns and conditions, according to Chief…
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Route 5 in Charles City to consist of delays for bridge inspection July 30-31
Motorists can expect delays on Route 5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway) at the border of Charles City and James City County on July 30-31 due to a bridge inspection. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be conducting an inspection of the bridge connecting the two counties from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on both days. There will be alternating lane closures from Chickahominy Bluff Road in Charles City to the border of James County line during that time.
Correction
In the July 23 article entitled “Chesterfield duo convicted for stealing firearms in New Kent,” Jordan Black was incorrectly identified as a co-defendant in the case. Also, the crime reported by Kenneth Dill was reported minutes after discovering of the missing items, not days.
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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