News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 18, 2026
Local News
‘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After offer rescinded, NK leaders look for alternatives for emergency communications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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Three men in unrelated traffic incidents to spend at least one year in jail
Three men arrested in unrelated traffic incidents will each serve a minimum of one year in jail after accepting plea deals during Feb. 23 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. –James Michael Devine, 53, of the 400 block of Washington Avenue, Salem, Ohio, entered a plea agreement and pled guilty to one count of DUI (third or subsequent offense) and driving revoked (after being convicted of a felony DUI). In a summary of evidence, Devine was operating a Green Ford Excursion on Interstate 64 when he entered the rest area in reverse. A state trooper observed his actions and initiated a…
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NSA meetings rescheduled in Charles City
Charles City County’s planning staff is scheduling three public meetings to receive input on the planning commission’s proposed Neighborhood Service Areas (NSA). At least one NSA is located in each district, with a NSA defined as “areas located around crossroads and other community anchors that provide limited space for high density residential development and associated neighborhood commercial activities.” The planning commission is also proposing to incorporate new Rural Residential Mixed-Use zoning (RMU-1), with the intent of encouraging development of residential-based, mixed-use NSAs in the Adkins Store and Ruthville communities. County planning staff is planning to present the proposed ordinances and…
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Agriculture grant awarded to Charles City
Charles City County has been awarded a $10,000 grant as part of Governor Terry McAuliffe’s movement to support local projects in the county. The grant, provided by the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) fund, aims to encourage local governments to provide strategies for intergrating agriculture into the communities’ overall economic development. Charles City’s grant is planned to be used to add a robust agriculture and forestry component to the newly launched Economic Development Strategy. Specific issues to be addressed by the grant include land-use and zoning policies, developing tourism attractions, expanding the timber industry, and supporting a new wine…
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Charles City receives $30,000 tourism grant
Governor Terry McAuliffe has announced that Charles City has received a $30,250 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Leverage Program grant fund. The grant is designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging local marketing dollars. Charles City received the grant for its “Tourism Task Force” initiative, with those funds designated to design a comprehensive county logo, create a tablet friendly tourism website, pay for inclusion in the Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART) organization, and develop a data collection program in conjuction with the county’s broader strategic economic development plan. “The awarding of this…
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Charles City school board approves $10.1 million budget for FY2015-16
Charles City school board members unanimously approved a $10.1 million budget pegged for the FY2015-16 fiscal year during the board’s Feb. 19 regular meeting. The approval comes three weeks after a Feb. 3 public hearing in which only two people spoke. Among focal points of the budget include consolidation of schools, restoration of a nurse’s position, increasing the number of instruction days for students, and a two percent salary raise for school employees. After reviewing superintendent of schools David Gaston’s proposal, school board members passed the document to be presented to the county’s board of supervisors. In a separate matter,…
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