News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 19, 2026
Local News
NKSO seeks info on Urban Escape, Jasper Engine burglaries
New Kent Sheriff’s Office is seeking information involving a break-in at Urban Escape and Jasper Engines in the Providence Forge area of New Kent. Officers were called to the scene early Monday morning (Aug. 11) at 3:30 a.m. to Jasper Engines on Emmaus Road. Upon arrival, the door was open but no items were taken. Deputies proceeded to Urban Escape and discovered a shattered glass window towards the rear of the store. According to information obtained by the Chronicle, a cash box with an undisclosed amount of money was taken. Sheriff’s officers are asking anybody in the area for information…
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Gloucester pair arrested on New Kent drug charges
Two Gloucester County residents have been picked up by Twin Rivers Drug Task Force personnel on charges incurred in New Kent County relating to crack cocaine trafficking. Acting on a tip, officers confronted Melvin W. Billups Jr., 36, and Christine A. McKinney, 33, in the parking lot of the McDonald’s restaurant in West Point and arrested the pair without incident on Aug. 5, said New Kent Detective Joey McLaughlin. Both had been indicted by a New Kent Circuit Court grand jury on July 23. Those indictments had been promptly sealed until the suspects could be apprehended. Billups is charged with…
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New Kent supervisors advised to prepare for sludge disposal in future
With all the issues of Synagro and sludge appearing before New Kent supervisors, it seemed only fitting that issues of disposing the county’s own sludge from the Parham Landing wastewater treatment plant be addressed. Kris Edelman, an Aracadis consultant for New Kent, met with board members during the July 30 work session to address the issue. While a solution is not needed immediately, Edelman advised supervisors to consider a plan to prepare. In the late 1990’s, New Kent and Henrico County worked in unison disposing the sludge, mainly because the plant served Henrico Jail East. Henrico continues to accept the…
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New Kent supervisors table decision on letter opposing DEQ sludge permit for Synagro
New Kent supervisors will spend a little more time debating an issue to send a letter to the State Water Control Board opposing a permit for Synagro to dispose industrial residuals and sludge in the northeast part of the county. Supervisors listened to an hour long presentation from Kyle Winter, water compliance and VPA programs manager for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) during the July 30 work session. At the July 14 regular board meeting, citizens presented concerns about Synagro and their attempt to use 712 acres in New Kent to dump sludge from Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, and…
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Duo arrested on grand larceny charges in New Kent
Two men have been arrested in connection to an incident in which numerous items were stolen from a New Kent residence. Matthew R. Turley, 21, of the 1500 block of Elm Avenue, Chesapeake, and Ryan D. Chenault, 28, of the 100 block of Oakdale Terrance, Suffolk, were arrested on July 24. According to the arrest report, both suspects allegedly stole several items worth more than $1,000 from a home on Polish Town Road. After an investigation, both suspects were located in Portsmouth and subsequently arrested, each being charged with one count of grand larceny. Turley’s arraignment was set for July…
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Second suspect in armed robbery at Bottoms Bridge McDonald’s sentenced
A second suspect involved in an August 2013 armed robbery of the Bottoms Bridge McDonald’s in western New Kent has been sentenced in federal court. Cornelius Clayton Jr., 20, of the 600 block of Fritz Street, Henrico, received a 34-year sentence in federal prison during July 7 proceedings in the United States District Court of Eastern Virginia in Richmond. Clayton accepted the term as part of a plea deal. Last Aug. 26, two suspects entered the Bottoms Bridge McDonald’s shortly before 3 a.m. wearing masks and carrying firearms. Clayton and the other suspect, Robert James Priester, 16, of the 2200…
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CC chairman addresses ‘rainy day’ fund issue
During the April 2014 Charles City Board of Supervisors meeting, county resident Micheal Jones questioned representatives about the lack of money in the “rainy day” fund, more commonly known as the general fund balance. Chairman Bill Coada addressed the issue at the board’s July 21 meeting. During board directives, Coada responded to Jones’ concern with a 10-minute presentation, indicating his personal stance on the issue. The chairman defined his viewpoint of the fund balance, before revealing numbers from his independent research. According to Coada, Charles City had $9.8 million in the fund balance account in 2002. By 2013, that number…
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Drug possession, thievery nets woman seven indictments in NK Circuit Court
A New Kent woman received numerous indictments relating to multiple drug possession and burglary charges during Monday morning New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. Samantha Nicole Rigdon, 21, of the 9000 block of Shewsbury Drive, New Kent, received a total of seven indictments after a New Kent grand jury convened. Rigdon received three indictments relating to possession of a controlled substance (heroin, Fentanyl, hydrocodone), three indictments on grand larceny relating to the theft of gold chains, necklaces and jewelry in three separate incidents (from Ashley Flescher, Natalie Battilana and Gina Trimmer), and one indictment on burglary from the home of John…
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Pine Fork Park conceptual plans earn praise from New Kent commissioners
When New Kent County announced the acquisition of land on Pine Fork Road in July 2013 to build a new park, parks and recreation director Kim Turner worked diligently to come up with ideas based on community input. If it makes Turner happy, at least one group of people voiced high praise for her work. New Kent Planning Commission members expressed delight over Monday evening’s meeting during Turner’s presentation on visual concepts for the proposed Pine Fork Park. Approximately 55 acres have been designated for the new park. Of that number, 16 acres were the result of a proffer, with…
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Doubt about driver’s identity key in dismissed charges
A Quinton woman will face no time in jail after felony charges were dismissed in New Kent Circuit Court. Carrie Ann Yates, 34, of the 7800 block of Woodbrook Road, was found not guilty on one charge each of forgery of a public record, uttering, misdemeanor false identity, misdemeanor driving without a license, and passing on the shoulder of the road during Monday morning’s contested trial. Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory opened proceedings, saying that on Sept. 2, 2012, Virginia state trooper Bradley Fleenor was responding to an accident on Interstate 64 eastbound near the Bottoms Bridge area. Fleenor testified, saying…
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