News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 20, 2026
Local News
Copper thief to serve prison sentence after accepting deal
A Highland Springs man will serve two and a half years in prison after accepting a plea agreement in Charles City Circuit Court on July 19. William McKendrie Jeffries Jr., 40, of 18 N. Ivy Road, accepted the deal and pled guilty to one count each of possession of burglary tools, damage to a public utility, and misdemeanor petty larceny. One count of misdemeanor vandalism was dropped. Jeffries admitted he and a former co-defendant, Dee Marie Loving, were at a Dominion Virginia Power substation on Oct. 12 of last year. There, he used burglary tools to strip copper wire from…
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New Kent Fire-Rescue to participate in program
Virginia Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA) announced that New Kent Fire-Rescue has been selected as one of 14 departments in Virginia to participate in a federally-funded program designed to increase the recruitment of volunteer firefighters. The Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) program is being led by the VFCA in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), and George Mason University. Research and data collected by the VFCA since 2004 has shown that staffing is consistently the number one issue facing Virginia’s volunteer fire departments. A survey conducted in 2012 by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs…
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Illinois man receives prison sentence of six-and-a-half years
Denying a defendant’s request for a new trial, Judge Thomas B. Hoover followed the recommendation of a jury and sentenced an Illinois man to six and a half years in prison. Peter James Guerrero, 36, learned his fate during Aug. 12 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. Guerrero received guilty convictions on two counts of burglary and one count of grand larceny during an April 4 trial. The defendant was convicted of burglarizing New Kent Gymnastics Center and an adjacent empty building, both located at New Kent Commerce Park. Evidence, including Guerrero’s saliva and fingerprints, were instrumental in a jury convicting…
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Briefly… for Aug. 29-Sept. 11, 2013
Diascund Reservoir repairs announced Spillway repairs are planned at Diascund Reservoir at the border of James City and New Kent County, beginning in the late spring or early summer of 2014. During a routine inspection of the dam and spillway, Newport News Waterworks staff observed a problem with the concrete slabs that carry water downstream when the main spillway overflows. In order to inspect the area, Waterworks intentionally lowered the level of the reservoir and it will remain lowered for about two years to ensure the continued stability and safety of the dam. A second issue arose following Tropical Storm…
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NK supervisors to consider historic commission’s request
New Kent’s Board of Supervisors is considering a request from New Kent’s Historical Commission on the organization’s relocation. Members spoke at the July 31 work session in regards to supervisors approving the move of school board offices into the Historic Courthouse. With the school’s relocation, the Historical Commission and New Kent’s Registrar’s Office will have to vacate the building. However, historical commission chairwoman Martha Martin and others approached the board in a request to occupy the adjacent white house building. That building, constructed in the 1870s, served once as the registrar’s office and now, the group would like to occupy…
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Repairs planned for Diascund Reservoir
Spillway repairs are planned at Diascund Reservoir at the border of James City and New Kent County, beginning in the late spring or early summer of 2014. During a routine inspection of the dam and spillway, Newport News Waterworks staff observed a problem with the concrete slabs that carry the water downstream when the main spillway overflows. In order to inspect the area, Waterworks intentionally lowered the level of the reservoir and it will remain lowered for about two years to ensure the continued stability and safety of the dam. A second issue arose following Tropical Storm Andrea in June,…
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Duo arrested for credit card fraud in New Kent
Two individuals using stolen credit cards have been arrested by New Kent Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a grocery store manager. Alieu Mansaray, 29, of 11649 N. Shore Dr., Apt. 1, Reston, and Sallu Deen, 31, of 7706 Seans Terrace, Lanham, Md., were arrested on July 24. Each defendant was charged with four counts of credit card theft, four counts of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, three counts of credit card fraud, and three counts of credit card forgery. According to the police report, two male suspects attempted to purchase groceries from the Food Lion on Route 249…
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Replacement of Adkins Road bridge to begin in December
It’s going to be a while before the Route 618 (Adkins Road) bridge at the border of Charles City and New Kent will be usable. VDOT resident engineer Mike Cade announced to Charles City supervisors during the July 23 meeting that work on the structure would not commence until this December. Once repairs begin, Cade expects the work to be completed within 3-6 months, targeting a spring 2014 completion. When questioned by county supervisors, the VDOT representative said that the emergency bid process is still continuing, along with other inspections. Cade also told supervisors that residents have been moving barriers…
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New Kent supervisors approve travel plaza
After several months of input, research, and negotiations over a proposed conditional use permit (CUP), New Kent supervisors approved Wilco-Hess LLC’s request to build a travel plaza just south of Interstate 64 on Route 106. More than 30 opponents stormed out the meeting room murmuring in disbelief after the board approved the permit by a 4-1 vote last night (July 8.) The travel plaza will consist of an 8,000 square-foot convenience store and a 3,400 square-foot fast food restaurant along with a dozen fuel pumps for cars and eight more for heavy trucks on the southeast corner of the interchange….
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New Kent registrar’s office, school board relocating
A seek-and-find book is usually reserved for children to find objects or locations hidden in pictures. In New Kent, citizens will have to readjust after county supervisors chose to relocate three departments. New Kent’s school board offices, registrar’s office, and fire and rescue personnel are moving after supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a two-year temporary move at the July 8 meeting. School administration will relocate from the building across the street to the New Kent Historic Courthouse. The move will also force the county’s registrar office to shuffle to the fire administration building (with a possibility of moving into area…
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