News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 26, 2025
Local News
Quinton man convicted on felony eluding after attempting to switch tags on vehicles
A Quinton man has entered guilty pleas stemming from a February chase in New Kent County. Robert Lawrence Byers Jr., 26, of the 6700 block of Sassafras Drive, pled guilty to one count each of felony eluding and misdemeanor providing false identification to a law enforcement officer during Monday proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence provided by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Feb. 10, a New Kent deputy patrolling eastbound traffic on Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) when a Sedan with dark tint passed through the area. The officer ran a registration check on…
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Rogers hired as new county administrator for Charles City
Charles City County’s Board of Supervisors has announced that Keith Rogers Jr. has been selected as the next county administrator. In a June 17 press release, the county announced that Rogers has been appointed to the new position. “We are excited to welcome Mr. Rogers to Charles City County,” said District 3 representative and board chairman Byron Adkins Sr. in a press release. “We know that we have a lot to accomplish, and the board was impressed with Keith’s experience in addressing financial challenges and promoting open and transparent government.” Rogers, a native of Hampton, holds a Bachelor of Arts…
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Richmond man receives one year jail term for initiating high-speed chase in New Kent
A Richmond man who led a high-speed chase in New Kent in 2023 will spend a year in jail. James Alonzo McLaughlin, 41, of the 3800 block of W. Grace Street, entered guilty pleas to one count each of felony eluding, felony hit and run, and misdemeanor obstruction of justice as part of a plea agreement reached Monday in New Kent Circuit Court. Two counts of felony failure to appear and one count of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated (first offense) was dropped as part of a deal. In a summary of evidence by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on…
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Richmond woman receives three years in prison for distributing methamphetamine in New Kent
A Richmond woman will spend the next three years in prison for distributing drugs in New Kent County. Sharee Mae Smith, 33, of the 100 block of West Leigh Street, entered guilty pleas to one count each of distributing a Schedule I/II drug (second offense) and felony failure to appear as part of Monday proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence presented by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Apr. 2, 2024, New Kent Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle seizure and had a K-9 conduct a free air smith. The K-9 alerted officers of…
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New Kent County Public Schools announce new leadership in school division
New Kent County Public Schools have announced the promotion of one administrative intern to assistant principal at New Kent Elementary School and the return of a former New Kent Middle School principal to the same position. Megan Worrell has been promoted to the position of assistant principal at New Kent Elementary School. A graduate of Longwood University’s Administration and Supervision program, Worrell recently served as an administrative intern, classroom teacher, and math interventionist. Sammy Fudge returns to New Kent Middle School as principal after spending the last 10 years in North Carolina where he served as the assistant superintendent of…
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Fredericksburg man receives six-year prison sentence for Charles City crash that killed Hopewell woman
A Fredericksburg man will spend six years in prison after being sentenced for involuntary manslaughter involving alcohol that claimed the life of a Hopewell resident. Jules Jamar Stewart, 31, received formal sentencing on the lone count following Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. During a March 4 trial, during the early morning hours of Aur. 23, 2022, a white 2010 Ford Focus struck a 2002 Ford Explorer at the intersection of Roxbury Road and Wayside Road near the Colonial Mart Gas Station. The Focus, driven by Stewart, collided with the Explorer that was driven by Catherine Breeding. The…
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New Kent School Board developing policy to address use of AI in classrooms
With the ever-rising implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s setting, more and more students are relying on it to make advancements in their studies. New Kent County Public Schools is looking to grow that in a healthy way. New Kent County’s School Board held a discussion at Monday night’s meeting about how to implement AI without compromising the classroom. Safety and security will serve as one of the biggest parts of implementing AI in the classrooms. While it has continuously become a part of the classroom, New Kent County School Board leadership is looking to foster an environment that…
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Charles City supervisors adopt FY2025-26 budget, take out second RAN
Charles City County leaders adopted the FY2025-26 budget at Tuesday night’s regular board meeting. County supervisors voted 2-1 to approve a $29,714,222 budget for operations and Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget includes no tax increase, meaning the real estate rate will remain at 69 cents per $100 of assessed value. Charles City Finance Director Christina Crawley-Jones commented at the May budget public hearing that expected revenue from AES ($1.9 million), the sale of land to C5 ($1 million) and additional funds of $192,120 will provide the county more than $3 million in new funding….
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New Kent’s adopted budget contains one-cent increase; courthouse project gets go-ahead from county leaders
New Kent’s FY2025-26 budget will only have a one-cent tax increase after Tuesday morning discussion by county leaders. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors approved a tax-rate of 60 cents per $100 of assessed value on real estate as part of its $136,543,336 adopted budget during the work session. For the past few months, New Kent’s Board of Supervisors have received pitches from New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway about the possibility of raising taxes to fund future Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). The two major projects that were part of the original three-cent proposal were the construction of a new elementary…
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Charles City High School shifting to A/B block schedule beginning in FY2025-26
Charles City High School students will see a new bell schedule when they return to schools next August. School board members voted to approve the switch from seven periods to eight blocks during Tuesday night’s regular meeting. Currently, high school students attend seven classes a day at 50 minutes per period. There is one period entitled “Pride Time”, which serves as a remediation period for 40 minutes each day. Starting in 2025-26, students will have four blocks per day, which they will attend every other day. Blocks 1-4 would be on “A” days, while blocks 5-8 would take place on…
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