News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 27, 2025
Local News
Indictments certified on more than 20 people in New Kent Circuit Court
More than 20 individuals were indicted by a grand jury as part of Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court: –Bonnie Isabel Baldyga, 35, of the 2600 block of Little Creek Dam Road, Toano, on a single count of possession of a Schedule I/II drug. Baldyga allegedly possessed cocaine on Feb. 7. –Donesha Shante Bland, 34, of the 3400 block of Walmsley Boulevard, Richmond, on a solo charge of possession of a gun by a nonviolent felon. The offense allegedly occurred on Feb. 28. –Leroy Delgado Brown Jr., 25, of the 5300 block of Ironbridge Road, North Chesterfield, on…
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New proposed CC budget includes no tax increase; questions raised regarding revenue from Waste Management
Residents of Charles City may not be seeing an increase in taxes during the upcoming fiscal year. Charles City Finance Director Christina Crawley-Jones presented a new budget for FY2025-26 during Tuesday night’s budget public hearing. The amended budget factors in an expected increase of $1.9 million from AES. With the county receiving an additional $1 million for the sale of land to C5 and an additional $192,120, the additional revenue for the county now totals $3,092,120. This increase prompted Crawley-Jones to recommend no tax increase for the upcoming year, which would keep the real estate rate at 69 cents per…
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Charles City Planning Commission pushes data center forward to county leaders
Despite hearing opposition from several local citizens and concerns, a proposal for the construction of a data center by Diode will move forward for approval by Charles City County leaders. Charles City’s planning commission approved three amendments to rezone more than 500 acres of land for the development of the complex during a May 8 meeting. For the last eight months, citizens have questioned the intentions of the county and the benefits of having data centers. While the data centers would provide an additional revenue source for Charles City, citizens worried about the need for the rezoning of land and…
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New Kent’s proposed budget settles in at $137 million, includes three-cent tax increase
After a couple of months of discussion and projection revenues, New Kent County has settled on a figure for its proposed FY2025-26 budget. County administrator Rodney Hathaway revealed a proposed budget of $137,625,196 at Tuesday night’s budget public hearing and regular board meeting of the county supervisors. The amount is $5,616,038 decrease, but only because money received from Colonial Downs will be factored in through another line item. The new budget number comes after discussion of a possible tax-increase is now becoming more of a reality. Hathaway proposed a three-cent tax increase, with the county’s real estate value going from…
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Three indicted by Charles City grand jury
Three individuals were indicted by a grand jury during Tuesday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court: –Leon Wesley Charity, 66, of the 3400 block of Barnetts Road, Charles City, on a single count of possession of a Schedule I/II drug. Charity was allegedly in possession of cocaine on Jan. 10. –Jennifer Elane Eleftheriou, 44, of the 11000 block of Green Oak Road, Providence Forge, on three counts of possession of a Schedule I/II drug. The defendant was allegedly in possession of hydrocodone, amphetamines, and oxycodone on June 21, 2024. –Christopher Glen Greiner, 38, of the 12000 block of Cosby…
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Quinton man receives one-year jail term for chase that spanned two counties
A Quinton man will spend a year in jail after leading a high-speed chase that initiated in New Kent. Anthony Francis Velella, 48, of the 7400 block of Lakeshore Drive, entered a guilty plea to a lone count of felony eluding of police during Monday proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence provided by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Aug. 28, 2024, law enforcement officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle Velella was driving. Instead, the defendant took off in his vehicle, kicking off a chase that went through New Kent…
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Charles City County audit reports concerns relating to internal controls
A highly anticipated audit report in regards to Charles City’s fiscal 2024 year has reported findings of two concerns regarding internal controls. Robinson, Farmer, and Cox representative Aaron Hawkins presented his findings during a May 1 special meeting of Charles City County’s Board of Supervisors. Hawkins reported two major issues concerned him during his investigation of Charles City’s operations. The first issue was the number of journal entries used to provide a financial snapshot. Journal entries defined in the auditing world are briefs of information in line items that will provide a preassessment and basis for the upcoming audit. The…
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New Kent leaders hear possible options for funding new school, courthouse complex
New Kent Board of Supervisors received information in regards to financing two Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects for future consideration. Davenport and Company representatives presented three options to New Kent Leaders on how to finance the construction of a new elementary school and a new courthouse during Monday morning’s work session. In total, the projects total $130 million. When presenting the options, Tripp Lawrence and Ted Cole of Davenport and Company indicated the options they were presenting would not be in compliance with county practices, but there were ways to adjust the borrowing of funds to meet those regulations. Option…
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Virginia Beach man receives 90 days in jail for high speed chase in New Kent
A Virginia Beach man who led a high-speed chase in New Kent County entered guilty pleas to the crimes during Monday proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Jeremiah Neil Costa, 23, of the 3300 block of Scarborough Way, entered guilty pleas to one count each of felony eluding of police and felony destruction of property as part of a plea agreement. Four additional counts of felony destruction of property were dropped as part of the deal. In a summary of evidence provided by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Aug. 30, 2024, officers attempted to execute a traffic stop…
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Charles City’s proposed budget in the $21 million range; figures in two-to-four cent tax hike
Already facing backlash over current fiscal year finances, Charles City’s Board of Supervisors still had to press forward with considering a budget for the FY2025-26 cycle. The board’s first look of the proposal came at Tuesday night’s regular board meeting. Charles City Director of Finance Christina Crawley-Jones proposed a budget ranging between $21.4 to $21.6 million at the meeting. Crawley-Jones made the proposal based on a possible increase in real estate taxes. The $21,413,517 reflects a three-percent increase in real estate taxes, while the $21,626,809 reflects a six-percent increase in real estate taxes. Among discussion that the county board will…
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