News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | February 17, 2026
Local News
Vote on New Kent school’s redistricting plan expected to take place Mar. 15
A slightly modified proposal of a redistricting plan for New Kent’s elementary schools may receive final approval from the county’s school board on Mar. 15. School board representatives received an update from Matthew Cropper of Cropper GIS services on a third option that received approval from a redistricting committee during Monday night’s New Kent School Board meeting. During a Jan. 20 work session, Cropper presented two plans to the school board. At that meeting, both proposals call for a majority of the western end of New Kent to be the zone for Quinton Elementary School students. Homes and roads off…
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Mechanicsville man to serve four years incarcerated after having sexual encounter with New Kent minor
A Mechanicsville man who had sexual interactions with a minor in New Kent County will spend the next four years incarcerated after receiving formal sentencing during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Christopher Ray Sheffield, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with six years, nine months suspended (three years, three months to serve) on propositioning a minor to perform pornography. He will also serve a 12-month jail sentence for having consensual sex with a minor. During a Dec. 14, 2020 trial, Sheffield entered guilty pleas to the two charges that stemmed from a Feb. 21, 2020…
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Early morning crash in New Kent County leaves two dead
A Tuesday early morning crash in the Eltham area of New Kent County has resulted in the deaths of two King William County residents. Chakayla R. Sprulock, 20, and Charles H. Fletcher III, 21, both died at the scene of the accident according to a Virginia State Police report. According to the report, around 6:25 a.m. Virginia State Police responded to a call for service on Farmer’s Drive (Route 273), approximately one-quarter mile north of Polish Town Road (Route 634). A preliminary investigation reveals that a 1999 Honda Civic was heading south on Farmers Drive when it crossed the center…
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Shacklefords man to serve two years for attempting to distribute drugs in New Kent
A Shacklefords man will spend the next two years for possessing illegal drugs after agreeing to the terms of a plea agreement Monday afternoon in New Kent Circuit Court. Mason Michael Hurley, 20, entered guilty pleas to two counts of possession of a Schedule I/II substance with intent to distribute. One charge of conspiracy to violate the drug act was dropped as part of the deal. In a summary of evidence, on Mar. 9, 2020, Hurley was the passenger sitting in a van at 7-Eleven in New Kent that was being observed by authorities. When authorities approached and searched the…
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Former Cumberland Hospital doctor no-shows for court; found in Williamsburg with self-inflicted gunshot, dies at hospital
A former psychotherapist at Cumberland Hospital failed to appear Monday morning at his New Kent Circuit Court case. He later died in the day to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Herschel Harden, 73, was scheduled to show up in court according to defense attorney Fernando Groene on the possibility of a plea agreement. But when the defendant never entered into the courtroom, Groene told Judge B. Elliott Bondurant about the pressure his client was facing. “I spoke with him Friday and I spoke with him yesterday about a plea agreement,” the defense attorney said to the court. “He was telling me…
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Using truck to block county employee, Charles City man found guilty of abduction
A Charles City man who prevented a county employee from leaving after doing their job has been found guilty on a single count of abduction. Joseph E. Brown, 57, of the 7300 block of Trevors Road, received the verdict after a Friday morning contested trial in Charles City Circuit Court. On July 10, 2020, a Charles City county employee was conducting stormwater and property inspections. The employee went to the property of Brown based on a previous ordinance violation related to having too many inoperable vehicles in his yard. After noticing that Brown was in compliance, the employee left for…
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Mixed messages, concerns raised by New Kent school staff through letter at board meeting; superintendent recommends $33.6 million budget for FY2021-22
As schools around Virginia began to implement in-person return for students, concerns from teachers and staff workers in New Kent have come to the forefront. Tuesday night’s school board work session revolved around mixed messages being sent to workers that have raised red flags. Employees sent an anonymous letter to the school board with concerns about a submission from District 2 representative Kristin Swynford that was posted in the Chronicle. Employees questioned Swynford on her comments about employees not operating on the same team. Staff members commented in their letter that continuous instructional changes have been difficult and that the…
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Phase-in return for Charles City County students to begin March 8
The option for parents to send their students back inside school buildings at Charles City has received a date after a narrow vote. Charles City School Board members approved by a 3-2 vote to phase in students beginning March 8 back into buildings during Tuesday night’s school board meet. Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy addressed school board representatives with the possible hybrid option as part of the “Return-to-Learn” implementation for the school system. A survey was sent out Jan. 31 to receive feelers about the possibility of in-person learning, with 225 responses out of a possible 571 returned. The hybrid…
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Population drop in Charles City raises concerns by school board leaders, county supervisors
As common ground continues to be discussed between Charles City’s School Board and Charles City’s Board of Supervisors, it’s evident that the decline in population is affecting both the school system and the county as a whole. Both boards met during a prebudget meeting Tuesday evening in hopes to find common ground for all parties involved. After Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy presented an outlay of her first proposed budget to county leaders, supervisors responded with questions that focused on the issue with declining enrollment. “What do you think is the problem?” questioned District 3 supervisor Lewis Black III. Joppy…
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Murder charge lodged against North Chesterfield man dropped
A North Chesterfield man will not face murder charges for the death of a New Kent woman after the charge was dropped in Monday afternoon proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Eric Marvin Laney, 44, of the 9900 block of Jean Road, had been charged in the death of Samantha Nicole Rigdon. In a press release from New Kent Sheriff’s Office from Dec. 2019, Laney was indicated as the man who supplied Rigdon the drugs that led to her overdose death on Jan. 28, 2019. Laney still faces three felony charges of selling a Schedule I/II drug. Those charges will…
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