News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | April 7, 2026
Local News
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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Richmond man admits to possessing cocaine in New Kent
A Richmond man entered a guilty plea to possessing cocaine in New Kent. Markene DeJuan Jones, 30, of the 3600 block of E. Broad Rock Road, admitted to committing the offense during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Jones was arrested on Apr. 28 after an investigation detected that he was in possession of the illegal substance. A presentence report is being prepared with formal sentencing scheduled for Apr. 26. In other circuit court matters: –Christopher Lee Davis, 22, of the 19000 block of Tabernacle Road, Barhamsville, had one charge of possession of a controlled substance dismissed after…
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New Kent superintendent, school board shifts focus to older students return to buildings
As second and third graders returned to a hybrid approach in New Kent County Public Schools, the narrative now focuses on bringing back older groups of students to the classroom. New Kent Superintendent of Schools Brian Nichols unveiled modifications for Cohort 4 and Cohort 5, groups that target on older student returns, during Monday night’s New Kent School Board meeting. Originally, Cohort 4 would have brought back grades 4-5 and Cohort 5 would have saw the return of grades 6-12. Nichols said that after learning the factors from the elementary school buildings reopening, those cohorts have been modified. Cohort 4…
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Stormwater issues at Pine Fork Park results in $111,000 appropriation to address
Unexpected costs and design flaws in Pine Fork Park has resulted in a financial headache for New Kent County. Unfortunately, the headache will require a $111,000 visit to the Capital Improvement Funds. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors appropriated the funds to address environmental issues during Wednesday morning’s work session. After breaking ground in 2019, the $4.5 million project has been in the first phase for completion. While a majority of the contract work is complete, unexpected issues that deal with stormwater management has resulted in a financial setback. In October 2020, county leaders approved $325,591.11 to address the stormwater and…
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Two options revealed as part of New Kent school’s redistricting plan
Parents and intrigued members of the public received their first glance of redistricting plans for New Kent County Public Schools with the addition of the new Quinton Elementary School. Matthew Cropper of Cropper GIS services made his presentation at the Jan. 20 public meeting on the subject with New Kent’s School Board. Cropper presented a timeline on how his company and an organized committee for the school’s redistricting first met in Feb. 2020. During that time period up until the presentation, there were a lot of talks and proposals that crossed the committee’s path. After receiving that information and feedback,…
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Driving under influence of drugs lands Providence Forge man in jail for four months
A Providence Forge man will spend the next four months in jail after being found guilty on two misdemeanor charges related to a car accident on Feb. 5, 2020. Melvin Darnell Randall Jr., 26, of the 5800 block of Yellow Jasmine Terrance, entered no contest pleas to one count each of misdemeanor DUI (first offense) and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He also entered a not guilty plea to one count of misdemeanor contempt of court but stipulated the evidence would be enough to convict him of the offense. One charge of possession of a controlled substance…
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