News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | August 15, 2026
Local News
FedEx latest to announce logistics facility coming to New Kent
The Exit 211 interchange from Interstate 64 to Emmaus Church Road (Route 106) is getting a new business. New Kent County announced through an Aug. 12 press release that FedEx will be constructing a 300,000-square foot shipping and logistics facility. “On behalf of New Kent County, we are proud to welcome FedEx and its newest operation to our community,” commented New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway. “This investment represents another significant milestone in the county’s continued economic growth and demonstrates New Kent County’s strategic location, strong transportation infrastructure, and business friendly environment.” FedEx’s is expected to invest $40 million into…
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Embezzling from Charles City company results in nine-month jail sentence
A man will spend nine months in jail for stealing money from his employee while working in Charles City County. Tillman John Norris, 47, currently of Middle Peninsula Regional Jail, entered a plea of guilty to a single count of embezzlement as part of Aug. 7 proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence by Charles City Commonwealth’s Attorney Tyler Klink, between Oct. 1-31, 2025, Norris worked at D.J. Logging in Charles City. Norris utilized the employee’s credit card to make various purchases at a number of stores without the owner’s permission. In total, the defendant spent…
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Charles City woman indicted for allegedly driving intoxicated for third time within 10 years
A Charles City woman has been indicted for allegedly driving under the influence for at least her third time. Wanda Hartsoe Elko, 76, of the 11000 block of Kimages Road, was indicted during July 7 proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. The indictment alleges that on Jan. 21, Elko was operating a vehicle while intoxicated either from alcohol or drugs. She was arrested, with a subsequent investigation revealing that she had committed a similar offense at least two previous times within the past 10 years.
Man who left juvenile at New Kent rest area receives three-month jail term
A South Dakota man will spend three months in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor while in New Kent County. Michael Eugene Brown II, 27, of the 400 block of Sixth Avenue, Wall, entered an Alford Plea of Guilt to an amended charge of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor (originally felony child abuse) as part of Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. An Alford Plea of Guilt indicates that while the defendant maintains his innocence, evidence presented in the case would be enough to convict him of the offense. In a summary…
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Miles, former Charles City County supervisor and Virginia Delegate, succumbs
Floyd Miles Sr., who represented District 3 on Charles City County’s Board of Supervisors from 1988-2001 and then from 2012-2019, passed away on Aug. 8, 2026 at the age of 77. Miles advocated for Charles City County during his first stint on the board of supervisors. Among the major projects that he was part of included the overseeing of the building of the Charles City Landfill and the construction of the Charles City County Public School complex. During his second stint, he was part of the board that voted for the creation of the county’s first paid firefighter and EMS…
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Charles City traffic stop leads to recovery of $2 million in gold as part of defrauding scheme
A traffic stop in Charles City County has yielded the arrest of two individuals who are suspected to have defrauded a James City County individual out of more than $2 million in gold. In a press release from Charles City County Sheriff’s Office, on Aug. 9, a stolen vehicle through a Flock alert was received for a vehicle stolen out of New York. Deputies located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Courthouse Road and Lott Cary Road. After questioning, the occupants were taken into custody. During an inventory of the vehicle, deputies discovered a box…
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Pamunkey River water withdrawal project expected to cost at least $33 million
Even though a mandate is more than a dozen years away, New Kent’s Board of Supervisors are dealing with the problem of bringing more water to the county without tapping into the groundwater supply. New Kent Public Utilities Director addressed county leaders on the Pamunkey River Withdrawal Project during Tuesday morning’s budget work session. Lang spoke to supervisors about a 2038 mandate issued through Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The mandate delivered is that by 2038, groundwater withdrawal permits for the two largest water systems at Bottoms Bridge and Central Water Systems will be reduced in volume. “Continued reliance…
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Gloucester duo indicted for drug possession in New Kent County
A pair of Gloucester residents have been indicted for allegedly having drugs in New Kent County. Desiree Christiane Garcia, 32, and William Cody West, 33, both of the 6800 block of Cherokee Lane, have been indicted on one charge of possession of a Schedule I/II substance following Monday morning grand jury proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. The duo was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine on Mar. 19. In other circuit court matters certified by the grand jury: –Anthony Orlando Donner, 63, of the 2100 block of Hull Street, Richmond, on one charge of possession of a Schedule I/II drug….
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New Kent man enters guilty plea to amended charge of misdemeanor drug distribution
A New Kent man entered guilty pleas to drug charges and carrying a concealed weapon as part of a plea agreement reached Monday afternoon in New Kent Circuit Court. Mehki Kewan Briggs, 23, of the 7800 block of Lovegrass Terrance, entered guilty pleas to an amended charge of misdemeanor distribution of marijuana less than one ounce (originally distribution of marijuana greater than one ounce but less than five pounds) and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon as part of the agreement. In a summary of evidence provided by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Nov. 14, 2025, an officer conducted…
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Technology Overlay District shot down in New Kent County
The idea of Technology Overlay Districts (TOD) in New Kent County has been shot down. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to direct county to discontinue working on the TOD and using it as framework for data center regulations. The TOD became a hot topic recently with the emergence of corporations looking to establish data centers throughout the United States. The establishing of the TOD could have allowed those companies to bypass traditional public hearings on the construction of data centers, allowing them to build the facility by right. But Tuesday night’s meeting that spanned more than three hours…
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