News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | June 27, 2022
Local News
King & Queen man receives no active time for trespassing on River’s Rest in Charles City
A King & Queen man will spend no active time incarcerated after accepting a plea deal Friday morning in Charles City Circuit Court. Nathan Eugene Mercer, 40, of the 400 block of Bunker Hill Road, entered guilty pleas to an amended charge of trespassing (originally burglary), a second charge of misdemeanor trespassing, and misdemeanor assault and battery. One charge of possession of a weapon (not a firearm) by a convicted felon was dropped. In a summary of evidence presented by Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Tyler Klink, on Feb. 18, Mercer went to the River’s Rest Marina in the eastern part of…
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Virginia State Trooper arrested for DUI in New Kent County
A Virginia State Trooper has been arrested for driving under the influence in New Kent County. Benjamin Nicholas Canning, 33, of Sandston, was arrested on June 23 on one charge each of misdemeanor DUI, reckless driving by speed, and refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test. According to the press release, the incident took place on Interstate 64 westbound near mile marker 216. No additional information is being released at this time as the ongoing investigation is being conducted jointly by New Kent Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police.
School districts dealing with staffing issues, plan to address student dress code
Two different school divisions. Two different scenarios. Two different set of circumstances. Same goals in mind. New Kent County Public Schools and Charles City County Public Schools are dealing with an issue that is plaguing essentially every school system in the United States; staffing and hiring employees. With an estimated 12 percent of schoolteachers estimated to leave the field of education, school systems are scrambling to find employees to fill that void. Those issues did not forgo both of the local school districts. In New Kent County, at least 32 teaching and administrative positions were vacant as of June 22….
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Two proposed solar projects feel the burn, denied by New Kent Board of Supervisors
Two separate solar projects that were proposed for New Kent County failed to meet the satisfaction of county leaders. New Kent supervisors denied approval on the Borrego Solar project and Chaberton Vision Energy proposal during Monday night’s regular board meeting. During a March 30 work session, Borrego Solar representative Jessie Robinson approached the county on plans to construct a three-megawatt facility on 23 acres of land on Polish Town Road (Route 634). At that meeting, Robinson said that the project was in response to a mandate issued by the state and wouldn’t affect adjacent neighborhoods. But at that work session,…
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South Carolina man hit with 18-month jail sentence for eluding New Kent police
A South Carolina man will spend a year-and-a-half in jail after pleading guilty to a 2018 traffic offense. Jonathan C. Long, 39, of the 600 block of Muckerman Road, Bennettsville, entered a guilty plea to one count each of felony eluding of police and an amended charge of misdemeanor failure to appear (originally felony failure to appear) as part of an agreement reached Monday in New Kent Circuit Court. One charge of misdemeanor driving without a license was dropped as part of the plea deal. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth Attorney Scott Renick, on July 27, 2018,…
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Providence Forge man receives six months in jail for failing to register as sex offender
A Providence Forge man will spend six months in jail for failing to register as a sex offender following Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. Adam Michael Sullivan, 36, of the 11000 block of Canora Lane, entered a no contest plea to one count of failing to register as a Tier III sex offender (second offense) during his Mar. 1 trial. A no contest plea means that evidence presented in the case would be enough to convict him of the crime. At that trial, information presented showed that Sullivan had failed to register with the national database in…
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Henrico man dies in New Kent motorcycle accident
A Henrico man has died as the result of a May 31 accident in New Kent County. Walter McCormick Jr., 77, died at the scene of the accident on New Kent Highway. According to a Virginia State Police report, a 2006 Harley-Davidson was traveling on Route 249 (New Kent Highway) when it ran off the road to the right and struck a fire hydrant and culvert just east of Dispatch Road. The driver was thrown from the motorcycle and died on the scene. McCormick was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The accident remains under investigation.
Charles City School Board adopts FY2022-23 budget with reduced county funding
Charles City County High School’s School Board adopted their 2022-23 budget during a special meeting Friday evening. School board officials voted 4-0 to adopt a local contribution of $5,486,095 for the upcoming fiscal year. Prior to the vote, school board members heard a presentation from Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy about the change in local dollars. Charles City County’s Board of Supervisors chose to reduce their original recommended amount of $6,018,997 to the new amount at their May 24 regular meeting, citing the dwindling enrollment in school population. Both boards have commented publicly that the budgets may change due to…
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Charles City Volunteer Fire and EMS, on the precipice with county, may terminate services by Dec. 2022
Charles City County’s Volunteer Fire Department’s time to serving the county may be coming to an end. Charles City’s Volunteer Fire and EMS Department is expected to have their designation of providing services terminated by the end of December 2022. News on the revocation arrived by notification to the department prior to Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. That prompted a response from two individuals who represented the volunteer squad. Chris Carroll, the chief of Charles City County Volunteer’s Fire and EMS Department, approached county supervisors during the public comment period voicing concerns about information he had received from the county…
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Charles City Board of Supervisors approve budget; funding for schools reduced
Charles City County’s Board of Supervisors approved their budget for the FY2022-23 year, but one group was visibly upset after the revisions. Disgruntled looks on the faces of Charles City School Board members and staff revealed the displeasure of reducing their original local monetary budget of $6,018,997 to $5,486,095, a reduction of more than half-a-million dollars. The school originally requested $6,268,997 for operations. The decision to reduce the school’s budget came as the result of several work sessions. According to a presentation by District 2 Supervisor Bill Coada, the school’s funding for Capital Improvement Projects in the last seven years…
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