Briefly… for Feb. 28-March 13, 2013
CC traffic stop yields drugs, weapon
A Williamsburg man faces drug and weapons charges stemming from a traffic stop in Charles City County on Feb. 17.
A county deputy stopped a vehicle on John Tyler Memorial Highway for a traffic violation around 8:30 p.m. When the deputy approached the vehicle, he detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a half-pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a 9 mm handgun.
The driver, Justin Vernell Wade, 27, of the 100 block of Luther Drive, Williamsburg, is charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a concealed weapon. The suspect was being held on a $1,500 secured bond at Riverside Regional Jail and made bond the next day. He is scheduled to appear in Charles City General District Court on March 6 for arraignment.
NK man charged in computer theft
A New Kent County man faces a pair of felony charges stemming from the alleged theft of a laptop computer.
Gary Darnell Burton Jr., 19, of the 4800 block of Mountcastle Road, Providence Forge, is charged with one count each of grand larceny and larceny with intent to sell. Burton allegedly stole the laptop on Feb. 10 from inside a vehicle parked at Long Acres Trailer Park on Mountcastle Road. He was arrested on Feb. 12 by Detective Joey McLaughlin after attempting to sell the computer at a local pawn shop.
NK public hearings draw no interest
A proposed $5.6 million New Kent County capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year along with amendments to the county’s parking law and proposed fees for land development and zoning/subdivision matters drew no attention during the county Planning Commission’s Feb. 19 meeting.
No one spoke during public hearing on all three issues. All but the capital plan received favorable recommendations from planners. Commission members deferred action on the CIP until their March 18 meeting and are issuing a request for school superintendent Rick Richardson to attend that night and present details concerning proposed school projects in the plan.
Plea deal averts jury trial in NK
A Providence Forge man accepted a last minute plea deal that averted a jury trial that had been scheduled for Feb. 21 in New Kent Circuit Court.
Justin Webster Mills, 24, of 5640 S. Garden Road, accepted a deal that lands him in prison for the next five years. Mills had been indicted last November on five counts each of burglary and grand larceny stemming from break-ins last July and August at five county residences. He was also indicted on two counts each of child neglect and possession of a controlled substance and had an earlier possession indictment from September relating to an incident last April.
Under the agreement, one felony possession charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, and charges of grand larceny were amended to attempted grand larceny. The other charges were dropped.
Bridge named after fallen CC deputy
Charles City’s Board of Supervisors has unanimously agreed to name a bridge after a county deputy who lost his life in the line of duty.
Michael C. Walizer died in an accident while responding to a call on March 1 of last year when his car ran off the road one-tenth of a mile west of the Charles City government complex.
Tuesday night, supervisors adopted a resolution naming the bridge near the intersection of Route 5 and Route 155 that runs over Courthouse Creek as the M.C. Walizer bridge.
School plan passes, official resigns
After months of review and input from the public and board members, Charles City’s School Board has adopted the school system’s six-year Standards of Quality [SOQ] plan.
After lengthy discussion, board members adopted the plan in a 4-1 vote on Feb. 19 at their regular board meeting. The plan is a working document that is not required by law but most schools implement to help guide schools in the direction that school board members and staff would like to take. The plan consists of individual goals for the board, teachers, and administrators as well as plans for improving the quality of education, programs, and capital needs.
In an unrelated matter, Melvin Robertson, the schools’ longtime director of administrative services, has resigned.
Superintendent of schools Janet Crawley declined to comment on Robertson’s abrupt resignation, citing the matter as a personnel matter. Robertson resigned on Feb. 7. Crawley said that until a replacement is found, other staff members in the office are currently covering the variety of duties that Robertson performed.
Grass carp slated for NK reservoir
Grass carp are being introduced into Diascund Reservoir to control hydrilla. During an information meeting yesterday (Wednesday) with New Kent’s Board of Supervisors, Andrew Rich of Newport News Waterworks said that roughly 1,000 of the species will be placed in the reservoir.
That number of carp is considered the low end, according to Rich, equivalent to roughly two to three carp per acre. The species is being imported from Arkansas and has been used in other localities. The fish are supposed to be sterile.
District 3 representative James Burrell questioned documents about not all of the fish being sterile and that if any fertile fish are able to lay eggs among the batch, can they be transferred in a variety of ways upstream. Rich said that permits issued along with monitoring by state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries personnel will help insure minimization of any fertile carp. The fish were also randomly tested and sampled for sterilization prior to transport, according to Rich.