Chase Purdy

360 Unlimited Designed to Spark Curiosity

2012-01-16T10:46:00.001-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Irene sat cross-legged in a storefront entryway, a bald alien with a makeshift martini.

Behind the extraterrestrial mannequin, the store stretched 3,000 square feet, ceiling and walls festooned with old-time cameras and retro globes.

From behind the cash register, a 49-year-old woman with a soft face and thick blonde hair sat in dim lighting, keeping a pursed-lip smile to herself. This vintage shop, 360 Unlimited at 911 S. Florida Ave., had been Kristin Lamonte's unlikely dream for years. In 2008, she decided to spring for it.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Camper Fire in Lakeland Injures 2

2012-01-05T17:52:00.001-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Timothy Cobb Jr. had just escaped an early-morning nightmare, only to find himself thrust into another.

Startled in his sleep by the image of being shot in the knee, Cobb, 28, jolted into consciousness at about 4:30 a.m. today, waking his father, who had been sleeping nearby.

“I think I freaked my dad out, and he kicked over a little space heater,” Cobb said. “I just woke up from a nightmare or a dream or something.”

Within moments, the 20-foot camper the two men inhabited became shrouded in flames. They rushed out the door, Cobb said, alive but not unscathed.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Kathleen Official: School followed proper procedure

2011-12-31T11:35:00.002-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

The principal of Kathleen High School on Friday defended his administration's handling of a head football coach accused of twisting and bruising a senior football player's nipple.

Principal Cecil McClellan Jr. said school administrators took the matter through proper channels once Devarus Robinson, 19, of Lakeland, reported that coach Irving Strickland pinched his chest twice in September as a method of discipline.

"As a school, we don't tolerate the mistreatment of any child," McClellan said. "Anything that is reported to our office we investigate."

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Family seeks info in high school nipple twist

2011-12-30T00:15:00.003-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

The family of a Kathleen High School football player has retained a Tampa-based lawyer to investigate accusations the school's head football coach, Irving Strickland, abused his authority in twisting a teen's nipple to the point of bruising.

A letter delivered this week by the high school senior's lawyer to the Polk County School Board requested all available documents about the pinching, and the internal investigation into the coach accused of doing it.

The records request comes more than three months after Devarus Robinson, 19, reported Strickland twisted his nipple as punishment for cursing, and then again after Robinson asked for football equipment. In the letter written by Tampa attorney Warren Hope Dawson, the Sept. 23 twisting was described using a riot of adjectives, including "painful," "insulting," and "criminal."

Read more at The Ledger.

Crystal Grove Neighborhood Rocked by Officer's Shooting

2011-12-20T09:40:00.002-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

The sound of a gunshot brought Jennifer Ford to her window Sunday night.

Peering out, she said she saw the body of a police officer slumped on the ground near the playground set in Crystal Grove Park. Then she turned to her two children.

"Get down!" she ordered.

The next morning, as sunshine washed over the Crystal Grove neighborhood, Ford congregated with her neighbors in the lawn of their apartment complex. She shook her head as she recalled the previous night and the fear she felt for her children.

"You don't ever know," Ford recalled, shaking her head. "A bullet ain't got no name."

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Man Who Bilked Polk Countians for Millions Gets 20 Years

2011-12-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

Sanibel resident bilked hundreds, some Polk residents, in Ponzi scheme

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

TAMPA | A man who stole more than $17 million from victims in Polk and elsewhere in Florida is a "pure con man," a federal judge said Tuesday in sentencing the defendant to 20 years in prison.

James Davis Risher, 61, is "a man who would rather steal something from you than have you give it to him," U.S. District Court Judge Steven D. Merryday said.

Standing a few feet away in a gray jumpsuit and chains, Risher looked to the ground.

The former Sanibel resident was sentenced for his role in an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that started in 2007 and bilked hundreds of Floridians. He had pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to mail fraud, money laundering and engaging in an illegal monetary transaction.

For the more than 20 victims who packed into the courtroom gallery, it was a day to voice their grievances publicly. Most of them shared the same story, one in which they were systematically duped into entrusting Risher with their life savings under the guise he'd make sound investments and healthy returns.

There were retired Polk County Schools teachers and police officers, retired Publix employees, and small business owners — all of them tricked into trusting a man they described as "convincing," "cold" and "calculating."

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Mountain of a Problem

2011-11-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

City Officials Nervous About Financial Fallout From Fly Ash Pile

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

A hulking mountain of ash sitting inside the Lakeland city limits isn't exactly a point of pride, but city officials would rather see it stay than go.

The landmark-sized mound is made up of more than 100,000 tons of fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, produced at the nearby C.D. McIntosh Jr. Power Plant.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is wrapping up an effort to collect public comment on its push to label the ash a hazardous waste, which could affect the mountain and could spark expensive changes to the way Florida power plants operate.

For most states, the new classification would mean updating the protections at existing plant landfills to ensure security against groundwater contamination. But in Florida, where state statute prohibits the operation of hazardous waste landfills, Lakeland city officials said they are nervous about potential financial repercussions, likely in the millions of dollars.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Family Frightened By Armed Robbers in Lake Alfred Home Invasion

2011-11-12T01:31:00.002-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Nathan Jackson had only just begun training his step-daughter: when someone knocks at the door, ask who it is, then find a parent.

But on Tuesday night about 9:15 p.m., the 9-year-old girl forgot those directions and immediately unlatched the front door of her Lake Alfred home. The three men on the other side, at least one holding a handgun, barged through, sending those in the house into a state of panic.

Two days later, deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested Kyree Nicholas Goss, 18, of Winter Haven, on four charges of armed robbery and burglary with armed battery. The remaining suspects were still at large Friday evening.

The pace of Jackson's voice quickened Friday evening, as he recalled being led at gunpoint into his bedroom. One of the men demanded money, the other two rummaged. The 9-year-old and her two younger siblings had scattered, hiding in the bedroom and living room.

"I came out a little bloody, it was scary," the father said. "But I made them run."

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Goodman: USF Poly Decision ‘What We Asked for'

2011-11-11T14:26:00.001-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Marshall Goodman's return to the University of South Florida Polytechnic was the subject of much chattering at the outset of a Thursday meeting at his Lakeland campus. Then he stood up to speak.

Total silence.

Every seat was taken, some people stood along the walls of the room.

"This is what we asked for," Goodman said triumphantly. "What we said in the business plan was that we were asking for a path to transition, and that's what they've given us."

The regional chancellor addressed his faculty, staff and a sprinkling of students following a Wednesday decision by the State University Board of Governors to tentatively approve USF Poly's road to independence from the USF school system. The 13-3 vote by the board was a milestone in what had become a months-long tussle between officials at USF and the Lakeland campus.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Painter Gives Businesses Holiday-Themed Windows

2011-11-07T17:02:00.002-05:00

By CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Turns out, there is a person who decides when the timing is right for Christmas decorations, and he’s a grizzly, ball cap-wearing painter.

“I’m the window guy,” said Ray Cuzzone.

The 73-year-old Lakeland painter has spent the last 35 years painting bug-eyed reindeer, smiling Santas and bright red ribbons on Polk County storefronts. And with more than 40 clients to serve each year, he starts prying open his paint cans in late October.

A nomadic artist, Cuzzone said the holiday season has become essential to his livelihood, one constant among his usual smattering of random commercial jobs. Over a six-week span, he brings in the bulk of his annual earnings, he said.

His methods are straightforward. Using the bed of his pick-up truck as a paint station, Cuzzone dips his brushes into all sorts of holiday reds and greens — then colors in simple sketches he pre-draws on the window glass.

The flourish of hands reveal his bouncy self-confidence. Only partially hidden in stubble, he sports an infectious grin. The smile only broadens at mention of the timing of his work. Pausing to light a cigarette, he mused for a moment.

“People say to me all the time, ‘But it ain’t even Halloween yet! It ain’t Thanksgiving yet!’ ” he exclaimed. “You know when it’s early enough? October 1. Who cares?”

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

'I'm Going to Nashville'

2011-10-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Among his North Lakeland neighbors, Kent Westberry is best known for a mean pitcher of fruit tea.

Step into his foyer, and he'll offer a glass. Step farther into his home, and the man's reputation changes completely.

There, packed into two spare rooms, sits the evidence of a life entrenched in music — 18,000 records; autographs of famous singers; and a scrapbook filled with photos of him and his wife, Dale, alongside people such as Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn.

Kent Westberry, 72, isn't just a collector. His life intertwined with those famous names for years when he lived in Nashville as a songwriter. And while his music can be found on records by Dolly Parton and The Beatles and is in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Westberry keeps a low profile.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Video by Staff Photographer Ernst Peters:

Violinist Lemay Olano-James to open for city Hispanic Festival

2011-10-21T09:59:00.004-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Wedged between broad shoulders and long arms, the violin made Lemay Olano-James look like a giant.

Still, the towering 32-year-old Cuban-American made it sing, easing his way through the music with a deft sliding of his bow and passion in his face.

Olano-James attended his final rehearsal with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra earlier this week, in preparation for tonight's opening of the annual Lakeland Hispanic Festival. Previously a member of the Cuban National Orchestra, Olano-James will take a center role in the opening-night concert downtown at Munn Park, with a solo role to show his prowess with the violin.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Youth activist a champion for immigration reform

2011-10-09T14:46:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

LAKELAND | Mayra Hidalgo-Salazar shared her story willingly, then scrunched her face into a shy smile.

Framed by petite shoulders and pretty flashes of Tiffany-blue nail polish, Hidalgo sat with near-perfect posture and swished her hands through the air when she spoke.

She has made a name for herself as a go-to person for immigration activism in Polk County. At 20 years old, her peers describe her as a champion of the American Dream, anxious to wade through the vagaries of a complex immigration debate and its youth movement.

Her goal is to put a face to an issue.

But the hitch for Hidalgo is glaring. No matter her ironclad zeal, she is as tethered to her success as those she serves. She, too, is undocumented.

She doesn't go out of her way to hide it. And she does not apologize.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Man Found Fatally Shot in Haines City

2011-10-08T01:03:00.004-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY & ELVIA MALAGON
The Ledger

HAINES CITY | A woman fell to her knees Friday, arms outstretched across crime scene tape, as investigators in hazardous materials suits stepped into a video rental store.

Word was swift, confirmation first by family and then by law enforcement, that Jaime Magana Jr., 20, of Haines City, was found dead inside Video Latino at 1719 E. Hinson Ave. The 911 call to police was placed about 9:30 a.m. by a customer, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Donna Wood.

Within an hour the crying woman was joined by 30 other people, a parking-lot crowd that doubled soon after. Family members mourned together, some sitting inside a black SUV, as they tried to piece together what had happened.

"I want my brother," cried one woman from inside the vehicle.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Suspect in Shooting Rampage Killed Another Wife in 1986

2011-09-20T10:46:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Reaching into a past she could never escape, Shekema Clark clutched a grainy photograph of her deceased mother and recalled the most painful memory of her life.

A dark room. Her mother on the floor. Jeremiah Fogle standing with a rifle.

Clark's recollection of that summer in 1986 remains mostly foggy; she was only 6 years old at the time.

But news reports of a Sunday killing and a shooting in a West Lakeland church jogged her memory. When she heard the name of her stepfather resurface, she couldn't sleep, she said.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

9/11 Anniversary Project

2011-09-09T19:57:00.007-04:00

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY PROJECT
For the past couple of months, I've steadily worked on a project at the paper that attempted to illustrate the collective experience of 9/11 for America. That whether you learned of the attacks from a world-band radio in China, fled from the towers in New York, or watched on a television in Polk County, Florida -- the trauma of the events made a lasting impression.

Chances are, if you were old enough, you remember exactly where you were, the names of the people around you, or maybe an object that was in your hand at the time. N.R. Kleinfield put it beautifully in a recent New York Times article in which he described the feelings as a "residue, lingering wisps." He also pointed out, in the lead paragraph of the story, that Sept. 11 is a date that needs no year. Everyone knows.

The easiest and most obvious question to ask during my interviews was easy: Where were you when it happened. And no matter whom I was speaking with, something changed about each person as they tried to answer. By the look in their eyes, you could tell they instantly went someplace else -- somewhere where the visuals of the day remain seared into their memories. It was an outlet to their emotions, and it was impossible to avoid being swept up with them.

At the outset, I didn't anticipate feel such a connection to people. Maybe there is something about reporting that leaves you feeling impervious to the emotions of your subject matter. Even as I tried, it was impossible to remain untouched, and I found myself teary-eyed on two occasions. And when I wasn't in an interview, my mind clouded with questions, and sorrow and remembrance.

High-Risk Areas Battle ‘Class 10' Fire Stigma

2011-08-07T02:21:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

For reasons beyond his control, Ralph Moore lives in exile.

It's been that way for four decades; a life off the grid on the shores of Lake Buffum, 11 miles east of Fort Meade. There, in a rural enclave enveloped by orange groves, Moore and his neighbors live quiet lives punctuated by the fear of sudden demise.

A lightning strike. The smell of smoke. An overzealous sunbeam. Any threat of fire brings them to their front yards, their last line of defense.

This is a fact of life for Moore and his lot, who for years have lived in a location the Insurance Services Office, or ISO, has deemed a "Class 10" area. More than five miles from a fire station, these people live in a neighborhood ordained as "high risk," a term that translates to heightened fire insurance premiums or no insurance altogether.

And on June 1, unbeknownst to them, about 3,000 more Polk County residents entered the same limbo — silent victims of a long overdue ISO resurvey that classified five more communities as Class 10 spots.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Towering Trouble

2011-07-22T08:42:00.003-04:00

Davenport landmark could be history

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Caught between history and a rusty reality, city officials in Davenport have appealed to the sky in an effort to preserve one of their proudest landmarks.

Standing almost 170 feet high, the small town's only water tower, four-legged and speckled by red corrosion, might soon disappear unless officials can wrangle $450,000 to bolster its aching structure.

Too strapped to afford such an expense at present, the city's mayor, Peter Rust, said the answer might emanate from the tower's peak, where three cellular telephone antennae reach toward the clouds.

Watch the video or read the story at The Ledger.

Polk Considers Increase in County Fire Tax

2011-07-14T01:05:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

BARTOW | Polk County commissioners sat mostly cross-armed Wednesday as department representatives approached the county finance committee proposing fire, garbage and utility rate hikes.

The presentations, which offered detailed reasoning behind the projected raises, came on the heels of a Monday meeting in which County Manager Jim Freeman pushed for a 5 percent decrease in funding for the county's day-to-day operations.

As commissioners debated how to introduce the hikes to taxpayers, conversation polarized between two options: Either raise rates one time in hopes of keeping them constant for five years or introduce smaller rate bumps each of the five years.

Both plans would achieve the same amount of money.

Commission Chairman Ed Smith, winced at the latter proposition, saying he feared approaching constituents year after year, banging the drum of increasing rates.

"I get enough nasty phone calls already," Smith said.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

A Trend Rages On

2011-07-03T01:33:00.003-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

She didn't need a sales pitch, the trembling in her hands did the job.

Still, Jess Higens passed the thin paper packets around the table, like a poker dealer, only her trick was designed to save money.

Hovering behind her, Jerrica Hughes bottled her own escalating excitement.

There's something unnerving about the energy at a suburban coupon swap, an event that promises the revelation of how keen organization and hawk-like deal chasing can transform any grocery-goer into a seemingly deranged shopaholic.

And they're evolving.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

SEE ALSO: Coupons Being Stolen from Newspapers.

Bicyclist Killed In Collision With Car

2011-06-25T10:55:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

A 56-year-old man pushing his bicycle across the street died Friday when he was hit by a car at U.S. 92 and Combee Road.

James William Galey, of 2412 Haywood St., in Lakeland, was crossing the intersection headed north about 1:30 p.m. when he was hit by a 1994 Ford Escort driven by Tashica W. Smith, 34, of 1038 Walker Road, in Lakeland, deputies said.

...

Traffic backed up more than a mile down Combee Road as several Polk County deputies marked the scene with orange spray paint, stepping over granola bars and bananas the bicyclist had just purchased from a Winn-Dixie super market.

Other deputies wrote down witness accounts.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

‘We're All Alone'

2011-06-15T00:53:00.003-04:00

Family struggles in wake of shootings

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Determined to stay strong, Carlos Lopez will not surrender to the devil.

"I'm done with it; the devil's not going to destroy my family no more. He's taken too much from me already," he said Monday.

Still reeling from the June 4 double-homicide at his mother's house, Lopez said the death of his sister, 15-year-old Marta Maria Negron, haunts him. He sees her when he dreams. He finds her in the face of his son, born the night of the shooting.

Sitting beneath the carport of his father's house on Harris Street in southeast Lakeland, Lopez shook his head at the thought of the loss and the man charged by police with the crime — his father.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Suspect in Burglaries Shot by Polk Deputies

2011-06-08T01:46:00.005-04:00

Authorities had been watching Eric Bradwell for more than a week

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

From 14 years old to the time he died, Florida authorities nipped at the heels of Eric Terrell Bradwell.

With a criminal record that included a gamut of crimes, Bradwell's history of thieving kept him in the revolving door of state jails, a lifestyle that ended abruptly Tuesday morning when five Polk County deputies shot him to death.

The 29-year-old Lakeland man died shortly after midnight, a pair of mechanic gloves in his hand and two screwdrivers and a wrench in his pockets.

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

Photo Restorers Alter Images to Recreate Fading Moments

2011-06-06T01:22:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The Ledger

Edward Bullen needed a middleman for his memory.

So when he stepped into Phillips Photographers on South Florida Avenue, Bullen paused at the front counter for a moment and didn't jump for the white envelope Brad Beck slid toward him.

Peeling the flap ever-so-slightly, Bullen, 84, of Lakeland, reached inside and pulled out a crisp, rectangular, black-and-white photograph of a little girl. Behind it, a smaller, dirtier, circular rendition of the photo tumbled to the countertop.

"Of seven children, she's my only daughter," he said. "I've had it on my dresser for God knows how long. It's so small and it's just so nice."

He stared into the photo.

A smile inched across Beck's face.

The photo restoration business has long involved people like Beck and the owner of Phillips, Robin Phillips. And in recent weeks, the demand for the craft has experienced an uptick, Beck said

Read the rest of the story at The Ledger.

All eyes on the eaglets

2011-05-14T07:33:00.001-04:00

Web celebs relocate to Wildlife Center in Waynesboro

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Ed Clark denies any notion he’s been taken hostage.

Instead, the president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia said he’s accepted that 150,000 people watch his every interaction with three eaglets recently rescued and moved to Waynesboro.

Through a continuous online video feed, a global group has taken interest in the wellbeing of the fuzz-ball birds and raised thousands of dollars for their care.

For months, the Norfolk Botanical Garden used a camera to broadcast the hatching of the eaglets. The birds, including mother and father, became web celebrities. At any given hour, at least 2,000 people watched the eagles and typed in live comments into a chat room.

So when the wheels of a U.S. Airways jet struck and killed the mother, the online fans “erupted,” Clark said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

At 87, Sherando man still hunting bear

2011-05-14T07:31:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

SHERANDO -- Hours before the mountains cast a shadow on the Sherando Grocery, a band of regulars assemble there for lunch.

Chatting over cheeseburgers and cherry colas, conversation turns to bear hunting. And through a panoramic window, they see 87-year-old Jesse Bridge walk up and step inside.

“He’ll be bear hunting in his grave,” said Lenard Balsey, a Sherando mechanic.

Sitting nearby, bushy-bearded David Patterson nods in agreement.

Bridge orders a hot dog and grabs a Mountain Dew, his drink of choice.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Earning her wings

2011-05-08T19:42:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

She started by biting her lower lip.

It was pre-flight jitters, mostly hidden in a stiff westerly wind that tossed the hair of a dozen onlookers.

At 14, Lillymae Gunick prepared Friday to do what few before her have attempted in their early teens: a solo flight in a glider plane.

Without an engine rumbling with her, Lillymae soared through a mostly clear sky, pillowing into thermal spires before floating to the ground.

"The kid has got an incredible amount of moxie and discipline," said Ben Johnson, club secretary for the Shenandoah Valley Soaring Club. "The people who get this far, they're pretty motivated people."

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Budget reflects WPD internal changes

2011-05-08T11:15:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Set for approval next month, a 9 percent boost to the recommended Waynesboro Police Department budget would reflect a shifting landscape within the department and how it plans to retain a dwindling force, authorities and government officials said.

With the promise of raises for all sworn officers and an increase to the entry-level salary, Waynesboro City Manager Mike Hamp said he hopes to better compete with surrounding jurisdictions and stopper attrition. The funding will come mostly come from unfilled vacancies, Hamp said.

In November, The News Virginian reported that the department’s crunched budget, high turnover, aging equipment, and a growing city population had sent officer morale into the basement. However, speaking this week about the lifeline from City Hall, as well as the hiring of Michael Wilhelm as the new police chief, word from department spokesman Sgt. Kelly Walker rang positive.

“It’s a new day,” Walker said. “It’s a good day.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Records detail $60K missing from Expoland

2011-04-16T21:54:00.003-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON -- Records filed this week in Augusta County Circuit Court shed new light on an inmate labor misuse case and more than $60,000 that went missing from Augusta Expoland.

The foot-high stack of records paint a picture of growing concern as Expo officials uncovered a gaping financial hole.

“I want to emphasize to the Board and to the Expo Staff that I feel we have a major financial problem and must turn it around,” wrote Jerry Pence, Expo board chairman, in a 2010 email to staff.

Six months later, Augusta County deputies arrested Woody E. Puckett, 47, and Joannis M. Hoard, 46, both of Stuarts Draft, on charges they embezzled money and inmate labor.

At the time of Pence’s April email, the pair had been cheating Expo for at least a year, authorities charge.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

News Virginian wins top award

2011-04-10T11:23:00.002-04:00

Along with several other staff members of the paper, I made the trek out to Norfolk on Saturday to attend the Virginia Press Association Awards banquet. The News Virginian performed extremely well in 2010, winning the VPA's top honor for The Borders Within series by myself and Tony Gonzalez.

For the second year in a row, The News Virginian took home the VPA Public Service Award. Charlotte Hall, a retired editor of the Orlando Sentinel and former managing editor of Newsday, judged the community service competition:

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Of “The Borders Within” Hall commented: “Tony Gonzalez and Chase Purdy spent more than a year … developing contacts, gaining the trust of newcomers and even learning Spanish to facilitate their reporting.

“The results were a series of stories that revealed the humanity of newcomers and contributed to greater community understanding.

“In one case, their reporting also righted a wrong, as they showed how immigration red tape had dangerously divided a family."

Read the rest of the review at The News Virginian.

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Every member of our staff won a VPA award this year. Me personally, I somehow walked away with 10, including first-place honors in breaking news writing, multimedia feature and feature writing portfolio.

Crimora man killed in head-on collision

2011-04-01T00:28:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

CRIMORA -- A Crimora man died during his morning commute to work Thursday after losing control of his car and slamming head-on into a pickup truck on U.S. 340, police said.

Virginia State Police said they’re still trying to learn what caused Austin Glenn Jerkins, 20, to swerve his 1995 Ford Escort wagon into oncoming traffic in the 3000 block of the two-lane highway.

“The Ford [Escort], for whatever reason, was losing control,” said state police Sgt. Frank Pyanoe. “At this point I’m estimating it was a high rate of speed.”

Signs posted along the damp stretch of road mark the speed limit at 55 mph.

Noticing the swerving Escort, Hatton Lamar Oly, 33, of Grottoes, slowed his 1998 Ford F-150 to avoid a collision, authorities said.

His efforts were in vain.

Read the story at The News Virginian.

Cruiser Crunch

2011-03-20T12:15:00.003-04:00

Dodge Charger expenses overshadow fading Crown Victorias

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Cruising down Waynesboro streets, the fleet of Dodge Charger police cruisers look like asphalt bullies — but maybe they’re not so tough.

Humming behind those frowning headlamps and under the hoods are engines in almost constant need of attention, and which have driven up maintenance costs, according to maintenance records, officers and city mechanics.

...

“Our Dodge Chargers are a maintenance nightmare,” said Waynesboro police Cpl. Jim Short, former fleet manager. “If I had a choice, I’d keep the Crown Victoria. The Crown Vic is a proven car.”

A News Virginian investigation found the Chargers break down more often and cost the city more money to repair than Crown Vics that are older and which have logged more miles. Charger repairs contribute to maintenance expenses that outpaced anticipated costs in each of the past five years, records show.

The cars roll into the city garage on Essex Avenue so often, that mechanics there said it’s become a joke that they’re so adept with the Charger they should seek dealership jobs.

Read the story at The News Virginian.

More officers exit Waynesboro Police Department

2011-03-02T00:04:00.002-05:00

No replacement yet for chief as vacancies increase

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Between two hands, the stack of Waynesboro police chief applications measures about 9 inches thick. With that fact, you know more than the average Waynesboro police officer about the search to replace Chief Doug Davis.

By mid-week, Davis will be a retired man, just one of an increasing number of crime fighters who have left the city department.

After three-and-a-half months of silence about the specifics of the search for a new chief, City Manager Mike Hamp on Friday said he’ll soon tell city cops about his pick for interim chief.

The prolonged quiet, Hamp said, lies in the stack of applications. They came from across the country, including Arizona, New York, Florida, and California.

“I’ve been in the paper review of the applicant stages longer than I’d anticipated,” he said. “We have not conducted any personal interviews yet, and part of the reason is because there were 80 applications and because so many of the applicants, at least on paper, met the requisite requirements.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Manslaughter charged in Mount Solon death

2011-03-01T21:32:00.003-05:00

Jeffrey Placko, whose brother was killed, now jailed

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

For as long as their memories stick, Junior Puffenbarger’s grandchildren will remember a genuine smile.

Toddlers Jayson and Krissa Price last saw their 42-year-old grandfather the day before Valentine’s Day. He brought them brand new sleeping bags.

Less than three weeks later, another man killed Junior Puffenbarger, authorities said.

His grandchildren won’t attend the funeral. Family members said they want the children to remember their grandfather as his lively, loving self, a hard-working brick mason dedicated to his family.

Augusta County detectives on Monday informed relatives of Puffenbarger’s death. Then Tuesday they announced a voluntary manslaughter charge against Jeffrey F. Placko, 40, of Mount Solon.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Speed in I-81 crash 'unbelievable'

2011-02-11T21:22:00.003-05:00

5 hospitalized in third recent crash on I-81 near Raphine

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

RAPHINE -- A four-vehicle crash on Thursday clogged Interstate 81 near Raphine around rush hour and sent five people to the hospital, police said.

Witnesses said the wreck started when a northbound tractor-trailer attempted to pass a cluster of slowing cars. In the process, the driver of the truck struck a similar tractor-trailer and two passenger vehicles, witnesses and authorities said.

“The speed was just unbelievable,” said KC Smith, of Chesterfield. “It had to be 70-75 mph, easy.”

The crash marked the third wreck on I-81 between Raphine and Greenville in two days. Virginia State Police responded to two afternoon crashes on Wednesday, one of which required a Roanoke HAZMAT team to assist in the cleanup, authorities said.

Trooper W.H. Reid said the Thursday crash occurred at about 4:20 p.m. after tractor-trailer truck driver George Petrick, 47, of Plant City, Fla., attempted to pass slowing vehicles.

...

Half of a tan Pontiac sat in the middle of the interstate, the back half crushed beyond recognition. About 50 feet away, the blue, Florida-based tractor-trailer sat slumped over the median embankment, its engine hood missing and bits of machinery scattered across the grass.

...

“I’ve seen nine people get killed this year,” Doug said. “The guy in the blue [truck] passed me — he was just flying. He went around me and then all hell broke loose.”

Smoking a cigarette and shaking his head, he said he and his cargo — 39,000 pounds of New Jersey-bound chicken — managed to slow to a stop without hitting anyone. He blew some smoke behind him, where miles of cars stood motionless.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Charges intensify in South River killing

2011-02-03T00:10:00.001-05:00

Defense attorney asks for autopsy review

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

A prosecutor on Wednesday convinced a judge to elevate charges against two Waynesboro men accused in a May killing.

Waynesboro Circuit Court Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr. approved a motion by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David Ledbetter to upgrade a charge against Matthew Alan Painter, 36, from second-degree to first-degree murder.

Franklin also amended a charge against Painter’s co-defendant, Nicholas Adam Holloway, 24, from disposal of a human body to principle in the second degree to the murder.

The amended charges came three weeks ahead of a scheduled jury trial. Ledbetter said he made the move upon reviewing a forensic pathologist’s examination of victim, John Kelley Miller, 44, of 260 N. Commerce Ave.

“Our medical examiner will testify … that the probable cause of death was ligature strangulation followed by a beating,” he said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

The de facto mayor of Dooms

2011-01-30T02:03:00.002-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

DOOMS -- There is no one “most interesting” person in Dooms, but the place to find a character is East Side Grocery.

The small, unassuming building sits along Route 340 at the end of a sparse row of country stores — relics of years past where solitary gas pumps were gobbled up by road expansion and shifts in commerce.

The products have changed, too. A collection of 20 or so lottery dispensers hangs in the foreground of an array of cigarettes and chewing tobaccos (even the new kind; no spitting necessary).

And sitting in the middle of it, looking over his dozen or so shelves of product, Wayne Clark cocks his head to the left as one of his regulars swings open the screen door.

The hinges creak.

Read the story at The News Virginian.

Immigrant pleads to deadly Waynesboro stabbing

2011-01-27T00:13:00.003-05:00

Thirteen years to serve, then deportation

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

A 22-year-old illegal immigrant pleaded guilty Wednesday to the summertime murder of a Waynesboro man and ended a case riddled with questions about the actions of authorities.

Waynesboro Circuit Court Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr. convicted David Luna Sanchez of second-degree murder in the June 27 stabbing death of Eduardo “Piku” Herrera, 39, of 260 N. Commerce Ave.

Franklin sentenced Sanchez to 30 years in prison with 17 suspended, for a net time to serve of 13 years. Upon his release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will deport Sanchez back to Mexico, Franklin said.

“If you attempt to return … your 17 years will be imposed,” the judge said.

Standing at about five feet tall, Sanchez leaned in toward an interpreter to enter a plea in his native tongue.

“Culpable,” he said in Spanish.

“Guilty,” the interpreter echoed.

Read the story at The News Virginian.

Husband shoots teen intruder

2011-01-14T07:11:00.002-05:00

Wife faces teen sex charge

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Six feet tall and armed with a stick, a 14-year-old boy on Thursday dove through a bedroom window, spurring a frightened homeowner to shoot him once in the leg, authorities said.

When Augusta County investigators arrived at 449 Lookout Mountain Lane in Mount Solon, they found an aftermath of broken glass and blood, said county sheriff’s investigator Brian Jenkins.

Authorities received a 911 call at about 9:35 a.m., shortly after the teen charged the homeowner with a wooden stick outside the house, police said.

Pulling out a handgun, the homeowner and his wife retreated into the house and locked the door behind them, authorities said. But closed doors and locks only slowed the teen, who broke a window and climbed inside, forcing the couple to flee to the master bedroom and lock themselves in, police said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Interpreter's actions raise suspect rights question

2011-01-13T07:51:00.002-05:00

Experts say interview ‘troublesome’ and ‘dangerous’

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Unethical language interpreting during a police interrogation of a Waynesboro murder suspect may prevent the man’s confession from reaching a courtroom, said a defense attorney and experts.

During a Waynesboro detective’s interrogation of David Luna Sanchez in June, a Spanish interpreter failed to relay the defendant’s request that an attorney be present, an interview transcript shows.

Moments into the interview, Sanchez asked for an attorney upon hearing a reading of his “Miranda rights,” which inform a criminal suspect of the right to remain silent and to be represented by an attorney.

But the interpreter did not relay the request to Waynesboro police Sgt. Becky Moran.

“Yes, I would like to have a lawyer present here now to tell him – well, whatever it would be,” Sanchez said.

“Okay,” the interpreter responded in Spanish. “Listen to what I’m saying. She only wants to listen to the side of your story.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Crash impacts aviation families

2011-01-03T00:58:00.002-05:00

College freshmen, JMU track star remembered

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

WEYERS CAVE -- Two families well known in local aviation circles suffered losses Friday after a rare midair collision between a medical helicopter and a single-engine airplane killed two men in Weyers Cave.

Jason Allen Long, a 32-year-old flight instructor of Edinburg, and Jacob Houston Kiser, a 19-year-old Hampden-Sydney College freshman, of Grottoes, were piloting a Cessna 172L that clipped the AirCare 5 helicopter at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Kiser, the son of a pilot, was on winter break, said Hampden-Sydney College spokesman Tommy Shomo.

“We’re still trying to pull ourselves together from this,” he said of the 1,000-student college community.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

The Borders Within

2010-12-12T01:42:00.004-05:00

THE BORDERS WITHIN

After a year of collecting stories and talking to some incredible people, Tony Gonzalez and I have finally published a six-page special section in The News Virginian documenting the Hispanic community in Waynesboro.

The series was approached from the inside out. As we attempted to learn the language and make friends with the city's many Hispanics, we'd meet new people and find new story ideas constantly.

Along the way, we reported about struggles with the immigration system, the services available to Spanish-speakers, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the changing culture in Hispanic families as their children entered American schools.

Now, in a special section designed by Katie Gonzalez, Tony and I explore the first generation of Waynesboro Hispanics, who stand on the brink of transition.

Read the stories over at The News Virginian.

Teen mother guilty of killing

2010-12-11T16:40:00.004-05:00

Attorneys wrestled over confession, police techniques

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON -- Without the teen mother’s videotaped confession, the case of an infant’s death might never have reached a courtroom, said attorneys on both sides of the aisle after a two-day murder trial concluded with a conviction Friday.

A Staunton jury found Ashkea Pavielle Johnson, 18, of Staunton, guilty in the premeditated suffocation of daughter Rosaleeia M. Johnson.

Stony-faced throughout most of the two-day trial, Johnson broke when a jury of eight women and four men found her guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the second degree.

She closed her eyes as jurors stated their votes and silently shed tiny tears until one of her attorneys reached for tissues.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Murder case advances against illegal immigrant

2010-12-01T00:18:00.009-05:00

Defense attorney argues self defense; co-defendant testifies

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Miles away from flashing police lights, Abeil Javier Vazquez watched as his friend cleaned a bloody knife beneath a gushing faucet, he testified Tuesday.

“Then he went to the woods, down to the river,” Vazquez, 19, of Lyndhurst, said in court. “He tried to hide it under a rock in the river, but then he went up onto a hill. He tossed it, threw it into the woods.”

The testimony came during a preliminary hearing for David Luna Sanchez, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant charged along with Vazquez in the summertime killing of Eduardo “Piku” Herrera, 38, at 260 N. Commerce Ave.

Judge William B. Heatwole ruled Tuesday that Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos presented enough evidence to send the second-degree murder case to grand jury.

Vazquez testified he and Sanchez fled Virginia shortly after the knife cleaning.

Almost 10 days later, the men were arrested by Florida police in Putnam County — caught speeding in a primer black Ford Taurus Waynesboro police had sought, authorities said.

Dressed in a striped jail jumpsuit, Sanchez wore silver shackles and a tuft of clean-cut black hair in court. Sitting next to an interpreter, he stared at the ground and listened to testimony by Herrera’s girlfriend, Tammy Painter.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Judge: Teenager fired in self defense

2010-11-18T09:14:00.002-05:00

Charges dismissed in Sept. shooting that injured man

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON -- Tears welled in their eyes after the ruling Wednesday as the teenage boy rested his forehead against his mother’s.

The 15-year-old acted in self defense on the September night when he fired pistol blasts at his mother’s boyfriend, Augusta County Judge Charles L. Ricketts III found. She testified that she handed her son the weapon and instructed him not to let the man inside.

Gary Wayne Ralston, 54, of Waynesboro, was critically wounded in the shooting outside the home where the boy and his siblings and mother live just north of town. Ralston survived.

Authorities charged the teenager with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

But after three hours of emotional testimony, Ricketts said, “I’ve got to go with the evidence, and it has to be from the eyes of the defendant.”

...

Standing alone in the dark, the boy listened to the “quick steps” of Ralston making his way along the gravel drive toward the front porch.

Inside, the mother pleaded with police dispatchers to send help.

“He’s crossed over my gate! He’s coming here to kill me! Come quickly!” she said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Relatives collect ex-lawman's awards

2010-11-09T23:56:00.001-05:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

The day it happened, Staunton newspaper boys sold more than 3,000 extra papers.

People wanted to read about it – how then-Augusta County Sheriff G. Maslin Gilkeson and Deputy Frank Armstrong faced gunfire from a mad man as they served a lunacy warrant.

“Don’t come any closer” Charles Johnson, the shooter, shouted.

Seventy years later, on Tuesday, two of Gilkeson’s relatives finished the story while reading from yellowed copies of old newspapers. Grace Gilkeson, 83, and her daughter, Margaret McDowell, 57, both of Texas, stopped by the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office on their way to Pennsylvania to accept two posthumous awards for Sheriff Gilkeson.

They gasped at the details of the story as their eyes scanned the words.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Blue mood

2010-11-07T00:08:00.001-04:00

Local police morale sinks as funding slides and raises vanish

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Already survivors of crushed budgets and stifled salaries, officers of local police departments might want to prepare for another round of bad news.

With Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s new budget set for a Dec. 17 release, police, city and state officials are poised for more slashing to state 599 funding, money administered to local police departments by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice. House District 25 Del. Steve Landes said local governments would be lucky if funding for police departments didn’t tighten.

Such cuts would act as a sucker punch to small departments, such as Waynesboro and Staunton police, who still are recovering from last year’s decrease in funds.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Man dies after being shot in head

2010-11-01T23:16:00.002-04:00

Shooting suspect faces murder charge

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Sharon Moore got word of the shooting Friday, shortly after their 9-year-old daughter Katherine climbed aboard a school bus.

“It hit me. How am I going to tell her? Because [he] was her world,” Moore said from her Georgia home. “A day wouldn’t go by and she’d be asking, ‘Can I call Daddy? Can I call Daddy?’”

The little girl’s father, Anthony Scott Moore, 32, of Staunton, died Monday morning when family members removed him from life support, police and relatives said. Authorities charged Alan Dale Bartley, 57, of Staunton, with first-degree murder.

Read more at The News Virginian.

Ex-English nationals plan childhood celebration

2010-10-15T08:41:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Laura Hiatt summed it up nicely:

“The English people sure know how to hold a grudge,” she said.

Hiatt spoke this week from her Waynesboro porch, next to a scarecrow fashioned in the likeness of Guy Fawkes, a 1600s English Catholic with a vendetta against his own government.

Perched atop a chair with a satisfying view of Hiatt’s front yard, Fawkes seemed oblivious to his fate.

“I thought, you know, why don’t I do a Guy Fawkes night,” Hiatt said cheerily.

Tonight, in conjunction with their autumn festival, a group of English-born Valley residents plan to toss the paper-filled effigy into a roaring bonfire, all the while chanting the infamous childhood rhyme they remember:

“Remember, remember the Fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Detective's novels pull from experience, philosophy

2010-10-15T08:36:00.003-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON - Admittedly, Paul McCormick answers to a fickle muse.

Ideas come to him on breezy and unexpected whims, and during the most benign and everyday of circumstances.

A family barbecue, a holiday party; each inspiration arrives as unannounced as the last.

He’ll excuse himself from the room and start scratching notes on paper.

Then later, reading over his work, his wife, Bernadette, might say, “You thought about this during a barbecue?”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Serial mooner takes 30-day deal

2010-10-06T08:56:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON – A Weyers Cave man Tuesday took a plea deal in a serial flashing case cracked by authorities last month.

Ricky Michael Kidd Sr., 47, agreed to a 30-day jail sentence capped with one year of probation. He faced four misdemeanor counts of indecent liberties.

Spurred by a series of call-in complaints, authorities in September scouted parking lots in Weyers Cave to catch him in the act. Authorities charged him after observing him with his pants down in a United States Post Office parking lot in Weyers Cave.

According to authorities, Kidd’s modus operandi was simple: he’d wait in parking lots for women to walk in or out of a store. Once he spotted them, he’d turn around and bend over, pretending to dig through his car, and pull down his baggy britches.

Most of his flashings took place in the morning hours before 9 a.m., authorities said.

Hotspots for the moon shots included the post office, Exxon gas station on Lee Highway and the Dollar General on the 30 block of Franklin Street, authorities said.

Academy faces $500K shortfall

2010-09-26T13:49:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

WEYERS CAVE -- A Weyers Cave police training academy faces a $500,000 shortfall and has just enough money left in the bank to remain open seven more months, an academy official said Friday.

Following a monthlong internal investigation, Glenn Aylor, the board chairman of the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy, said the facility might have to appeal to its 59 member localities to help bridge the financial gap. The academy could face a temporary closing, he said.

The situation “came to [light] when the City of Waynesboro, which provides us with payroll services, hadn’t been reimbursed for three months of payroll services,” Aylor said.

When Aylor approached the academy’s former executive director, Mitch Banta, about the bookkeeping error, Aylor said he received an inadequate response.

“Those questions couldn’t be answered to my satisfaction,” he said. “That is what prompted the internal investigation.”

Since the beginning of the probe Aug. 27, Banta and Assistant Director Mary Garber have resigned, Aylor said. He declined to comment further.

In addition to discovering that the academy owes $126,000 to Waynesboro, Aylor said the board discovered the facility also faces a financial shortfall, which compounded to a half-million dollars over the years.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Police academy finances worrisome

2010-09-16T00:09:00.001-04:00

Investigation targets bookkeping; classes cut

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

In an effort to overcome a “financial crisis,” the board of the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Academy opened an internal investigation into its bookkeeping and canceled some courses, academy officials said.

Board Chairman Glenn Aylor said this week an investigation began Aug. 27 after the academy board deemed accounting principles “not acceptable.”

“There’s an internal investigation going on to see why the academy’s finances are the way they are,” Aylor said. “To check the financial internal controls and the accounting process.”

The administrative investigation launched after the resignation of former Executive Director Mitch Banta and the suspension of Assistant Director Mary Garber, Aylor said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

One step forward

2010-09-08T09:46:00.003-04:00

Woman prays for reunion with immigrant husband

BY TONY GONZALEZ & CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Before Kim Romero makes the call to her husband in Mexico, she follows his plea and calms herself.

She will not cry.

From her apartment on King Avenue in Waynesboro, she readies her tongue for Spanish. Sometimes she checks the weather radar online to learn if torrential rains are battering the mountain town where Rigoberto – “Rigo” — lives.

If so, she surprises him with her knowledge, like she’s at his side beneath the downpour.

For 18 months they’ve been apart while Rigo waits in Mexico and immigration officials process his paperwork to return legally.

On some nights, Kim’s dreams of Rigo leave her grasping the opposite side of the bed.

“You can touch him, you can smell him, but he’s not there,” she said.

She expects him to be soon. Just before noon Saturday, Rigo boarded a bus in Tenancingo, Mexico, and rode north. By noon the following day, he neared the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez just off the border.

Tomorrow he expects to answer questions in a final interview with authorities.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

* Read the first story in the series.

Triangle bullet

Suspected serial mooner snagged by deputies

2010-09-03T17:29:00.002-04:00

Police searching for more victims

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Police say they caught Ricky Marshall Kidd Sr. with his pants down.

The Weyers Cave man faces two counts of indecent exposure for showing his buttocks outside several neighborhood hotspots. Two deputies with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office staked out the Weyers Cave United States Post Office on Thursday morning to catch him.

More charges could follow if witnesses come forward for numerous other suspected exposures, authorities said.

Call-in complaints about Kidd, 47, gave detectives a description to pursue this week: He wore baggy shorts, preyed on female shoppers and operated mainly in the morning, Deputy Chris Kite said.

“We were able to catch him in the act,” he said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Major cavity shuts down dentistry

2010-09-03T17:25:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

WAYNESBORO - A lone employee sitting at a computer said she caught the impending sound of disaster.

“You could hear that revving,” said Serrena Becerra, dental assistant at Lisa Tatum Dentistry.

Then came a smash, as Mary Toms, 86, plowed her 2001 Buick into the empty waiting room of the Stoneridge Drive office on the western outskirts of Waynesboro.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Jail: ICE didn't request Sanchez detention

2010-09-02T00:27:00.002-04:00

Officials say documents never arrived to stop suspect’s release

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

VERONA - Officials at Middle River Regional Jail recently received two requests in as many weeks from federal immigration authorities to detain David Luna Sanchez, including one following his beating of a Waynesboro man.

But the documents arrived 20 months late, more than a year after the Verona lockup released Sanchez, now a suspect in the killing of the man he previously attacked, jail officials said Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Cori Bassett told The News Virginian that agency records showed ICE sent three detainer requests to Middle River in January 2009 following the beating of Eduardo “Piku” Herrera the previous month at North Commerce Avenue in Waynesboro.

The agency faxed the documents directly to the Verona jail from an ICE field office in Harrisonburg after a local newspaper reported the beating. Two suspects in that case – Isaias Rojas, 23, and Jose Antonio Sanchez-Aregin, 21 – wound up being deported. But David Sanchez, 21, remained here, walking free on local streets last summer.

Middle River Regional Jail Assistant Superintendent Vernon Reynolds said detainer requests for Rojas and Sanchez-Aregin arrived in January and February. But Reynolds said the jail never received a request for David Sanchez until recently, almost two months after police say Sanchez stabbed Herrera to death in a Waynesboro alley.

“I can tell you, unequivocally, we never had any paperwork from anybody until it was hand-delivered here on Aug. 20,” Reynolds said. “And I can prove we didn’t get it.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

First Place APME Award

2010-08-27T13:53:00.003-04:00

News of the award sprang upon our little Virginia newsroom with little notice -- but I think the excitement and re-invigoration that ensued really swept my "partner-in-crime" and I into our next round of collaborative work.

Tony Gonzalez and I learned Tuesday we won an Associated Press Managing Editors award in the "international perspectives" category for papers with 40,000 circulation and less, respectively. The News Virginian is a 7,000 circulation newspaper.

Read about the award at The News Virginian website.

The winning submission came from our work with the Hispanic community in Waynesboro. Check out the stories:

Across the miles
Astir in the barrios
Niche barbershop growing

Neat stuff. We're looking forward to jumping into the mix a bit more, and have lots of ideas for the next leg of the project.

Killing suspects return to Waynesboro

2010-08-20T09:36:00.002-04:00

Return triggers barbs between officials over immigration

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

WAYNESBORO -- Two men wanted in a Waynesboro killing rolled back into the city as prisoners Thursday, stirring tensions between City Hall and police over immigration policy.

Some city officials wanted to know why David Luna Sanchez, 21, charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Eduardo “Piku” Herrera, 52, earlier this summer, was still in town at the time.

An illegal immigrant from Mexico, Sanchez pleaded guilty roughly a year ago to beating Herrera with a baseball bat. Abeil Dominquez Vazquez, 18, another suspected illegal immigrant, also is charged in Herrera’s killing.

“We clearly heard from the chief of police that no call was made to ICE,” said City Councilman Mike Harris, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency tasked with enforcing immigration law. “You’re looking at a five- to 10-minute phone call to ICE. My question is, why are we not doing that?”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Fresh flight for the Valley

2010-08-17T09:18:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

WEYERS CAVE - Hovering hundreds of feet above green farm fields in an oversized eggbeater, Mark Huntley said he’s ready to bring whirlybirds back to the Shenandoah Valley.

In 2005, the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave lost its only helicopter flight instructor. But the airport commission last month approved leases for two new instruction companies – one for Huntley’s Orion Aviation helicopter lessons.

Huntley, a Ruckersville man, flies a Switzer 300CB. He could attach doors to the two-seater chopper, but prefers to feel the wind.

Flying over subdivisions, country roads and meandering (sometimes swimming) cattle, Huntley’s view rivals that of birds.

Far below, the helicopter shadow trails behind, rippling over bushy trees and cornfield stretches.

“It’s a great, strong little helicopter,” he said. “It’s great for what I’m about to do.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Read a first-hand account (LINK COMING SOON)
Watch the video
See the photos

Man sentenced in murder case

2010-08-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

Family begins healing process after killer’s conviction

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

In her youth, Rebekah Gibson spent almost every day with her mother as a homeschooler.

“I’m glad we did,” said Nancy Jo Gibson, Rebekah’s mother. “Because it gave me a lot of time with her that I wouldn’t have had.”

Finally finished with the rigors of a slow-moving legal process, Gibson, of Waynesboro, said she now can start to heal.

The daughter she remembers left her world in the frostbitten beginning of 2009, leaving behind an even colder void and a Virginia family that loved her dearly.

Rebekah Gibson was 20 years old when she was murdered by her boyfriend, Ridge Lee Huffman, 20, of Stuarts Draft.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Charges against Waynesboro man in fatal crash dismissed

2010-08-03T09:47:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON – A Waynesboro man walked free Monday from Augusta County Circuit Court in a case marred by fingerpointing, poor police work and one man’s tragic death.

Judge Victor V. Ludwig walked attorneys through his decision to dismiss the felony reckless driving charge against Dale Michael Pleasants, 31, citing a lack of conclusive evidence and a state police report riddled with mistakes.

Two years ago, Pleasants smashed his truck head-on into a pickup along U.S. 340 on an October night, killing Steven Patrick Henry, 29, of Stuarts Draft, according to authorities and court records.

The wreck sent Pleasants and Henry to hospital emergency rooms.

In a recent legal brief, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Rupen Shah argued Pleasants drove intoxicated, without his headlights on, over the
speed limit and on a revoked license.

But because a state trooper assumed hospitals automatically check blood-alcohol levels, three tubes of blood taken from Pleasants wound up being tossed out by Augusta Health in Fishersville, authorities and hospital officials said.

That quashed any chance of learning whether Pleasants drove while intoxicated, Shah said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

* Unavailable evidence disrupts crash case
* State Police weigh in on blood case
* Attorney: Missing blood not key to case

Hoping for a turnaround

2010-08-01T23:54:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Jamar Davis listens to questions quietly, pausing before answering.

There’s something precise about the way the 16-year-old responds. There’s a sharpened clarity, a sense of purpose.

It’s a far cry from the muggy August night last year when he and two others decided to raise a gun to a pizza delivery man’s face and threaten to pull the trigger. Moments later, the boys lit out into the darkness, carrying the stolen pizza, the man’s car keys, a wallet and about $200.

Waynesboro police caught the trio later that night. Davis’ arrest sent him into juvenile detention for months.

In January, Judge Humes J. Franklin, known for his tough stance on crime, stared down from his bench in Waynesboro Circuit Court at the teenage boy and decided to give him a second chance.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

A 12-year saga ends with killer's plea

2010-07-30T00:17:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON – Twelve years ago, while documenting the murder scene, Augusta County Sheriff’s Capt. Randy Fisher looked up and saw him.

Sitting on the front stoop of a neighboring home, sipping from a thermos of coffee, Kenneth Wayne Baker, watched as authorities excavated a septic tank to retrieve the body of Ruth Naomi Mays.

Fisher snapped Baker’s photo.

Holding the picture Thursday in Augusta County Circuit Court, Fisher, now the county sheriff, recounted the scene to Judge Victor V. Ludwig. The sheriff didn’t have to reach far into his memory to recall the sounds and sights of that warm June afternoon.

“I know it was a mess,” he said. “I look at the pictures and I can still smell that scene there.”

Baker, 43, of Churchville, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in Mays’ killing and aggravated sexual battery in separate case. His admissions came after a dozen years of doctors’ evaluations which, until April 22, ruled him unfit to stand trial.

With a desktop covered in evidence, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Rupen Shah submitted to the court documents, videos and photos – all of which spoke to the murder.

In a 1998 interrogation by Augusta County Sheriff’s Office sergeants Dwight D. Wood and William Lemerise, the detectives asked Baker what he thought as he sat on the porch, sipping coffee.

“Just all those people out there,” Baker said. “One thing in this whole thing I think is sad, too, is somebody like that lived a pretty unremarkable life and then their name and picture is in the paper more times when they’re dead than it was the whole time they were alive.”

Read the rest at The News Virginian.

Playing catch-up

2010-07-27T21:42:00.006-04:00

It's been awhile since I've updated with my favorite stories from the past couple of months. This is my attempt to repair my delinquency and starting getting back into the groove of sharing. A couple of these might be repeats.

Enjoying treats in the heat
BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STUARTS DRAFT - Hidden behind a cheery disposition and plastered-on-smile, Joey Wright sweltered inside his dancing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup costume.

Above him, beaming on the hundreds of people who attended the Sweet Dreams Festival on Saturday at Stuarts Draft Park, an oppressive sun rocketed temperatures into the triple digits, according to Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

Sheffield said the sluggish heat wave lumbering through the Shenandoah Valley would push the mercury past 105. The weather service issued a heat advisory warning for the Shenandoah Valley.

“It means that there’s just a period of hot temperatures expected,” Sheffield said. “We issue those so people can expect that heat-related illnesses are possible and to drink lots of fluids.”

Wright’s shoulders sagged a little, and he bent down to hug another child, somewhere around his hundredth hug of the day, he said.

Nearby, Jeff Parry, of Stuarts Draft, lugged a stroller carrying his 2-year-old son, Carter. Originally from up-state New York, Parry said the heat was taking its toll.

“Oh yeah, I’m having trouble,” he said. “I’m built for the cold weather.”

He motioned toward the stroller and his two young daughters standing nearby.

“They’re having a much easier time than I am.”

Parry passed by The Cheese Shop booth, where workers sold everything but cheese, store employee Gina Henderson said.

“They were going to, but it was a little too hot,” Henderson said, referring to the owners of the popular Stuarts Draft store that sells bulk foods, deli meats, baking ingredients and, yes, cheese. “Of course, being The Cheese Shop, that’s what you’d like to do…”

A drive down Stuarts Draft Highway revealed soggy hikers and a deflated Stuarts Draft High School cheerleading squad. The cheer team worked the side of the road, occasionally mustering enough excitement to beckon speedy drivers to a benefit car wash.

Northeast of Stuarts Draft, the Grottoes Volunteer Fire Department continued spraying down a three-story mulch mountain. The mountain caught fire Thursday evening and fire crews have kept a steady watch on it ever since.

“We don’t have anybody stationed there full time,” said volunteer firefighter Jeff Morris. “But we’ve been up there twice today.”

Morris, like other firefighters, peered into the sunshine from the shady station.

“Everybody’s sort of staying inside, and we have a lot of iced water,” he said. “So until we need to go out — we’re not.”

Back at Sweet Dreams, Carol Boettler stopped to watch as Wright posed for family photos. Boettler said she traveled down from Smyrna, Del., to visit her daughter and attend the festival. She said her heart went out to the costumed candies.

“These poor souls who’re dressed in the costumes,” she said. “I think they have to volunteer, or do this without pay.”

HOMICIDE: John Kelley Miller
Body found in river 'very suspicious'
Police chase homicide leads; friends 'can't believe'
Tent dweller charged in murder
Officials: Suspect's bond unusual

HOMICIDE: Eduardo 'Piku' Herrera
Neighbors lament fatal stabbing
Police ID murder suspect
Second slaying suspect sought
Murder suspects caught in Florida

CLEANUP: North Commerce Avenue
Street of pain
Taking on Commerce
Officials discuss North Commerce cleanup options
Harris leads boot patrol

INVESTIGATIVE: Missing Blood
Unavailable evidence disrupts crash case
State Police weigh in on blood case
Attorney: Missing blood not key to case
Charges against Waynesboro man in fatal crash dismissed

INVESTIGATIVE: Missing Woman
Police probe city woman's death
Death mystery deepens
Police stand by officer's judgement
Investigator: Case might remain a mystery
Police close case of missing Waynesboro woman

IN DEPTH: Arthur Thomas Allen
One detained, no arrest in 7-Eleven shooting
7-Eleven shooting suspect wanted
After fall, fugitive caught in Arizona
A wild ride through the system
7-Eleven suspect claims innocence in jail call

IN COURT:
Evaluation: Slaying suspect can stand trial
Jury convicts woman of officer assault

BORDERS WITHIN
Across the miles
Astir in the barrios
Niche barbershop growing
Hispanics clear schedules for World Cup

FEATURES
Virginia court system goes digital
Fugitive awaits sentencing
Make way for the goats
From fossils to Fossil

In other news, our office handheld scanner died a week or so ago. The loss of my companion has me wild-eyed and wondering every time I hear loose sirens screaming down Waynesboro streets at night. It leaves me, much like now, in the office late at night.

Crip pleads, prosecutors take aim at gangs

2010-05-15T09:12:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON — Fearing a setup, a Crip fired a high-powered rifle into a Stuarts Draft home and now faces a half-century in prison as prosecutors carry out a get-tough approach on gangs.

James Edward Breckenridge, 24, of Stuarts Draft, pleaded guilty Friday in Augusta County Circuit Court to attempted first-degree murder, gang participation and firearms charges in drive-by shootings that left two homes riddled with bullet holes. Jesse James Purcell, 19, of Sherando, allegedly a Crip accomplice, also shot an AK-47 into homes, authorities said.

Prosecutors refused to let Breckenridge plead to lesser charges, partly in an effort to send a message to gang members, said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Robin Boylan. Breckenridge admitted to belonging to the Crips, one of the America’s most violent street gangs whose tentacles have spread to almost every corner of the country.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

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2010-04-18T23:28:00.001-04:00

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2010-04-18T23:27:00.000-04:00

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2010-04-17T01:22:00.002-04:00

....

“Mom, why does everything bad happen in this neighborhood?" 8-year-old Issiai Hernandez asked his mom amid those gathered.

A girl standing nearby answered out loud: “This is Commerce! This is an everyday thing."

....

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2010-04-17T01:20:00.001-04:00

Catch up

2010-04-17T01:15:00.001-04:00

Attempted murder charge certified for Lyndhurst man

2010-04-09T00:22:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

The gun clicked but nothing happened, and Darrell Liptrap, 22, of Stuarts Draft, said he still faced the muzzle of a revolver.

On the other end of the gun, weary from the pair’s scuffle, Daniel Aaron Wade, 22, of Lyndhust, pulled the trigger again, Liptrap testified Thursday in Augusta County General District Court.

But the second time he didn’t hear anything. Everything went away.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

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2010-04-07T23:45:00.001-04:00

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2010-04-07T23:44:00.002-04:00

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2010-04-07T23:44:00.001-04:00

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2010-04-07T23:43:00.001-04:00

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2010-04-03T19:22:00.002-04:00

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2010-04-03T19:22:00.001-04:00

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2010-04-03T19:21:00.000-04:00

Suspect charged with Placko’s murder

2010-04-02T09:40:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Authorities said Thursday they charged one of three suspects in a Churchville man’s killing with first-degree murder.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Office investigators added the charge against Andrew Clay Ottinger, 22, of Waynesboro, two weeks after accusing him and two others of conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of Sean Peter Placko, 42.

Authorities found Placko on March 6, floating in the James River in Bedford County, more than 80 miles from his home at 116 Dry Branch Road. Eleven days later, authorities charged Ottinger, along with a Waynesboro couple, Christopher Michael Dudley, 28, and his wife, Susan, 24.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

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2010-03-31T22:56:00.000-04:00

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2010-03-31T22:55:00.000-04:00

Murder charge certified against teen mother

2010-03-30T00:35:00.004-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

STAUNTON — A Staunton judge Monday certified a first-degree murder charge against a teenage girl accused of suffocating her infant daughter.

Police testified that Ashkea Johnson, 17, of Staunton, confessed to the crime, saying she wanted 2-month-old Rosaleeia M. Johnson to “go away.”

...

Afterward, Nestor said, Johnson placed Rosaleeia’s body in a chair, stepped into a bathroom and splashed water onto her face.

The R.E. Lee High School student then stood for a moment, cleared her thoughts and cried a little before calling police, Nestor said.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

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2010-03-30T00:33:00.002-04:00

CHECK THIS OUT:

LENS Blog: Cell Phone Images

87/365

2010-03-30T00:33:00.001-04:00

Four off the top, bald on the side

2010-03-28T00:21:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY & TONY GONZALEZ
The News Virginian

Their styles committed to memory, Nico Ibarra snipped, buzzed and stepped back for a moment.

“Four off the top. Bald on the side. Chin strap and a little long in the back.”

A deft flourish of his silver scissors and the balance between subtle art and confidence evened. Ibarra reached for a nearby mirror and held it steady for Jason Sandy, 27, of Verona.

Sandy rubbed his chin, cocked his head and started a nod. Reflected in the top corner of the barbershop mirror, a smile stretched across Ibarra’s face.

Then the finishing touch: a cloud-spray of product and quick dusting before thousands of hair particles floated to the floor as Ibarra removed the cape from around Sandy’s neck.

Read the rest of the story and watch the audio slide show at The News Virginian.

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2010-03-28T00:20:00.000-04:00

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2010-03-28T00:19:00.000-04:00

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2010-03-26T00:18:00.000-04:00

A lazy photo for March Madness short attention span...

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2010-03-23T23:06:00.003-04:00

CHECK THESE OUT:

New York Polaroid Project
LENS Blog: Ghost Ranch

81/365

2010-03-22T22:26:00.001-04:00

CHECK THESE OUT:

Requiem for Detroit
TAL best stories nomination
14 years old with a murder charge

80/365

2010-03-22T00:42:00.000-04:00

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2010-03-21T12:08:00.002-04:00

CHECK THIS OUT:

The ex-husband who never left

Warrant: Video footage links accused killers to body dump site

2010-03-20T11:16:00.002-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Three murder-conspiracy suspects accessed a Churchville man’s bank account and purchased items found near his body in Bedford County, according to a search warrant viewed Friday by The News Virginian.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Office investigators probing the killing of Sean Peter Placko, 42, searched Tuesday through a 1997 GMC Yukon, discovering receipts, credit cards and other items, the warrant said.

Christopher Michael Dudley, 28, and his wife, Susan Jeannie Dudley, 24, and their friend Andrew Clay Ottinger, 22, are charged with conspiring to murder Placko. The trio lived with Placko from January until the time of his death, authorities said.

“Bank records recovered from the victim’s residence revealed that the account of Sean Placko had been accessed and utilized by the occupants of the residence to be searched,” the search warrant states. “Video surveillance collected by investigators showed the occupants of the residence purchasing items that were recovered with the body in Bedford County.”

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Also, read the stories up until today:
Churchville man found dead
Trio charged in Placko’s killing
Suspect’s mother voiced concerns

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2010-03-20T00:13:00.000-04:00

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2010-03-18T23:17:00.001-04:00

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2010-03-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

Police stand by officer's judgment

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Waynesboro police Wednesday stood by an officer who they said chose not to log a missing person report last week for a city woman found dead more than two days later.

Authorities discovered Dannell Carlene Kraus, 32, Sunday evening, 55 hours after state troopers found an empty sport utility vehicle on Howardsville Turnpike in Augusta County. Her husband, John, called city police Friday morning from Harrisonburg to report her and the SUV missing.

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke said Wednesday that Dannell Kraus died, in part, from exposure. John Kraus has charged that state police might have saved his wife’s life had they known to look for her after discovering his 2001 Chevrolet Blazer. She was found on a mountainside off Howardsville Turnpike.

City police closed a three-day internal investigation into the matter Wednesday.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

Death mystery deepens

2010-03-17T00:15:00.001-04:00

BY CHASE PURDY
The News Virginian

Nothing suggested a troubled woman lay on the mountainside, a hundred yards below the state trooper searching around her empty sports utility vehicle Friday afternoon.

When troopers logged the license plate into their system, nothing indicated she’d been reported missing earlier that day. In fact, it wasn’t until Sunday, when they returned to Howardsville Turnpike in Augusta County with bloodhounds, that troopers first saw Dannell Carlene Kraus, 32, of Waynesboro.

An autopsy showed no signs of foul play, authorities said. The cause of death is unknown.

As state authorities worked to re-piece the story of her death Tuesday, Waynesboro police said they are investigating to determine what happened to the missing persons report they took after Kraus’ husband, John, filed it Friday morning.

Read the rest of the story at The News Virginian.

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2010-03-16T21:54:00.003-04:00

*My aloe plant is coming back to life.

CHECK THESE OUT:

Thirteen years hunting for a predator
Jim Riggleman's second shot
FBI helps Mexico probe killings