Man found guilty after reportedly bringing semi-automatic firearms onto Wythe County school property
A Wythe County man charged in February after reportedly bringing two fully-loaded firearms onto school property in February was found guilty on multiple charges Wednesday, according to the Wythe County Commonwealth’s Attorney.
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Pedestrian dies in crash on I-81 North in Wythe County
A pedestrian is dead after authorities said he was hit by a car while crossing the travel lane on I-81 North in Wythe County. Authorities said officers responded to the crash on I-81 North near mile marker 71 around 10:50 p.m. on Sunday. A man from Newport News was driving a Dodge Ram in the left lane on I-81 when he hit Justin Briggs, 41, of Wytheville, according to police. Authorities said the driver of the Dodge was unable to avoid hitting Briggs and he died at the scene. The driver was not hurt in the accident and police said the crash remains under investigation.
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Wythe County man sentenced to 20 years for death of estranged wife
WHYTHE COUNTY, Va. – A Wythe County man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of his estranged wife, according to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. Steven Crouse was sentenced by The Wythe County Circuity Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2020 to murdering his estranged wife, Peggy Crouse. 2019, deputies said they found Peggy’s body in the Crawfish area of Wythe County with a gunshot wound from her back through her chest. He is of poor health and 20 years in prison will likely be the end of him. Without the hard work and determination of the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office this case might not have been solved.
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Mother whose toddler drowned in the New River receives prison sentence
WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – A Pulaski County woman learned Thursday how long she’ll spend in prison for her role in her daughter’s 2019 death. Moore was originally charged with child abuse and reckless care of a child; however, she was found not guilty of the child abuse charge back in August 2020. In July 2019, authorities arrested Moore and her boyfriend, Adrian Puckett, after 3-year-old Josie Burleson drowned in the New River while the pair was under the influence of meth, according to Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan. At the time of her disappearance, authorities said more than 100 people were searching for Josie for more than 5 and a half hours. AdAt the time, Dunagan told 10 News that while there have been drownings in the New River before, “when it’s a small child, it’s really different.
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Former officer charged with shooting at Wythe County deputies found competent to stand trial
A man who authorities said shot at two local deputies is competent to stand trial, according to a Wythe County judge. Ricky Delk, who has been charged with attempted capital murder of two Wythe County deputies, will appear in court on April 22. The incident happened in July when authorities say they responded to Delk’s home after his wife called police. She told them that he was coming home drunk and was armed, and that he previously served in the military and was a former police officer. Delk and the two deputies were taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment.
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Man dies in early-morning Interstate 81 crash in Wythe County
WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – State police are investigating a deadly crash that happened early Friday morning on Interstate 81. At about 4:30 a.m. on the Exit 72 ramp toward I-77 North, a 2006 Kenworth tractor-trailer ran off the left side of the road, hit the guardrail and flipped over, according to state police. The driver, Kenneth Nelson, 55, of Forest, Ohio, died at the scene.
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Thousands without power as winter weather hits Southwest, Central Virginia
AEP outages as of 5 p.m.Thousands are without power as Southwest and Central Virginia are experiencing wintry weather. Below are the worst outage areas among the 2,724 Appalachian Power customers in Virginia without power:County/City Customer Outages Pulaski County 1,347 Montgomery County 500 Wythe County 162 Roanoke County 148 Giles County 144 Pittsylvania County 94 Carroll County 28 Smyth County 20 Franklin County 41 Grayson County Fewer than 5Here’s a breakdown of the Dominion Energy customers in our region without power:Charlotte County: 44Halifax County: 169Alleghany County: 36Danville officials say that 1,200 customers on Memorial Drive, Lanier Avenue, Park Avenue, Bishop Road and across the river on Piedmont Drive are without power. Here’s a breakdown of the Mecklenburg Electric customers in our region without power:Halifax County: 608Pittsylvania County: 459Here’s a breakdown of the BARC Electric Cooperative customers in our region without power:AdHighland County: 109Here’s a breakdown of the Southside Electric Cooperative customers in our region without power:
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More than 31,000 without power across Southwest, Central Virginia
Tree down in DanvilleROANOKE, Va. – Saturday’s winter weather continues to cause thousands to lose power. As of 10:15 p.m. Monday, Appalachian Power is reporting 9,011 customers without power in Virginia. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,895 customers in Halifax County1,541 customers in Charlotte County1,138 customers in Pittsylvania County665 customers in Campbell County420 customers in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative is reporting 5,388 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,751 members in Halifax County2,441 members in Pittsylvania County196 members in Charlotte CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Southside Electric Cooperative is reporting 8,994 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:3,405 members in Charlotte County3,039 members in Campbell County1,469 members in Bedford County866 members in Pittsylvania County215 members in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:24 p.m. Monday, Danville Utilities reports 1,556 customers are without power.
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Trial date set for 2019 Appalachian Trail murder
ABINGDON, Va. – We now know when the trial of James Jordan, the man charged with killing an Appalachian Trail hiker and attacking another with a hunting knife in Wythe County, will begin. It’s scheduled to begin in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon on Sept. 7 at 9 a.m.James Jordan, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is scheduled to go on trial in January in the 2019 killing of Ronald Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma City, and the wounding of a female hiker. He has a history of mental illness and was originally declared incompetent to stand trial, but a judge in June 2020 found that he is now competent and the case against him can move forward. Ad[’Out of a horror movie’: Wythe County tactical team describes hunt for Appalachian Trail suspect]Pretrial motions are scheduled for July 2 and Aug. 24.
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Social media threat believed to be made by Wythe County student under investigation, authorities say
3-to-1: Ratio of Internet users who think that social media strengthens their relationships versus those who think it weakens them. WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – The Wythe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a potential threat posted on a social media platform Sunday morning. Authorities believe the threat was posted by a Wythe County Public School student. According to the Sheriff’s Office, school officials have been properly notified of the incident.
Power outages still impacting thousands across southwest Virginia
Around 11,000 without power due to winter weather moving through the area overnightAround 8,700 people are in the dark after winter weather made its way into Southwest Virginia overnight. Here’s a breakdown of the top areas with outages across our region as of 4:14 p.m.:Carroll County: 2,497Wythe County: 1,986Grayson County: 1.323Bland County: 761Giles County: 557Floyd County: 410Smyth County: 231Montgomery County: 161Galax: 146Patrick County: 119Henry County: 28Franklin County: 18Pulaski County: 12Click here for the latest information from Appalachian Power.