logo
Another competency evaluation for VB abduction suspect

Another competency evaluation for VB abduction suspect

Yahoo14-02-2025

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Another competency evaluation has been ordered for a Virginia Beach abduction suspect following a hearing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Thursday.
A doctor said in court that Dana Plummer, accused of stabbing his ex-wife and stepdaughter before abducting his three children, is competent to stand trial, but requested more testing.
A new competency hearing is scheduled for March.
Plummer, in an interview with 10 On Your Side last year, said he did not abduct his kids, but rather, said it was his week to have custody of them.
Previously: Virginia Beach child abduction suspect arraigned, says he's 'of sound mind'
He also said at that time that he believed he was mentally competent.
'One-hundred percent,' he said. 'Mental fortitude is something I've always taken pride in, always. I'm of sound mind.'
Plummer did not say at the time whether he stabbed his ex-wife and stepdaughter, but he did say his ex-wife has threatened his life, saying he had been shot at and stabbed.
An Amber Alert was issued last August after Virginia Beach Police said a man had abducted three children. One of the children died after a pursuit ended in a vehicle crash in Maryland.
Previously: VBPD: 1 child dead, 2 injured after Amber Alert ends in crash in Maryland
Virginia State Police had gotten a call from a motorist who said they saw the suspect vehicle traveling north on Interstate 95 in Fairfax County, and troopers began a pursuit of the vehicle. Because the driver, said to be Plummer, was wanted for felony abduction of the young children, Virginia State Police supervision authorized troopers to continue pursuing the vehicle after it crossed state lines into Maryland.
Previously: https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/man-who-kidnapped-children-crashed-car-had-recent-run-ins-with-the-law/
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state
Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state

Boston Globe

time13 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 officers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have been given notice to, and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr. Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction,' the statement said. Advertisement Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Last September his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing. Advertisement 'He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,' she wrote. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. ... But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Authorities warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and asked those with remote homes, cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked, to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on. It was unclear if Decker was armed, but the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said he should be considered dangerous. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called 'Short Shakespeareans,' and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday. 'Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,' Edwards said. 'They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.' Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state's Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. Advertisement The patrol did issue an 'endangered missing person alert' the next day, but those do not result in notifications being sent to mobile phones. As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff's deputy found Decker's pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls' bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker. County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed. Authorities issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area, which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north. That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, and around Stehekin, at the northern end of Lake Chelan.

NC Governor delivers gun locks to Elizabeth City Police. Here's how to get one
NC Governor delivers gun locks to Elizabeth City Police. Here's how to get one

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

NC Governor delivers gun locks to Elizabeth City Police. Here's how to get one

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — In his first visit to Northeast North Carolina since being elected the state's 76th Governor, Josh Stein delivered a box of gun locks to local police as part of N.C. S.A.F.E. Week of Action. The week long campaign focuses on safe gun ownership and management, to try and prevent tragedies that Stein, (D-N.C.), said have become far too common. 'Firearms are the leading cause of death of our children age 1 to 17,' Stein said. 'It's not car accidents, it's gun violence. And from 2019 to 2021, the rate of firearm deaths among children more than doubled.' Elizabeth City looks for solutions to gun violence Specifically, the governor was focusing on accidental deaths that have occurred when guns found their way into the hands of children. Dr. Eric Toschlog, chief trauma surgeon for ECU Health, named several examples of cases he had experiences with. '14-year-old male gunshot wound to the brain, inflicted by his brother with a unsafely stored weapon. Five-year-old male gunshot wound to the brain by his brother, unsecured weapon. 13-year-old female gun shot wound to the arm at a family party, unsecured weapon. 18-month-old male, gunshot wound to the heart by family member cleaning gun,' Toschlog said. 'Unfortunately I could consume the remainder of our time with more cases.' Fon Dockery however knows one of the cases all too well. His daughter, Jenesis Dockery, was eight when she was shot and killed in 2023 while at a babysitter's house in Fayetteville. 'The adults responsible for securing these firearms for being present and having these conversations and ensuring that in a house filled with children that any firearm here is secure, effective and that just wasn't done,' Dockery said. 'We we absolutely decided as a family that for the life of Jenesis in the light that she brought to this world. This is a preventable issue and we're going to advocate and we're going to push all across the state of North Carolina all the way to Washington, DC. That we can change the problem that we have in our country and secure our firearms.' FBI data says that the rate of gun theft from vehicles is three times as high as it was 10 years ago. To help reduce gun violence and needless tragedies, Governor Stein proposed more than $2.2 million for safe storage in his . Recently appointed Elizabeth City Police Chief Eddie Graham Jr, accepted a box of gun locks from Stein. The locks use a cable threaded through the barrel or action to prevent someone else from firing the gun. 'We must use every tool at our disposal to keep children safe and promote responsible gun ownership – we need folks locking up their guns, using a gun safe, and talking about the risks of loose firearms,' Stein said. The gun locks are free and anyone looking to obtain one can contact your local police department of sheriff's office, according to the governors office. You can also visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Norfolk judge grants bond to Harris Teeter guard accused of assault
Norfolk judge grants bond to Harris Teeter guard accused of assault

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Norfolk judge grants bond to Harris Teeter guard accused of assault

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk General District Court judge granted bond to the Harris Teeter security guard accused of beating a man inside the store. Kharel Jones-White is facing one charge of malicious wounding related to the incident. He was working as an armed, uniformed security guard on the evening of June 2. Several family members and Harris Teeter employees as well as a man who said he was White-Jones' boss at the security company were in court to testify and show support. NPD: Man seriously injured after assault at W Ocean View Ave. Harris Teeter A witness in the case testified that White-Jones and the victim entered the store at the same time that night. A short time later, the witness said, White-Jones approached him and told him there was an issue with the man. 'The victim kept going at [White-Jones],' the store employee told the court, describing antagonizing behavior. Then, a physical altercation broke out between the two men. The witness told the court that White-Jones had the man in a headlock. Then, the man attempted to grab White-Jones' holstered handgun. White-Jones then stepped away to hand the gun to an employee, according to the witness. At some point, the victim began attempting to hit or stab White-Jones with a gold object, according to the witness and the defense attorney. The witness said the victim was trying to strike back during the entire incident. The commonwealth's attorney on the case opposed the bond motion, arguing that White-Jones had exercised excessive force, breaking the victim's eye socket and spilling 'a substantial amount of blood.' The prosecutor said that video, which was not show in court, captured the incident and showed White-Jones using OC spray before straddling the victim and punching him in the eye. 'This looks like that scene from 'No Country for Old Men,'' the judge remarked, when shown images from the security video. White-Jones' attorney said that he followed DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services) protocol. The judge ultimately released White-Jones on a $7,500 personal recognizance bond. He's prohibited from contacting the victim. A preliminary hearing date was set for August 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store