Latest news with #VirginiaBeachSheriff'sOffice
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Virginia radio host Brandon Stokes arrested for allegedly trying to drunkenly enter crime scene
A beloved Virginia radio personality was accused of attempting to drive drunkenly through a crime scene where law enforcement was investigating an officer-involved shooting. Brandon Stokes, known by his stage name as 'Shaggy' on Virginia Beach's Z104, allegedly showed signs of intoxication as he tried to enter a closed-off area surrounded by law enforcement in Virginia Beach on Wednesday around 9:30 a.m., 13 News Now reported. At the time, the Virginia Beach Police Department blocked off the area when they were investigating an unrelated officer-involved shooting that happened the same morning. 5 Brandon Stokes was arrested on Wednesday and charged with DUI and obstruction of justice. Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office Officers reportedly fired at a suspect — identified as 18-year-old Shaun Marlar — who was holding a replica gun outside of a self-storage business, according to 10 WAVY. Marlar was allegedly attempting to break into a car at a daycare facility near the storage business when police confronted him. Authorities shot Marlar when the teen pointed the replica firearm. The 43-year-old radio personality, who owns a roller skating rink just feet away from where the shooting happened, said he had property nearby and insisted that he was 'allowed to drive through,' according to court records reviewed by the outlet. Officers repeatedly told Stokes that he could not enter, but the disc jockey would not take no for an answer. Stokes reportedly became 'belligerent' and slurred his words while cussing at the law enforcement officers on scene. 5 Stokes reportedly was trying to drive up to his business, a roller skating rink, near the crime scene. WTKR 3 One officer noticed a strong smell of booze on his breath and Stokes agreed to take a preliminary breath test. The results showed a reported blood alcohol concentration of 0.18, which is more than twice the legal limit in Virginia. Stokes was taken into custody. 5 Stokes is a morning show host for Z104. Courtesy 5 Stokes invited inmates to perform their work live in the studio nearly one year ago. Facebook/Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office He's since bonded out and the on-air personality was back in the studio to host his morning show the following day. 'THURSDAY – RUMOR IS IT'S GONNA RAIN TODAY,' the host captioned on an Instagram story posted Thursday. The video on his Instagram showed a quick look inside the studio. He later assured his fans that everything was okay in a short post on his DJ Facebook page. 'Promise you all is well.. I'm good. – happy Thursday,' the post read. 5 The DJ partnered with local law enforcement to promote a program that helped inmates create music last June. Facebook/Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office The Post reached out to Stokes and his radio station for comment. The DJ's arrest came nearly one year after he teamed up with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office to feature a program that allowed inmates to create original music. Marlar is in critical, but stable condition after the shooting. He was charged with two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer and three counts of brandishing. 'I don't know. My heart is broken. I don't know what to say about that. You know, I'm terrified for the people that he had an effect on, and I'm terribly sorry for what they've gone through, but super glad that nobody got hurt,' Marlar's dad told the outlet. 'He's got to know the consequences for what he has done and get some help. He is not a bad or mean person. He just struggles.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Should Virginia Beach have at-large council members? Election system may be put to a vote
VIRGINIA BEACH — Voters in Virginia Beach may have the opportunity to weigh in on the current City Council election system come November. The City Council will vote next month on whether to include a charter change referendum question on this year's ballot. The question would ask voters whether they want to keep the current single-member district system or if they support a voting system with some at-large seats on council. Public comment on the potential referendum question will be heard April 15 and the council will vote on it May 6. The 10-1 voting system is the way voters currently elect City Council members. The mayor is elected at large by residents from across the city, but each of the 10 council members are elected only by voters who live in their voting district. The referendum could open the door to a modified 7-3-1 system, in which three council members would serve in at-large seats and all residents could vote for them. Under that system, the remaining seven members would be elected by residents only in their voting district. The proposed referendum question would be: 'Should the method of city council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach City Charter be changed from a modified 7-3-1 system to a 10-1 system?' It includes the following explanation: A 'yes' vote means that you support the 10-1 system, which was used in the 2022 and 2024 city council elections. In the 10-1 system, the city is divided into 10 districts and the voters of each district elect a single council member with the mayor elected at-large (city-wide). A 'no' vote means you support the 7-3-1 system described in the current city charter as modified by a general law change that occurred in 2021. In the modified 7-3-1 system, the city is divided into 7 districts and the voters of each district elect a single council member, with three other council members and the mayor elected at-large (city-wide). The question, proposed by the city attorney's office on Tuesday, aims to address a conflict between the charter and the city's 2023 redistricting ordinance, in which the city adopted its 10-1 voting system. Several council members said they won't support it. 'What are we asking for, to go back to the 7-3-1 system?' said Councilwoman Jennifer Rouse. 'We have seen progress with the single-member districts. A return to at-large is a return to what we came from.' Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office ends inmate grass mowing program over cost Norfolk City Council approves affordable housing complex near Park Place Newport News' top prosecutor has a challenger. She vows community outreach to curb crime. Hampton Roads cities keeping close watch on federal cuts as they roll out budgets Chesapeake proposes a $1.65 billion operating budget, with options for tax increase Mayor Bobby Dyer wants to hear from voters. 'I think we owe it to the public,' he said. 'It's not only the question on the ballot, it's the education about what is going on. I feel the obligation to go to the public to say, 'What do you think?'' Council member Stacy Cummings agreed. 'This is one of the most sacred rights we have is the right to vote, and the citizens have not been asked how they want to elect their council members,' Cummings said. 'Let's hear what the people have to say.' Previously, every City Council seat was at large and voters across the city could vote for every council member. The 10-1 election system was implemented in 2022 after a federal judge deemed the previous at-large system illegal because it diluted minority voting power. That year, voters elected the most diverse council in city history. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit have threatened immediate federal court legal challenge if City Council takes any steps toward using the modified charter system for future elections, according to Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton. A public communication plan for the referendum question could cost roughly $500,000 and would include public forums, TV advertisements and direct mail, Tiffany Russell, the city's communications director, said at the meeting. The city previously spent more than $700,000 on public education campaigns on the election system and redistricting, Russell said. 'It's a lot of money devoted to this issue that it looks like will not necessarily end after this referendum,' Rouse said. Boynton said Virginia Beach has until Aug. 15 to submit a referendum question to the Circuit Court for review and approval in order for it be placed on the November ballot. If the referendum passes — if the majority of voters want the city charter changed to reflect the 10-1 system — it will be delivered to Virginia Beach's General Assembly delegation for introduction in the 2026 session. If approved by the General Assembly, it would then require the governor's signature. Council members David 'Hutch' Hutcheson and Joash Schulman both said they won't vote for a referendum. 'I believe that revisiting this issue in this fashion sends a signal that we're looking backwards,' Schulman said. Previous efforts to enshrine the 10-1 system into law have been held up due to legal challenges. The governor vetoed a charter amendment request last year citing a pending lawsuit. The same lawsuit challenging the validity of the city's district voting system is currently moving forward in court. The plaintiffs recently filed a motion for summary judgement, Boynton said, but a hearing has not been scheduled. Boynton said Tuesday a referendum is one possibility to potentially break the stalemate in the General Assembly. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Two Virginia Beach police officers shot dead while 'defenseless' during late-night traffic stop
Two young police officers in Virginia are dead after a late-night traffic stop ended in a fatal shooting. Officers Cameron Girvin, 25, and Christopher Reese, 30, were pronounced dead at hospitals after the shooting, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate. The pair, who were riding together Friday night, pulled over a car for an expired license plate at about 11:27 p.m., Neudigate said during a news conference Saturday. The traffic stop happened near the intersection of Lynnhaven Parkway and Wendfield Drive in Virginia Beach, next to an apartment complex. Virginia Au Pair Murder: Fetish Plot, Affair, Gun Range Tied To Double Homicide At Home, Prosecutors Say Both officers approached the vehicle, and the male driver, later identified as convicted felon John McCoy III, was immediately argumentative and refused to get out of the car. Read On The Fox News App At some point, he got out of the car, and there was a "tussle" between the officers and McCoy. McCoy pulled a pistol from his pocket and immediately shot the two officers. While they were on the ground "defenseless," he shot them each a second time, according to Neudigate. Officers found McCoy in a shed directly behind the apartment complex with a fatal gunshot wound to the head less than an hour after the shooting. The gunshot wound appeared to be self-inflicted, according to authorities. "We're all hurting," Neudigate said. "We've got families that have lost a loved one in the prime of their life, and they are completely devastated. We've got an officer that is 25 years old, another one that is 30 with such a future ahead of them, senselessly taken." While officials are still sorting out the motive, they said McCoy may have acted because he had a gun, a criminal offense as a felon. Va Town Dropped By Police Academy For Chief's Criticism Of Chinese Signature On Trainee Certificates "We do know from his criminal history, he has one felony conviction from 2009, so it's not recent, but it does make him a felon," Neudigate said. "A felon with a firearm would be a new felony charge." While there was another person in the car with McCoy at the time of the traffic stop, no one else will be charged in the shootings, he said. This incident was documented on a body-worn camera and the in-car camera, according to Neudigate. "We do have video of all of it, and I will tell you, it is quite horrific," he said. Girvin and Reese began working for the department in 2020. Prior to working for the Virginia Beach Police Department, Reese was a deputy sheriff with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, from 2019 to 2022. "They were dedicated, determined peace officers and public servants," Neudigate said. "They had stellar reputations in our department and their work ethic — beyond reproach. We asked them to go out in this community and keep us safe from evil. And last night, evil found them." Virginia Man In Custody Following 'Brutal, Horrifying' Attacks On 2 Women: Police Both officers were accompanied during a procession to the medical examiner's office. On Saturday morning, the department doubled all its officers up in cars, so there are no single officers on the road. "What this does is give our officers the ability to have someone in that car with them to help process, help try to make sense of what occurred, and to make them feel that they have a semblance of safety," Neudigate said. Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said the city is "heartbroken." "We mourn the loss of two of our own brave Virginia Beach police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice," Dyer said during the news conference. "Their dedication to protecting our community will never be forgotten. "No words can ease the pain and loss as we mourn. I ask our community to come together. Please keep these officers, their families, friends and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers." Congresswoman Jen Kiggans posted on X to express her condolences. "This morning our entire community mourns the tragic loss of two brave Virginia Beach police officers who were killed in the line of duty last night," Kiggans article source: Two Virginia Beach police officers shot dead while 'defenseless' during late-night traffic stop
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach inmate accused of committing $1,000 credit card fraud in jail
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – An inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center is facing additional charges after deputies said he committed fraud behind bars. According to officials, Kareem Walter Ryer — who was booked on Nov. 12, 2024, for five counts of forgery, five counts of identity fraud-financial loss, four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and one count of conspiring to commit fraud — is accused of stealing credit card information from the internet in order to place orders from the canteen, or prison commissary. Deputies said the total amount stolen was valued at more than $1,000. A report from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) states that Ryer, along with an accomplice, Khalil Brown, who assisted in placing orders in the names of other inmates, would specifically target inmates who do not typically receive Canteen to ensure his account wouldn't get flagged. Ryer would then resell some of the ordered items for a higher price using CashApp, the report said. Ryer was also heard on a monitored phone conversation that he wanted to use the money to post his $100,000 bond. 'Just because an inmate is locked up on other charges doesn't mean they can't find a way to keep committing crimes behind bars,' Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb said. 'This case highlights that sometimes criminals aren't turning over a new leaf in our jail and that they continue to victimize and pull scams from the jail housing units. It also highlights the vigilance of the sworn deputies of the Criminal Intelligence Unit to investigate and shut this type of illegal activity down.' A release states that various tactics were used to investigate the case, including voice recognition, internet address searches, jailhouse interviews and reverse-telephone number software. 'Following an extensive investigation, it was determined that an inmate in Virginia Beach Correctional Center collaborated with an out-of-state civilian to commit fraud using stolen credit information obtained from the dark web,' Sgt. J. Cameron said. 'The Criminal Intelligence Unit successfully secured 16 felony warrants in connection with this incident.' As a result of the investigation, Ryer was charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, two counts of felony identity theft and one count of inmate violation. In addition, Khalil Brown, of Bronx, New York, was also charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and two counts of felony identity theft. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
