Arrest made in Augusta County church arson
Special agents with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Appomattox Field Office arrested a Crimora man on Tuesday in connection with a fire at the Hildebrand Mennonite Church in Augusta County.
Paul L. Cupp, 36, of Crimora was arrested without incident at his residence on Meadow Rue Lane following the execution of a search warrant. Cupp is charged with one count of maliciously burning or destroying an unoccupied church by fire or explosives. He was transported to the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona. The Augusta County Fire Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted with the arrest.
At approximately 10:47 p.m. on Saturday, a state police arson investigator was called to investigate a fire that took place at the Hildebrand Mennonite Church located in the 500 block of Hildebrand Church Road in northern Augusta County. A preliminary investigation showed the fire appeared to have started on the southwest side near the entrance to the church’s sanctuary. The church received superficial damage as a result. There were no injuries. The investigation remains on-going. At this time, there is no evidence linking this arson investigation to other fires in the area.
The joint efforts and cooperation between the Augusta County Fire Department, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, citizens in the community and the state police arson investigator resulted in the identification and arrest of a suspect.
“This investigation is an example of good teamwork and working collaboratively to establish probable cause for an arrest in this investigation,” says Lt. Joseph A. Rader, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Virginia State Police Appomattox Field Office. “Our investigator received valuable information from citizens in the community and stayed aggressive which produced positive results.”
Authorities seize 5K marijuana plants in Nelson
Virginia State Police with the assistance of Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents seized approximately 5,400 marijuana plants with a street value of $16 million in Nelson County today.
The day began with the discovery of a significant crop of marijuana in the Schuyler area of the county. Investigators confiscated 5,204 marijuana plants from an isolated, wooded location.
Later in the day, throughout the county, multiple smaller plots were located and a couple hundred more plants were removed by police.
Arrests are pending as the investigation into each plot continues at this time.
These operations are part of the Governor’s Initiative Against Narcotics Trafficking (G.I.A.N.T.), a collaborative effort among state agencies to eradicate marijuana production and distribution within the Commonwealth.
State Police searching for missing local sex offender
Virginia State Police are hoping someone in the Augusta County region can help locate a wanted sex offender. William Preston Perry, 62, was convicted in October 1995 in the City of Staunton Circuit Court for aggravated sexual battery involving a juvenile. He is currently wanted by state police for failing to re-register with the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
Mandated to register on the Sex Offender Registry since 1997, Perry’s last renewal was in April 2000. His family tells Virginia State Police that he was last seen by them in 2002. Perry’s last known address was at a family member’s residence in Augusta County. He has also lived at various locations in Staunton. He has been known to work construction jobs.
Perry is a black male weighing about 230 pounds and 6 feet 2 inches tall.
The U.S. Marshals and Virginia State Police have been searching for Perry for several years. Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts is asked to please contact the Virginia State Police Area Office in Staunton at 540-885-2142 or email the investigating trooper at melody.parsons@vsp.virginia.gov.
Area natives begin State Police careers
On Monday (June 27, 2011), 62 new Virginia State Police troopers will begin their career on patrol in counties and along interstates across the Commonwealth. On Friday (June 24, 2011), the members of the 116th Basic Session will graduate from the Virginia State Police Academy in Richmond.
The 62 graduates began their rigorous 37-week training session Oct. 10, 2010. During that time, the new troopers received instruction in more than 100 different subjects spanning hundreds of hours. Academy training included such areas as crime scene investigation, survival Spanish, judicial procedures, self defense, cultural diversity and firearms.
The graduates’ final phase of training begins Monday when the new troopers report to their respective duty assignments. Each trooper will spend a minimum of six weeks with a field training officer learning his or her new patrol area and day-to-day duties.
Among the 62 new graduates are Augusta County natives Trooper Mark C. Brill and Trooper Gregory W. Clifton. Trooper Brill, 23, of Churchville, begins his career with state police on patrol in Frederick County. Trooper Brill earned an associates degree in administration of justice from Blue Ridge Community College. Prior to joining the state police, he served three years as a reserve officer with the Staunton Police Department and two years with the Army National Guard. Trooper Clifton, 39, of Stuarts Draft, served three years as a reserve officer with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and two years as a reserve officer with the Waynesboro Police Department. Trooper Clifton joined the state police to “be part of one of the best organizations in the country.” He reports to duty Monday in Shenandoah County.
Trooper Troy L. Johnson, 44, of Nelson County, begins his career with the state police assigned to Buckingham County.
Joining the Virginia State Police has Trooper Travis A. Lewis, 23, of Amherst, following in the footsteps of his father, 1st Sgt. K.D. Lewis. 1st Sgt. Lewis is the commander of the state police Area 21 Office, which includes the counties of Appomattox and Prince Edward. Trooper Lewis begins his career with the Department on patrol in Prince William County. He earned a degree in criminal justice from Longwood University.
As the need for highly-skilled and capable law enforcement officers increases, the Department continues to seek qualified applicants for the trooper and commercial vehicle enforcement officer positions. All interested applicants are encouraged to contact the Virginia State Police Recruitment Office at the toll-free number 1-866-877-2329 or visit the Department’s website at www.virginiatrooper.org.
Lottery to assist in Amber Alerts
The Virginia Lottery and Virginia State Police announced a new partnership today aimed at increasing the chances of Virginia law enforcement locating a missing and endangered child during a Virginia Amber Alert. The new concept is a result of a suggestion submitted by a citizen to Gov. Bob McDonnell by e-mail.
“When the Virginia State Police issues an Amber Alert, every second counts and the message needs to be spread quickly,” McDonnell said. “Thanks to a great idea from Christopher Divers of Virginia Beach and the collaborative efforts of the Virginia Lottery and our State Police, thousands of Lottery retailers in the Commonwealth will be able to notify customers of a Virginia Amber Alert activation.”
The Lottery’s in-store electronic display systems will indicate the locality of the alert and instruct the public to go to vaamberalert.com for details concerning the missing and endangered child and any information regarding the abductor. The Amber Alert messages will scroll across the top of the self-service Lottery Express vending machines and along the display screen above the clerk-operated Lottery terminal.
Under normal circumstances, these display systems show jackpot amounts and marketing messages. While the alert is scrolling, no marketing messages will be displayed. Retailers do not need to do anything; the messages are generated by the Lottery’s data center, which receives the notification from Virginia State Police.
Currently the Lottery has more than 5,000 clerk-operated terminals and approximately 700 Lottery Express self-service vending machines at retailers across the Commonwealth.
“We are delighted to be able to use the Lottery’s equipment and partnerships with retailers across the Commonwealth to assist the Virginia State Police,” said Paula Otto, Virginia Lottery executive director. “While we hope this help will never be needed, we want to respond quickly and effectively when it becomes necessary.”
The Virginia Amber Alert Program was established by the General Assembly in 2002 and been used to issue 29 alerts for missing and endangered child cases that meet the criteria for activation. The Amber Alert notifies the public of a missing and endangered child via broadcast media through the Emergency Alert System, Virginia Department of Transportation electronic message signs, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Amber Alert website, the Virginia State Police Facebook page, and the non-profit A Child Is Missing Program. Major public utilities and the Virginia Realtors Association also help spread the message of an alert to their employees statewide.
One killed in I-64 crash
A Charlottesville man was killed and another man injured along Interstate 64 in Albemarle County early Tuesday morning, Mar. 1, 2011. At 8:23 a.m., Trooper K.M. Ralston was called to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash at the 104 mile marker in the eastbound lanes of the interstate.
A 2002 Toyota Camry and a 2003 Ford Escape were both traveling in the westbound lanes of I-64. The driver of the Camry, traveling in the right lane, attempted to change lanes and struck the 2003 Ford Escape which was traveling in the left lane. The Camry continued into the median and proceeded into the eastbound lanes of I-64, where it sideswiped a 2006 Acura TSX and then struck a 2000 Volvo V70 head-on. The driver of the Camry, Woodland Anderson IV, of Charlottesville, Va., was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Volvo, Andrew D. Werner of Staunton, Va., was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center. He was wearing his seatbelt.
The driver of the Ford Escape and the driver of the Acura were not injured in the crash. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
The collision closed the eastbound lanes of I-64 so troopers could investigate the crash. For a time, traffic was diverted at the 99 mile marker onto Route 250 and back onto I-64 at the 107 mile marker. Both eastbound lanes were re-opened at 11:22 a.m.
The Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction Team assisted with the investigation. At this time, no charges will be filed.
State Police seek help to solve hit-and-run
Virginia State Police are hoping the public can help solve a hit-and-run that occurred in Augusta County last week. A 21-year-old Churchville man was struck and injured along Route 250 and Sr. Trooper D.C. Brydge is asking for the public’s help in finding the vehicle responsible.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. last Thursday night (Oct. 14), a 21-year-old black male was walking on the shoulder of westbound Route 250 with traffic. In the area of Jakes Convenience Store, the man was struck from behind by a passing vehicle. The vehicle kept going. The man was transported by ambulance to Augusta Medical Center for treatment. He has been treated and released.
Based on the extent and location of the man’s injuries, the hit-and-run vehicle may have been a pickup truck. The man was wearing black pants and a black parka with a faux fur-lined hood. He was carrying a dark blue book bag.
The man had spent the day applying for jobs in Staunton and was walking back to his home in Churchville.
Anyone who may remember seeing the man or may have witnessed the incident is asked to please contact the Virginia State Police Area Office in Staunton at (540)885-2142 or to email the investigating trooper at doug.brydge@vsp.virginia.gov.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
