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Public Safety

  • Missing Tenn. woman last seen in Fries

    UPDATE 9/22:

    Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan reported on Sept. 22 that Peggy McMickle was found with family members in Fries last week by Grayson deputies. "Everything was fine," Vaughan said.
     

    ORIGINAL STORY:

    FRIES — A Bristol TV news report says a woman missing from East Tennessee was last seen in Fries.

    WCYB reports that Peggy McMickle has not been heard from since Sept. 12.

    McMickle reportedly has family in Fries and in New Mexico.

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  • IRS phone scam reported in region

    The Better Business Bureau alerts Virginia residents that a phone scam involving con artists pretending to be IRS agents is hitting Roanoke and surrounding areas.

    The BBB Serving Western Virginia has received dozens of phone calls this week from consumers who received these fraudulent calls.

    IRS impersonators are calling and demanding that consumers pay taxes they don’t actually owe and are told to send the funds via a prepaid card or wire transfer.

    Click here to read more...
  • Prisoner recaptured after escape attempt

    HILLSVILLE - A Hillsville man received additional charges after fleeing police custody while being served a warrant at the Carroll County Governmental Complex on Aug. 8.

    Arless Lynn Dalton Jr., 34, was being served a warrant for a felony shoplifting charge on Friday, when he ducked under a garage door at the sheriff’s office in an attempt to flee from custody, according to Hillsville Interim Chief Wesley Yonce.

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  • Police searching for suspect who held man at gunpoint

    UPDATED 8/7/14: The Grayson County Sheriff's Office reports that Anderson is now in custody. We'll have more details when they are available.

    ORIGINAL STORY:

    INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday was searching for John David Anderson, 43, of Independence, who is charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, abduction and brandishing a firearm.

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  • Galax man charged with four burglaries

    A Galax man has been arrested and charged in connection with four burglaries that occurred in the city.

    According to a Galax Police Department report, Dustin Michael Farmer, 19, is alleged to have broken in to Campbell’s Optometry on Glendale Road on July 18, 21 and 22. Farmer is also charged with the July 23 burglary of V&M Recycling on Clover Street.

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  • Two charged with stealing electronics

    A Wytheville couple was arrested and charged with the theft of electronic equipment at the Galax Walmart on July 16.

    Thanks to numerous tips received after the Galax Police Department shared security camera photos on its Facebook page, Jessica Lynn Sexton, 21, and Joseph Smith IV, 23, were charged with grand larceny and petit larceny by Galax Senior Police Officer John Reavis.

    A police report said tips identifying the suspects were received within the first 30 minutes of the post.

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  • Grayson investigates break-ins

    ELK CREEK – Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan is seeking information concerning a rash of break-ins that have occurred in the Elk Creek community in recent weeks.

    Vaughan said Monday in a news release that investigators have determined that the unknown suspect or suspects have gained entry into unoccupied homes through unlocked doors and windows. The occupants were gone only for a short period of time when items were removed from their residences.

    There have also been several thefts of unsecured ATV’s reported in the area.

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  • Crash results in DUI charge

    HILLSVILLE — An Alabama woman was charged with a driving under the influence after crashing her car over an embankment in Hillsville on July 20.

    The incident occurred at approximately 7 p.m. last Sunday on U.S. 52, approximately one-tenth of a mile north of Hanging Tree Road, according to a report filed by Virginia State Police Senior Troper K.D. Blackburn, who investigated the accident.

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  • Tougher DUI laws making a difference

    Ten years ago, state lawmakers looked at a high-profile DUI case, listened to law enforcement and said, “Enough is enough.”

    A bipartisan group drafted more than 70 bills seeking to stiffen penalties and enact near-zero-tolerance for repeat offenders.

    Did it work?

    DUI fatalities in Virginia have dropped by 21 percent since 2005, according to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles statistics. Crashes related to drinking and driving have fallen about 30 percent. Convictions for the offense have stayed relatively steady.

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  • Police find drugs, stolen property

    Two Galax men were arrested on a number of charges by members of the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office on June 27.

    Maurice Antwon Harris, 41, of Beech Grove Lane, Galax, was charged with possession of marijuana; and Quantel James McCall, 19, of Beech Grove Lane, was charged with possession of stolen property.

    Members of the sheriff’s office executed a search warrant at 2511 Beech Grove Lane last Friday, where numerous stolen motorcycles, go-carts and ATVs were found, according to a statement from Sheriff Richard Vaughan on Monday.

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