SPORTS KG FOXES CLIP RIVERBEND BEARS
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Volume 39, Number 14
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The King George Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, aided by fire fighting units from Stafford and Westmoreland counties, battled a dangerous house fire that engulfed a two-story residence filled with what King George Fire Chief David Moody described as “large amounts of ammunition.” Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the fire shortly after 1 a.m. on March 26 to find a house at 9545 Bloomsbury Rd. in King George fully ablaze. Ammunition exploding within the house gave the scene the feel of a war zone. Two fire fighting vehicles, an engine truck and a battalion command vehicle, were damaged by the exploding ammunition. An adult and a child who had been sleeping in the house when the fire broke out escaped injury. Despite the dangerous conditions, no firefighters or emergency responders suffered any injuries, according to Chief
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Westmoreland, King George firefighters respond to house fire Richard Leggitt
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Moody. Moody said the two King George vehicles received some body damage due to large amounts of rifle and handgun ammunition exploding in the home and hitting both vehicles multiple times. The engine truck also received some minor damage to some of its light lenses due excessive radiant heat. “No firefighter injuries occurred, and all operations were from an exterior defensive method,” Moody said. Moody added that fire department officials are investigating the cause of the fire and will file insurance claims for the damages caused to their equipment. Although the two people in the house and several dogs escaped the flames, seven parrots owned by the family died in the fire. “These types of home fires are the deadliest because they occur when people are sleeping,” Moody said. “This fire is another example of how quickly a fire can spread and emphasizes the importance of having working smoke detectors, a home fire
Texas youth arrested in King George for murder Richard Leggitt
Photos courtesy KG Department of Fire, Rescue, & Emergency Services
safety plan, and having multiple exits throughout the home.” “The occupants surviving this fire is credited to the quick actions taken by both the adult and child, knowing what door to exit the home, and not making a fatal decision to go back in,” Moody declared. About 30 firefighters responded to the fire, which was not far from
the King George landfill. Moody said the occupants of the house were alerted to the fire before smoke alarms activated when one of them smelled something burning and woke up. They were able to escape the fire before the exploding ammunition turned the area into a shooting range. Both occupants were evaluated by EMS and did not require medical attention.
Supervisors ponder 2-cent tax rate increase Phyllis Cook The King George Board of Supervisors may be preparing to debate its previously stated opposition to a real estate tax increase as part of its 2015-16 budget. At a March 24 work session, the supervisors reviewed the $36.74 million budget proposal prepared by County Administrator Travis Quesenberry. Per the board’s earlier instructions, the proposal did not raise the real estate tax rate
from its current level of 59 cents per $100 in valuation. But now supervisors are pondering whether to publicly advertise for a 2-cent increase on the real estate rate. Publicly advertising an increased tax rate does not automatically raise tax rates. It merely permits an increase if a majority of the supervisors approve a budget that includes a higher real estate tax rate. Each penny is estimated to add $245,000 in revenue.
Quesenberry this week will present a revised budget proposal, along with some notes indicating how an additional $490,000 from a 2-cent tax increase might be spent. The suggestion of advertising a higher tax rate divided the board at its March 24 work session. “I’m not sure I support the 61-cents. If you want to advertise it, advertise it,” supervisor Joe Grzeika said. “I’m just making sure everyone See Tax increase, page 8
In what King George Sheriff Steve Dempsey hailed as a prime example of law enforcement networking, King George sheriff ’s deputies have arrested an 18-year-old west Texas youth accused of killing his father. “This arrest is a good example of national networking with law enforcement and community support,” Dempsey said. Harlin Pierce of Fort Davis, TX was being sought by Texas Rangers in connection with the slaying of his father, Anton Pierce, a week earlier. Texas law enforcement authorities had issued a March 21 “Be On the Lookout” request for Pierce, who was believed to be driving a 2006 blue Volkswagen Jetta. The lookout advised Pierce might be heading to Massachusetts, where his mother resides, or Virginia to see friends, according to King George Sheriff ’s spokeswoman Kecia Wharton.
Clinton sentenced to 45 years in prison for murder Richard Leggitt A Maryland man has been convicted in King George County Circuit Court for his part In a 2014 murder and robbery. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Kelly ordered Michael Andre Clinton to serve 45 years in prison for his part in the slaying of 20-year-old Ronelle Johnson of King George. Clinton, 29, of Bladensburg, MD, was convicted on April 26 of firstdegree murder, attempted murder and two firearms charges. After entering a plea of guilty, Clinton received 68 years with 23 years
The Board of Supervisors will vote this month whether to rezone 43.28-acres, with about 30 acres to be sold to Commercial Metals Company, and the remaining acreage retained by the county. The board is scheduled to consider the matter at a special April 14 meeting. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. in the boardroom of the Revercomb Administration Building. The rezoning will convert the
KG Gov’t meetings added, changed The King George Board of Supervisors and the King George Service Authority have set special meetings for 5 p.m. April 14, in the boardroom of the Revercomb Administration Building. Both boards have the same membership of the elected members of the governing body. The supervisors will meet is to approve a rezoning request. Other items may be added to the agenda as necessary. The service authority will hold its second budget work session.
property from agricultural to industrial use. The site is on the north side of Route 3 in the western part of the county adjacent to the King George Industrial Park. The rezoning case had worked its way through review and hearings by the Planning Commission and the board of supervisors last year. On Aug. 19, the supervisors postponed a rezoning vote until the completion of details that would ensure the land sale would go
See murder, page 8
Richard Leggitt
See Rezoning, page 8 The board of supervisors will not meet on April 7, previously scheduled. Supervisor handled business intended for that meeting at a special March 31 meeting. The next regular board of supervisors meeting is set for 6 p.m. April 21, which is expected to include a public hearing on the 2015-16 proposed budget and tax rates. The board will also set a special meeting during the last week of April to adopt the final budget for 2015-16. The meeting date has not been announced. The board must adopt a budget seven or more days after its public hearing and prior to May 1, with the new fiscal year beginning on July 1. All the meetings are currently scheduled to take place in the boardroom of the Revercomb Administration Building.
suspended. Seven other changes filed in connection with the murder and robbery were not prosecuted. Also convicted in connection with the slaying was Tennase Michel Shanks, 42, of Colonial Beach, who entered a plea of guilty to robbery and a misdemeanor charge of being an accessory after the fact. Eight other charges against Shanks were dropped, including first-degree murder, a second robbery charge, malicious wounding and five firearms charges. Judge Kelly ordered a pre-sentence
Funk convicted of grand larceny
King George sets April 14 for CMC rezoning action Phyllis Cook
“On March 26, 2015, at approximately 2 a.m., a King George resident arrived at the King George Sheriff ’s Office with Pierce, who wanted to turn himself in. Pierce was an acquaintance of this family,” Wharton said. “Pierce was taken into custody by King George Sheriff ’s Office deputies and charged with being a fugitive from Texas.” Pierce’s father died from a gunshot wound to the head. Texas authorities said it is unclear what led to the shooting. When King George sheriff ’s deputies took Pierce into custody, they recovered a .22-caliber rifle believed to have been used in the homicide. The King George Sheriff ’s Office continues to work on the case with the Texas Rangers and the Jeff Davis County, TX Sheriff ’s Office. Meanwhile, Pierce is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail pending extradition back to Texas.
Richard Leggitt
The Chatham family - Tiffany, Ken, Ken II and Gwynne - proudly show off two-month old Lady at the family’s growing alpaca farm.
Alpacas flourishing in Montross Richard Leggitt When Ken Chatham first talked with his wife, Gwynne, about his idea of raising alpacas, she was skeptical but eventually agreed. “I think she thought I was having a mid-life crisis,” Ken said. No one thinks that today. Ken’s idea has turned into a flourishing business that involves the entire Chatham family and is drawing attention to Montross. Residents and visitors often pause to watch the Chathams’ 21 alpacas parade around their fenced pens next door to Stan’s Skateland on Route 3. “We researched the business for three or four years,” Ken said. “It is kind of like raising racehorses, the breeding and the generics are
very important. They are such great animals. We love showing them and talking about them.” Alpacas are gentle, curious creatures native to the high Andes mountain ranges of Peru, Chile and Bolivia. They are prized for their high-quality fiber, which is shorn and made into blankets, gloves, scarves, socks, sweaters, hats and a wide variety of other items. “Alpaca fiber is five times warmer than wool,” Ken said. He pointed out that alpaca fleece is lustrous and silky, and has become very popular with clothing manufacturers worldwide. In addition, it’s also flame resistant. “It’s soft, not scratchy, contains no lanolin, is hypoallergenic,” Ken said.
The Chathams’ business, Gwynnedale Alpacas, opened in 2013 and was the first alpaca farm to set up shop in historic Westmoreland County. Its success has since spawned two other alpaca breeding operations in the county. “It is not a competitive situation,” Ken said. “We all help each other out.” The alpacas are inquisitive, social animals that interact easily with people. They actually enjoy cold weather and prefer to sleep outdoors as opposed to the covered shelters in the two-acre fenced enclosure. The alpacas eat grass and hay, and the Chathams provide them a daily treat of barley, grain, apples or See alpacas, page 8
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A King George man who stole equipment from a friend’s garage and then sold it at a pawnshop in order to buy drugs has been convicted in King George County Circuit Court. Robert Anthony Funk, 36, entered guilty pleas on March 26 to two charges of grand larceny. King George Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Pollard told Circuit Judge Patricia Kelly that Funk entered a garage owned by a friend and took equipment valued at $2,000 in order to get money to pay for his drug addiction. Kelly decided to give Funk an opportunity to straighten out his life and sentenced him to five years in prison, but suspended all five years and instead placed him on indefinite supervised probation with random drug testing. The judge cautioned Kelly that further criminal acts or continued drug use would violate the terms of his probation, resulting in time in prison due to the possible loss of his suspended sentence. Judge Kelly ordered Funk to pay $1,400 in restitution to the owner of the equipment and $400 to the pawnshop to which he sold the equipment. She also ordered Funk to pay $800 in court costs.