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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of Ray & Nancy Quinn
Vol. XXVII No. 10
Overbey: sexual abuse motive for killings Staff Report news@powhatantoday.com
Accused murderer Jason Merritt Overbey says that one of the reasons he shot and killed two Powhatan County residents nearly three years ago is that he was being sexually abused. Overbey, 34, of 13421 West Lane, Amelia, is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the May 22, 2011, shooting deaths of Kenneth William “Dick” Moore Jr., 47, and Robert Linwood Mann Jr., 42. Overbey is being held without bond at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville pending an April 21 jury trial in Powhatan County Circuit Court. Overbey is being represented by court-appointed attorney Reed C. Amos of the Goochland law firm of Amos & Amos. In a court document dated Nov. 26, 2013, Amos gives no-
tice that he “proposes to introduce evidence that [Overbey] was insane at the time that the alleged offenses were committed.” Court documents indicate that Overbey recently was evaluated as to his sanity at the time of the offenses by Jennifer E. Rasmussen of Forensic Evaluation Services in CharlottesOVERBEY ville. The results of the evaluation “I just kind of have been sealed. snapped…I’ll never The shootings took place on Moore’s family’s farm at 1309 get out of jail for … Stavemill Road in Southeastern Powhatan. 50, 100 years.” Each first-degree murder Excerpts from statements made by charge carries a maximum penaccused murderer Jason Merritt alty of life in prison. Overbey of Amelia to Powhatan Documents on file in PowCounty Sheriff’s Office detectives on May 23, 2011, the day after Overbey hatan County Circuit Court say is alleged to have shot and killed two that both men appeared to have Powhatan County residents. been shot in the head with a Source: A transcript of the interview shotgun. According to court records, that has been introduced as evidence in the case and is on file in Powhatan Mann and Overbey worked for County Circuit Court. Moore. On May 23, 2011, the day Photo of Jason Merritt Overbey courtesy of the after the shootings took place, Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office see OVERBEY page 3A
B OA R D S H O L D J O I N T M E E T I N G Supervisors and school board tackle retirement plan issue Staff Report news@powhatantoday.com
The tone of last week’s joint meeting between the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and the School Board at Pocahontas Middle School to disTUCKER cuss the school system’s Supplemental Retirement Plan was set at the outset by Supervisors Chairman Carson L. Tucker. “I believe this discussion of SRP comes down to at least three fundamental issues,” Tucker said. “The original and present purposes of SRP; the financial aspects of
SRP, its cost-benefit analysis, sustainability, cost to the taxpayer, and shutdown liabilities; [and] the public perception of the program, its transparency and the trust issues. Perceptions and emotions are real and they are here with us tonight.” Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Jones gave a presentation on the SRP to enlighten the Board of Supervisors and members of the public who attended last week’s meeting. When the program was implemented in 1996, it was called the Early Retirement Incentive Plan, Jones said. However, following new IRS regulations, the program was revamped in 2002 and its name was changed to the Supplemental Retirement Plan, Jones
said. Although the program’s name changed, its purpose did not, Jones said. The idea behind the program was to offer an incentive to long-term school employees to encourage them to retire earlier perhaps than they had planned and then to replace them with employees who could be hired at lower salaries, thus resulting in a net savings for the schools. Another element of the program that has been used to calculate additional schools savings is that one of the requirements is that participants must work an extra year earning a salary that is between 25 to 35 percent of their regular pay grade.
March 5, 2014
Former board member voices fiscal concerns at joint meeting Staff Report news@powhatantoday.com
Although Debbie Jones resigned from her District 4 seat on the Powhatan County School Board at the end of December, she still has a keen interest in how the school system is run and whether the students and county taxpayers are being well-served. Jones took office in January 2008 and had two years remaining on her four-year term. She resigned, she said, to help address the health needs of family members. On Feb. 25, Jones attended a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board at Pocahontas Middle School. The topic of discussion was the school system’s Supplemental Retirement Plan — also known as the SRP. When she first became a member of the School Board, the learnSTAFF PHOTO ing curve was Former District 4 Powhatan high and there County School Board was a significant Member Debbie Jones is downturn in the credited with shining a economy, Jones light on issues regarding said. the school system’s Thus it was a Supplemental Retirement while before she Plan. Jones voiced some of started becoming her concerns last week when familiar with the the topic was discussed at a SRP, Jones said. joint meeting of the Board “The program of Supervisors and the was suspended School Board at Pocahontas and restarted at Middle School. times,” she said. “I definitely did not have a full appreciation for how it functioned and I regret not having realized that sooner, although I don’t know that I would have given feedback that it was solvent. “I started to question its function when the Board
see PLAN page 3A
see JONES page 4A
Superintendent: Snow make-up under control Staff Report news@powhatantoday.com
So far, Powhatan County Public Schools are in good shape regarding snow make-up days, but that could change based on future weather conditions, according to Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Jones. “Powhatan County School hours are beyond the minimum required by the state, thus we do not have to make up time for every day that we miss,” Jones said last week. “However, the harsh winter and num-
ber of days that we have missed has required the school district to amend the 2013-2014 calendar. Feb. 17 changed from a student holiday to a full school day. “March 21 and May 9 changed from a half-day for students to a full school day. If we miss another full day of school, May 23 will change from a student holiday to a full JONES school day.” PHOTO OF COURTESY OF PCPS The reason that make-up days become necessary, Jones of instruction that are required said, is that there are a mini- by the state. mum number of days or hours “The state requires 180
school days or 990 instructional hours,” he said. “There is no leeway, but most schools have more instructional hours than the minimum required by the state.” Like most public school systems, Powhatan has a number of make-up days built into its schedule, Jones said. “Yes, but those days have never been identified publicly before,” he said. “The 20142015 calendar that the School Board adopted [last] month has snow make-up days identified for the community.”
There is no mandate that must be followed when setting make-up dates, Jones said. “There is not a written protocol, but we look at days within the calendar that can be amended to instructional days first,” he said. “Memorial Day and spring break are a last resort due to family travel commitments. The School Board has to approve any changes to the school calendar. They do take public input on the decision.” see SNOW DAYS page 4A
Inside
Sports
Index
A2 Valentine’s Day Snowflake Ball Deemed successful by organizers, attendees
B1 Powhatan High places two wrestlers in top five at 4A state tournament
Calendar Classified Crossword Horoscope
A5 B7 A7 A7
Obituaries Opinion Quotes TV Listings
A2 A6 A2 B4-5