Suspect was handyman for victim

A witness reported seeing the accused killer of Phyllis Kline break into her residence and emerge later covered in blood, according to court documents filed late Monday by Shenandoah County authorities.

Protective order petition against police corporal dismissed

WINCHESTER -- A protective order initially sought by the former fiancé of a Middletown police corporal was dismissed Monday in Frederick County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court after she said she was no longer interested in pursuing the matter.

Protective order sought against police corporal

A Strasburg woman is asking a Frederick County judge for a protective order against a Middletown police corporal.

Man accused of stabbing wife pleads not guilty

A man accused in the brutal roadside stabbing of his wife in August pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Warren County Circuit Court to attempted first degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding and stabbing.

Man banned from school grounds allowed to vote

Christopher Gerrit Johnson found his plans to vote in Tuesday's primary temporarily stymied at the Strasburg Police Department before authorities agreed he had a right to cast his ballot and allowed him to do so.

Police seize items in investigation

Woodstock police have seized more than 15 items from an apartment in Woodstock during their investigation into the death of an 18-month old boy last week, according to search warrant documents filed in Shenandoah County Circuit Court.

Winchester man sentenced to eight years in manslaughter case

A Frederick County judge upheld an April jury recommendation Friday in sentencing Bradley Scott Gregory to eight years in prison in the shooting death of Michael Scott Shirley.

Abuse defendant faces new charges

Authorities remained tight-lipped Friday as they continued their investigation into the death of an 18-month old Woodstock boy earlier in the week.

Railroad burglar gets two years probation

A Front Royal man initially charged with 14 counts accusing him of burglarizing and stealing cargo from a Norfolk Southern Corp. freight train was sentenced to two years probation Tuesday in Warren County Circuit Court.

Meth conspirator sentenced to 10 years in prison

A Stanley man accused of presiding over a large methamphetamine distribution ring in Shenandoah and Page counties was sentenced to 10 years in prison in U.S. District Court on Thursday.

Abuse victim suffered severe injuries

A police investigator's report states that an abused 18-month-old boy who died Wednesday at University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville suffered from "extreme head trauma and internal injury to the pelvic region."

Trial set for Burrell

Clyde Eugene Burrell Jr. will stand trial on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 on charges of attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer and several related offenses, a Warren County Circuit judge ruled Tuesday.

Former SAAA CEO pleads not guilty

Helen Cockrell, the former chief executive officer of the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging, pleaded not guilty to four counts of embezzlement at an arraignment Tuesday in Warren County Circuit Court.

Preliminary hearing set for drug suspects

A Warren County judge scheduled preliminary hearings Tuesday for eight adult defendants arrested Friday in a drug raid at the Quality Inn Motel in Front Royal.

Former executive drops defamation suit against SAAA

A former executive with the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging has withdrawn a defamation suit filed against the agency in Warren County Circuit Court.

Ten arrested in motel drug raid

Front Royal police and law enforcement officers from two other agencies jailed eight adults and two juveniles, all town residents, Friday night on suspicion of drug trafficking and related offenses.

Court date moved

A jury trial for a man charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly appeared inside an elementary school with a board bearing the words "high powered rifle" has been rescheduled.

Two sentenced to prison

Two of the three defendants in what authorities describe as a "significant" methamphetamine distribution operation in Shenandoah and Page counties were sentenced to several years in prison Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

Judge explains reasons for new trial in kennel defamation case

A federal judge issued an opinion Thursday finding "clear and convincing evidence" that a Frederick County kennel owner had engaged in misconduct during a jury trial last year in which he was awarded $30,000 in a libel lawsuit.

Defendant contests charges after videotaping police while armed

Andrew Charles Studds insists he wasn't doing anything wrong when he videotaped Front Royal police while carrying a holstered gun on his right hip as they conducted traffic stops a few weeks ago.

New trial ordered in kennel owner's defamation lawsuit

A defamation lawsuit once decided in favor of Frederick County kennel owner Russell Lee Ebersole has been resurrected.

Excessive force cited as reason for officer's dismissal

Former Strasburg police officer Aaron H. Lewis lost his job over accusations that he used excessive force against a suspect in a drug case, falsification of records and violation of safety rules without a threat to life, according to documents in Shenandoah County Circuit Court.

Three sentenced for roles in Winchester crack dealing ring

A man described in court documents as the leader and enforcer of an extensive crack cocaine ring in Winchester was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court to life imprisonment.

Public defender reflects on 50th anniversary of landmark case

The effects of a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued 50 years ago on Monday that began with a poor drifter sentenced to five years in prison can still be seen everyday in area courtrooms.

Guardians suing Winchester school system over bullying

A Winchester couple is suing the city school system in U.S. District Court for $150,000.

Sgt. Courtney back on duty months after fight of his life

The streets of Front Royal look much the same to Sgt. Bryan Courtney after seven months away from his job as the police department's night shift supervisor.

Gun charge nixed: Judge rejects felony gun charge against Forest Service ranger

A U.S. Forest Service ranger facing three gun-related charges won a round in a preliminary hearing Monday when a judge refused to certify the sole felony offense to a grand jury.

Judge dismisses suit against lawyer in divorce case

A Winchester judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a local attorney against his former wife's divorce attorney.

Nurse suspended following arrest

The Virginia Board of Nursing has suspended the license of a nurse from Winchester.

Judge grants DUI suspect more time to hire attorney

WINCHESTER -- The man accused of causing a June 26 crash that killed four members of a Stephenson family has more time to hire an attorney.

Big crowd turns out to release balloons in honor of crash victims

About 200 people came out to Clearbrook Park on Saturday to honor the four members of the Roe family who were killed on June 26 in an automobile crash.

No bond for fatal crash suspect

WINCHESTER -- The Frederick County man accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery crash that killed four members of a family Sunday must remain in jail, a judge ordered Wednesday.

Judge rebukes attorney

HARRISONBURG -- The judge presiding over prominent Winchester attorney Paul Hampton Thomson's federal case has rebuked his defense lawyer for "unprofessional conduct."

Kellam family says sentence 'unjust'

WINCHESTER -- The justice system failed Charceil D. Kellam and unjustly sent her to serve life plus 30 years in prison for minor drug crimes, according to the woman's supporters.

Woman indicted on sex abuse charges against 11-year-old boy

FRONT ROYAL --A local woman was indicted Monday on charges that she committed sexual acts with an 11-year-old boy in June.

Fingerprints sought in post office theft

WOODSTOCK -- Search warrants have been executed in the last two weeks to obtain fingerprints of three men in connection with the suspected theft of items from the Toms Brook Post Office in August, according to Shenandoah County Circuit Court records.

Man charged in stabbing amid dispute over drugs

NEW MARKET -- A resident of the Blue Ridge Inn is accused of stabbing a neighbor following a dispute regarding a drug transaction.

Couple avoids jail time after torching car

WOODSTOCK -- A New Market couple played with fire but didn't get burned by having to spend any time behind bars for doing so.

Washington man charged with abduction

WINCHESTER -- A Washington, D.C., man held his fiancee captive after assaulting her and another woman in Stephens City before fleeing to Warren County on Christmas Eve, authorities said Monday.

City man pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charge

HARRISONBURG -- A Winchester man recently convicted of running a check-fraud ring in the area in 2009 pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a federal conspiracy charge, according to court documents.