State News
Hundreds of Virginia teachers have lost licenses over sexual misconduct or sex crimes
Approximately 280 Virginia teachers have lost their license over two decades for felony sex crimes with a minor or a student or inappropriate misconduct involving a minor or student.
That is just over 41% of the teachers who had action taken against their license, according to Capital News Service analysis.
The Virginia Department of Education has tracked the data since at least 2000. A teacher can lose their license for any misdemeanor or felony that involves a student or minor and also for misconduct considered to be detrimental to students, among other reasons. Not all conduct detrimental to students involves a crime or sexual misconduct.
Almost 700 educators had action taken against their licenses. The causes ranged from sex crimes such as sexual abuse of minors, production of child pornography using students without their knowledge, and sexting with students to felony convictions that involved drugs and murder.
Overall, it is a low number of licenses lost when compared to Virginia’s approximately 92,000 teachers. But the sexual misconduct or abuse allegations made annually against teachers are much higher. Many child safety advocates think child sexual abuse prevention, overall and in schools, could still be improved with better reporting mechanisms and more consistent discussion, training, and resources.
Legislation passed in 2008 required Virginia courts to report known teacher convictions for certain offenses. The law also called for local school boards to create policies to address complaints of sexual abuse of a student by a teacher or employee. A majority of actions against teacher licenses in the VDOE database were made after 2011, the year the state Board of Education passed guidelines to help prevent sexual misconduct and abuse in Virginia schools.
The guidelines called for clear procedures on how to report suspected misconduct and abuse and for the training of school personnel and volunteers. The guidelines also outlined types of inappropriate conduct with a student.
Tracking sexual misconduct in schools
Charol Shakeshaft is a professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. She began researching school employees’ sexual misconduct in the 1980s. Teacher-initiated sexual misconduct occurs more than it is reported, according to Shakeshaft.
“I believe that we have left it to children to keep themselves safe,” Shakeshaft said. “We need to stop expecting children to be responsible for their safety in schools and expect school employees to keep children safe.”
Children may be less likely to report sexual abuse by school employees for reasons such as threats, feeling that no one will believe them, or believing the behavior is acceptable, Shakeshaft said.
“I believe we care more about the comfort of adults than the safety of children,” Shakeshaft said. “Tracking this information shines a light on adult sexual misconduct and misbehavior.”
Students and school employees need training and education to better prevent abuse and to encourage better reporting, Shakeshaft said.
‘One case is too many’
Every Virginia teacher is required by state law to complete training in child abuse recognition and intervention as a condition of initial licensure. The training is not required for the renewal of a license if it has already been done once. Every Virginia teacher is required to report suspected abuse, according to state law.
Protecting students from adult misconduct is a shared responsibility that must be a priority at all levels, stated Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons in a release to Capital News Service.
“While the school employees who offend often represent a small fraction of the commonwealth’s teachers and support staff, one case is one too many for our children,” Coons stated. Coons will continue to expect “diligence in reporting and supporting state board processes to remove licensure for misconduct.”
Individual school districts maintain records of alleged sexual misconduct, according to the VDOE. School employees must report alleged or suspected abuse to school administrators and to the Virginia State Child Abuse Hotline or the Department of Social Services.
The DSS investigates and tracks the number of alleged reports made. The VDOE tracks when DSS makes a founded disposition against a teacher that leads to licensure action. That means the investigation met the required evidence standard, which is based primarily on direct evidence, not anonymous complaints. The actions must also be proven to be out of the scope of employment.
The VDOE reports all actions against licenses to a national database and checks the database monthly, Pyle stated.
There is a lot of variation between the number of abuse reports made to DSS, the number of found victims, and the number of licenses that were lost.
In a seven-year period, DSS received almost 12,000 statewide allegations of abuse or misconduct by a school employee or teacher. The number of allegations against teachers is higher. The most recent data available through the DSS accountability reporting portal was from 2013-2020. However, the action was only taken against 377 teaching licenses in that same time frame.
Proving sexual misconduct in schools can be ‘difficult’
Sexual abuse was the third most frequent type of child abuse in Virginia last year. There were just over 3,000 investigations of alleged sexual abuse by Child Protective Services, which is a part of DSS.
There were 809 cases of sexual abuse that met the CPS “evidence standard,” or 26% of investigated cases, according to the most recent DSS report. The burden of proof required by state code is just enough evidence to make it more likely than not that the asserted facts are true.
Schools are the No. 1 place outside of the family where abuse occurs. There were 48 found abuse cases in Virginia public schools last year and four cases in private schools, according to DSS. There were over 400 reports made.
CPS investigates allegations of sexual abuse that occur within a school or home, along with law enforcement, as the situation demands.
Both teacher advocates and CPS workers have previously expressed the need for improved guidance on sexual abuse complaints involving school employees, according to a 2019 report from the Virginia Commission on Youth.
The Commission noted that proving a case of sexual abuse by a school employee has additional reporting elements that can be difficult and that the scope of employment standard should not apply. Several recommendations were made to improve training material and reporting processes.
Record requests of sexual misconduct or abuse
CNS sent records requests to 10 of the state’s largest school districts to get the total number of any sexual assaults or misconduct reports made against faculty, staff, or employees in a recent three-year period.
Only four districts provided the records without charging a fee. Government organizations can charge the public a fee to fill out a Freedom of Information Act request.
Chesapeake City responded that there were 11 reports alleging sexual misconduct with a student since 2019. Henrico County reported 23 instances. Stafford County had four. Richmond City had five reports in 2022. The reports represent allegations made and should not be considered a confirmation of guilt or misconduct.
Other districts either did not respond, stated they had no available records, or quoted costs to fill the records anywhere between $125 to $418.
Chesterfield County told CNS multiple times that there were no records “responsive to the request.” CNS pressed the agency for clarification. The representative responded that they do not have an “existing” record and they would have to “pull individual records and create a report.”
The agency stated that they are not required to create a record in response to a FOIA request, and they considered the request closed. This is technically accurate, and the better request would have been just for all records of allegations.
However, no other school district denied the request due to wording.
CNS also sent a records request to DSS. The department pointed to a dashboard that provides an overview of alleged abuse or neglect reports. 2020 is the most recent year data is available.
The DSS dashboard shows higher numbers than what school districts provide, but it also includes other forms of abuse that could lead to action against a teacher’s license.
Combined allegations made against teachers and school employees:
- Chesapeake City: 118 total allegations in 2019 and 97 total allegations in 2020.
- Chesterfield County: 59 total allegations in 2019 and 50 total allegations in 2020.
- Henrico County: 116 total allegations in 2019 and six total allegations in 2020.
- Richmond City: 102 total allegations in 2019 and 62 total allegations in 2020.
- Stafford County: 20 total allegations in 2019 and 22 total allegations in 2020.
The number of actions against teaching licenses in the above districts since 2000:
- Chesapeake City had 12 licensure actions.
- Chesterfield County had 25 licensure actions.
- Henrico County had 31 licensure actions.
- Richmond City had 18 licensure actions.
- Stafford County had 12 licensure actions.
(Editor note: Two revocations in Warren County. March of 2017 and January 2018)
Audit finds excessive CPS caseload
Almost 53,000 children were identified as possible victims of child abuse or neglect in Virginia last year, according to the DSS. That includes mental and sexual abuse.
Of the total identified, 4,911 victims met the evidence standard in investigations. Some children experienced more than one type of abuse.
However, almost 40,000 of those children received a “family assessment response.” DSS uses that as an “alternative response” to an investigation. The assessment includes determining if there are immediate child safety concerns, the services needs of the child and family that could deter abuse or neglect, and the risk of future harm to the child.
The Office of the Inspector General released a statewide audit of CPS departments last year that recommended several ways the department could improve.
One finding from the report was that case screening was not always handled in accordance with CPS requirements. The audit found instances where referrals made to CPS, should have been assigned an investigation track instead of a family assessment track, and vice versa.
Another finding from the survey of local DSS offices throughout Virginia was that some workers feel they have an excessive caseload. There is no limit to the number of cases each CPS case worker may have at one time, according to the audit. Some offices were also reportedly understaffed.
The Inspector General’s office concluded that important details regarding a referral could be overlooked if an office was understaffed. A recommendation was to determine the appropriate workload standards for CPS staff.
There are over 40 open DSS jobs currently listed for family services positions that would work on such reports of child abuse.
Sex abuse awareness takes center stage
Forty years ago, conversations about good, bad, and secret touches were not common in Virginia schools.
The play “Hugs and Kisses” was launched in Richmond in 1983 to teach children how to identify, report, and protect themselves from sexual abuse.
The theater company estimated the play has served as an early intervention for the approximately 20,000 students who disclosed that abuse was taking place after seeing the play, according to Amber Martinez, the Virginia Repertory Theatre play coordinator.
There are about 150 performances of the play each year, and an estimated 45,000 to 55,000 students view it annually, according to Martinez.
Sexual abuse awareness education, based on state code and source interviews, is not consistently reinforced throughout Virginia schools. The “Hugs and Kisses” play is not mandatory, and schools choose how often they host the play, according to Martinez.
There has been pushback, especially in recent years, from school administrators and parents who are uncomfortable with discussion of “child sexual abuse,” according to Martinez. However, those schools will usually schedule a performance after they review the script and see testimonials, she stated over email.
“I will say that with the new governor, we’ve had, it’s been trickier, and that’s where politics and local voting is so important — it trickles down to what we teach and learn in schools,” Martinez stated.
Teaching children and adults
Each school locality can decide if it will offer family life education. Some have called FLE Virginia’s version of “sex education.”
The FLE curriculum must include age-appropriate and evidence-based programs on topics that include, among others, awareness and recognition of child sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and assault, and the meaning of consent, according to state code.
The importance of personal privacy and how to honor boundaries are also taught. The curriculum is reviewed every seven years and was last updated in 2020.
Nineteen of the state’s 132 school divisions did not offer FLE, according to a 2021 Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction survey. The greatest concentration of school divisions that did not provide FLE are in Southwest Virginia.
Republican lawmakers in 2022, as part of the governor’s efforts to promote parental rights in schools, introduced a bill to require parental consent before a child takes the FLE courses and to allow review of any of the material in advance. The bill passed the House on a party-line vote but failed to pass in the Senate.
FLE does not replace the responsibility of adults to keep children safe, Shakeshaft said. But the training could lead to an increase in reporting abuse, she said.
“We need to teach students about boundaries,” Shakeshaft said. “More importantly, we need to teach the adults better about boundaries.”
Families Forward created the Darkness to Light program curriculum, which teaches adults to identify when a child may be experiencing sexual assault, said Jamia Crockett, CEO of the organization. Families Forward work with educators and mandated abuse reporters through the school system, law enforcement and mental health professionals.
They also provide parent-peer support groups through their Circle of Parents program. This allows parents to have a peer network to connect with the proper authorities to report issues if they find out their child is a victim of sexual abuse, Crockett said.
‘Adults normalize harm’
Laurie Tasharski is the director of institutional abuse prevention for Stop Child Abuse Now in Northern Virginia. A comprehensive training approach is needed to better understand and report sexual abuse, she said. Training should focus on the ways children often disclose they are victims, even in ways they often “hint” at how a person makes them feel.
Instagram has become a place where young adults disclose abuse, Tasharski said.
“Kids are far, far more likely to disclose to friends or to disclose on social media than to tell an adult,” she said. “I think part of that is that adults normalize harm between kids, and adults don’t react well.”
The burden of support for a survivor or a victim falls more heavily on younger people through the ways they disclose abuse, she said.
Virginia training is more technical and focused on reporting the crime ‒ such as names of children involved and ages ‒ than it is about helping kids disclose information, Tasharski said.
“What we want to do is have conversations that make it safe for kids to say, ‘that person makes me feel uncomfortable,’” Tasharski added.
Students need more education based on preventing sexual abuse, Tasharski said. There is a focus on school security in schools, such as metal detectors and active shooter drills. This is important, she said, but the number of children who have experienced abuse is also incredibly high. Approximately 3.5 million child abuse cases are reported annually, according to SCAN.
“Prevention work is always going to feel less important than anything that ends up with the police at your door or a criminal charge,” Tasharki said. “Unfortunately, we have a system that is geared to reacting when a crime is committed instead of preventing an escalation of harm.”
By Darlene Johnson
Capital News Service
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
State News
Heavy traffic and rain forecasted for Memorial Day weekend – pack patience, plan ahead
Travel and weather forecasts for the 2023 Memorial Day weekend have the Virginia State Police strongly encouraging all drivers to be prepared before heading out to any holiday destination. Pack your patience for potential delays and congested highways due to significant traffic volume and inclement weather conditions. In addition, state police remind drivers to ditch distractions, buckle up, and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Travelers are also encouraged to “know before you go” by checking the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) 511 traffic cameras and real-time information on road conditions by dialing 511 on a phone, visiting www.511Virginia.org or downloading the 511 app.
“Virginians need to make traffic safety a priority every day and, especially as we head into the Memorial Day weekend and summer travel season,” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Memorial Day weekend is filled with celebrations, vacations, outdoor festivals, and backyard cookouts, which is why we need all motorists to share the road responsibly by driving smart, safe, and sober.”
Beginning Friday, May 26, 2023, VSP joins law enforcement around the country for the Operation Crash Awareness Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E), a state-sponsored, national program intended to reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries due to impaired driving, speed, and failing to wear a seat belt. The 2023 Memorial Day statistical counting period begins at 12:01 a.m. on May 26 and continues through midnight Monday, May 29, 2023. All available state police troopers and supervisors will be on patrol through the holiday weekend to help keep traffic moving safely and responsibly.
On Monday, May 22, 2023, state police participated in the kickoff for the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign. This enhanced enforcement and education effort aims to further emphasize the lifesaving value of seat belts for every person in a vehicle.
During the 2022 Memorial Day Operation C.A.R.E. initiative, 16 individuals lost their lives in traffic crashes on Virginia roadways.* During last year’s combined Memorial Day C.A.R.E. initiative and the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Virginia Troopers cited 4,888 speeders and 1,875 reckless drivers and arrested 90 impaired drivers. In addition, 659 individuals were cited for seat belt violations, 117 were cited for child safety restraint violations, and 144 felony arrests were made. Virginia State Police also assisted 1,735 disabled motorists.
With the increased patrols, VSP also reminds drivers of Virginia’s “Move Over” law, which requires motorists to move over when approaching an emergency vehicle stopped alongside the road. If unable to move over, then drivers are required to cautiously pass the emergency vehicle. The law also applies to workers in vehicles equipped with amber lights.
State News
States see record low unemployment across the U.S.
Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people, and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.
Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by South Dakota at 1.9%, followed by Nebraska at 2%, and New Hampshire and North Dakota at 2.1%. The national rate was 3.4%. Other states that saw their unemployment rates reach levels not seen since the BLS began recording them in 1976 include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, according to BLS data released on Friday.
Virginia unemployment
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1% in April, a slight decrease from its March rate and below the national rate of 3.4%. A May 19 press release from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office also noted the state recorded its highest labor force participation rate since June 2014 in April, at 66.2%.
“The Virginia labor market continues to show strength during the first part of 2023,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “Despite large gains in labor force participation, filling open positions remains a challenge for businesses in the commonwealth, and we remain laserfocused on getting more Virginians into the workforce.”
Recent data from the Virginia Employment Commission also found there was just under one unemployed worker for every two job openings in Virginia in March 2023 — a measurement known as the “job seekers ratio.” That ratio has held steady since July 2021.
Mark Vitner, the chief economist at Piedmont Crescent Capital in Charlotte, North Carolina, said major metropolitan areas and emerging metropolitan areas in the South have benefited from recent shifts in the labor market. In Florida, the labor market in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville has been growing rapidly, he said.
“Huntsville, Alabama, is one of the fastest growing markets, and it’s a big tech market in aerospace and in defense. We’ve seen a huge influx from California into Huntsville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, has seen an influx of investment in the automotive industry,” he said. “The Port of Savannah has been the fastest-growing port in the country. It’s just fueled enormous growth in the industrial market in Savannah and, more broadly, in south Georgia. These markets have low unemployment rates and very strong job growth, and so that’s what you want to see that mix of.”
Vitner added that the rural areas of states with low unemployment may have a different story to tell.
“States that have a larger rural population tend to have lower labor force participation, and given the stronger overall job growth, it results in some very low unemployment rates without particularly strong nonfarm employment,” Vitner said.
To be sure, in some states, the number of people who have lost work has increased. Ten states had rates of 4% or higher than the nation. Nevada, which had the highest unemployment rate in the country in 2020, has seen job gains but still had the nation’s highest rate in April, at 5.4%. States like Washington and California, which have seen large layoffs among tech companies, also have seen their job markets slightly worsen.
But the recovery has also lifted up workers often sidelined in worse economic times. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the demographics of workers and their unemployment rates for April showed that employment among Black women climbed to a 22-year high. Women’s labor force participation is also moving up. It increased by 0.6 of a percentage point in the past year.
That growth is affecting women of all ages and education levels, and Black women and Hispanic women have had some of the biggest labor force participation growth, at a 2.2% and 2.1% increase over the same period, according to an analysis from the University of Michigan’s Betsey Stevenson, a professor of economics, and Benny Docter, a senior policy analyst.
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities, while still high compared to the overall unemployment rate, is 6.3% compared to 8.3% a year ago. In March, the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24, who are already benefiting from pre-pandemic labor market conditions, marked a 70-year low at 7.5%, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In April, it dipped further for that age group to 6.5%.
“What happens when the economy is strong is that you can bring marginalized groups of workers off of the sidelines because employers are more open to different folks essentially,” said Katherine Gallagher Robbins, a senior fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Part of the consequence of this strong labor market is that you’re seeing low unemployment rates for Black workers, and in particular Black women and for disabled workers. The rates for disabled workers have been both in terms of unemployment, but also in terms of participation, really strong compared to what we have seen in years gone by.”
Gallagher Robbins added that Gen Z workers came into a very strong labor market, which bodes better for them than previous generations, but it also means they have more to lose if the economy falters soon.
“They’re hopefully in a position of setting themselves up for lifelong higher earnings, and yet they will be amongst the first to go. They tend to work in industries where there’s more churn,” she said, such as retail and hospitality.
Many industries are also showing fast job growth right now, Docter said, and growth has been largest in education and health care.
Private sector education and health services “had been the strongest job grower through the time between the last recession and 2020, and it got knocked pretty far off course in a way that was pretty atypical. Since then, we’ve seen really steady, really impressive growth most months (in those areas), and I expect that we still will for a while,” he said. “It’s nowhere near its pre-pandemic trajectory, so there’d be over 700,000 more jobs in that industry today than there are. And so there’s a lot of space there to grow if you look at the numbers this month. … There’s nothing really to say that those industries are going to falter any time soon.”
The labor market is still leaning toward greater power for workers as well, which has been positive for labor organizers, Gallagher Robbins said. Americans’ approval of labor unions has increased from 64% before the pandemic to 71% in 2022.
“[Worker bargaining] is on the rise and not accidentally. … Not everything has been successful, but those [organizing efforts] coming to the fore now, I think, are no coincidence,” she said. “That is also something that is interacting and intersecting with the economy of the moment, and if we shift back towards a place where workers have less bargaining power, I think that that’s going to have an impact on the ability to organize.”
Vitner said the retirement of Baby Boomers provides many workers with greater labor power than they previously enjoyed.
“Workers clearly have more negotiating power today. One of the things that’s in their favor is that we have a rising tide of Baby Boomers that are leaving the workforce. And that makes for a very tight labor market, and certain industries have even greater challenges because their workforce skews a bit older,” he said. “Younger workers have a bit more negotiating power, but they have a brighter outlook. They’re entering the workforce at a time where there’s going to be opportunities to advance relatively quickly.”
Inflation has made it more difficult for many workers to enjoy these gains, but that could be changing. Although inflation is still far above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, it is moderating, and wages are now outpacing inflation, at a 6.1% increase in median weekly earnings for January, February, and March compared to a year before. During the same period, there was a 5.8% rise in consumer prices. In April, average hourly earnings rose by 4.4% over the past 12 months.
by Casey Quinlan, Virginia Mercury
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sarah Vogelsong for questions: info@virginiamercury.com. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and Twitter.
Regional News
Suez Service ‘First-in call’ expands Port of VA connection to SE Asian markets
The number of first-in vessel services calling The Port of Virginia® is growing and last week the port welcomed the latest addition to that list, the ONE Munchen, which left Southeast Asia and headed straight to Virginia. Reworked service will compliment Port’s newest rail link to Memphis.
The arrival of the ONE Munchen last Tuesday at Norfolk International Terminals signals the beginning of a reworked EC4 vessel service that now has The Port of Virginia as the first US East Coast stop. The weekly service links the port with several important Southeast Asian markets.
“The cargo owners will benefit from this reworked service because a first-in port call allows them to get their cargo quicker and it gives cargo owners more markets, more options, for moving their exports and imports,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “This service is taking advantage of our ability to efficiently handle big ships, their cargo and our rail reach into critical Midwest population and manufacturing centers.”
Edwards said the reworked EC4 will pair nicely with the port’s service to its newest rail market, Memphis. In early April, the port began offering daily rail service to Norfolk Southern’s regional intermodal terminal in Rossville, which is just outside of Memphis.
“Both exporters and importers were asking us [Norfolk Southern and the port] to develop a high-quality Memphis rail service,” Edwards said. “Now we have service into Memphis, which is an important step south and west for us. Couple that with another first-in vessel call that uses the Suez Canal and this works to the advantage of cargo owners for several reasons. The first is an alternative to the US West Coast, second is speed to market and third is access to our growing rail network.”
Edwards also pointed out that The Port of Virginia was ranked the nation’s second highest performing in The Container Port Performance Index 2022 (CPPI), which was published in earlier this month. The CPPI ranks the world’s leading container ports based on data collected by World Bank, with contributions from S&P Market Intelligence IHS Markit.
“Our performance is a clear reason why we are attracting first-in vessel calls and new rail services,” Edwards said. “Our ability to service vessels and get them back to sea quickly and safely is being recognized by independent sources. We have a $1.4 billion expansion effort underway and the improvements we are making are going create even greater efficiency and continue to drive cargo to and through this port.”
In the report, Virginia’s port was 52nd out of the world’s top 370 ports. The rankings are based on total number of hours a ship spends at a port, which is measure as the elapsed time between when a ship reaches a port to its departure from the berth having completed its cargo exchange.
There are four ocean carriers in the EC4 service, ONE (Ocean Network Express), Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming and HMM (Hyundai Merchant Marine), that all contribute vessels to the service; the 14,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) ONE Munchen is owned by ONE. The port call rotation includes Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Hong Kong Yantian, Cai Mep, Singapore, (Suez Canal transit), Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, New York.
State News
Virginia State Police honors fallen heroes at 2023 memorial service
In an emotion-filled ceremony, the Virginia State Police gathered together with their families and communities on May 24, 2023, to remember the heroes of law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The event highlighted the dedication and courage of these officers, echoing the sentiment that their duty, honor, and selfless service will never be forgotten.
Central to this year’s Memorial Service was the unveiling and dedication of the official portrait of Captain J. Gregory Blankenship, the former division commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s (BCI) Salem Field Office. A respected figure in Virginia’s law enforcement community, Capt. Blankenship tragically passed away due to COVID-19 complications on August 7, 2021, aged 61. He devoted 28 years of his life to the service of the Virginia State Police.
Captain John Gregory Blankenship,Virginia State Police, End of Watch Saturday, August 7, 2021
In tribute, Capt. Blankenship’s portrait will be hung in the Colonel C.W. Woodson Jr. Memorial Gallery within the Virginia State Police Academy, joining the solemn ranks of 66 other brave men and women commemorated there. Blankenship is also recognized amongst the thousands honored at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Adding a personal touch to the occasion, the former Virginia State Police trooper and retired Bristol, Va. Police Chief Bill Price served as the keynote speaker. The touching harmonies of the Powhatan High School “One Voice” Concert Choir singing the National Anthem provided a stirring backdrop to the poignant ceremony.
The Memorial Service also paid tribute to 14 other law enforcement officers marking significant milestones this year, their years of passing ranging from 10 to 95 years ago. Each tribute was marked by a solemn bell toll and an Honor Guard salute, reinforcing the perpetual bond between the police force and those they have lost.
Among the honored were Inspector W. Neville Hatcher, Sergeant Charles W. Puckett, Trooper Robert E. Caldwell, and Special Agent in Charge Rodney D. Grimes, to name just a few. More information about these brave individuals can be found on the Virginia State Police’s website.
The Virginia State Police’s 2023 Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Service served as a poignant reminder of the risks law enforcement officers undertake every day to serve and protect their communities and the enduring respect and honor they hold for their fallen comrades. As the gathered crowd slowly dispersed, it was clear that the legacy of these brave individuals continues to inspire the current and future generations of Virginia’s law enforcement.
State News
Attorney General Miyares sues Avid Telecom over illegal robocalls
On May 23, 2023, Attorney General Jason Miyares sued Michael D. Lansky, LLC, which does business under the name Avid Telecom, its owner Michael Lansky, and Vice President Stacey S. Reeves, for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people and violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.
“Avid Telecom refuses to stop their robocalls, despite receiving over three hundred warnings. They have routed nearly 235,000,000 calls to numbers with Virginia area codes. Avid Telecom even went as far as spoofing the Caller ID numbers of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Virginia State Police. It’s obvious that the only way to get this organization to stop harassing Virginians is by taking them to court and holding them accountable,” said Attorney General Miyares.
Avid Telecom is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider that sells data, phone numbers, dialing software, and/or expertise to help its customers make mass robocalls. It also serves as an intermediate provider and allegedly facilitated or helped route illegal robocalls across the country. Between December 2018 and January 2023, Avid sent or attempted to transmit more than 24.5 billion calls. More than 90 percent of those calls lasted less than just 15 seconds, which indicates they were likely robocalls. Further, Avid helped make hundreds of millions of calls using spoofed or invalid caller ID numbers, including more than 8.4 million calls that appeared to be coming from government and law enforcement agencies, as well as private companies.
Avid Telecom allegedly sent or transmitted scam calls about Social Security Administration scams, Medicare scams, auto warranty scams, Amazon scams, DirecTV scams, credit card interest rate reduction scams, and employment scams. Examples of some of these scam calls are available to listen to here and here.
The USTelecom-led Industry Traceback Group, which notifies providers about known and suspected illegal robocalls sent across their networks, sent at least 329 notifications to Avid Telecom that it was transmitting these calls, but Avid Telecom continued to do so.
Today’s legal action arises from the nationwide Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 bipartisan attorneys general. In August, Attorney General Miyares joined this Task Force to investigate and take legal action against those responsible for routing significant volumes of illegal robocall traffic into and across the United States.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General also provided investigative assistance in this lawsuit.
Attorney General Miyares is joined in filing today’s complaint by the Attorneys General of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A copy of the complaint is available here.
State News
Virginia man sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for methamphetamine distribution and illegal firearm possession
Justine Kyle Elliott has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges and illegal firearm possession, according to U.S. officials last week.
Justine Kyle Elliott
Elliott, 33, was charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and illegal possession of firearms as a convicted felon.
The conviction can be traced back to an incident in August 2021 when Elliott was arrested in Coeburn, Virginia after police found him asleep at the wheel of a vehicle parked in a bank drive-thru. Upon searching his vehicle, authorities discovered a large quantity of methamphetamine and multiple firearms.
Elliott later confessed to his involvement in distributing methamphetamine across Southwest Virginia. He was found to have trafficked significant quantities of crystal ice methamphetamine and cocaine into the region over a sixteen-month period, including more than 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, some of which was 100% pure.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai of the ATF’s Washington Division.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with the Coeburn Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
This sentence highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to tackle drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession in the region, signaling a major victory in the war against drug-related crimes in Southwest Virginia.
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