Category: Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement
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Slasher Ordered to Reimburse Medical Bills of his Victim
by Kerry Dougherty Several things strike me about this crime and restitution story out of Patrick County. First, after Larry Puckett nearly stabbed Justin Hawkes to death in the fall of 2019, Mr. Hawkes incurred about $120,000 in medical bills. Because the injured man was indigent, Medicaid stepped in and negotiated the price down to…
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‘Defund the Police’ and Other Nonsense
by Joe Fitzgerald “Defund the police” is a stupid slogan. Give its proponents the benefit of the doubt, however. Maybe what they meant was return police to their core mission of protecting life and property, remove their frequent role as social worker or mental health counselor, demilitarize their responses to all but the most dangerous…
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“Who Exactly Is the University of Virginia Protecting?”
by James A. Bacon A week ago The Jefferson Council publicly questioned the decision to withhold publication of the investigation into the University’s failure to prevent the Nov. 13, 2022, mass shooting. We were particularly perplexed by who made the decision to delay release of the report until after the trial of the defendant, Christopher…
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A VSU Officer was Shot and Left Paralyzed. At Thanksgiving, Readers Can Help Him and His Family
by James C. Sherlock Virginia State University (VSU) Police Officer Bruce Foster, 38, was shot on November 12. He had chased down a suspect who was causing an early Sunday morning disturbance on campus. Officer Foster was shot from behind while making the arrest. He remains hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down. The five-year…
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The Suppressed Report on the UVa Murders
by James C. Sherlock President James Ryan of the University of Virginia has decided to suppress the results of a written request that he and the Rector made to the Attorney General …to conduct an independent review of the University’s response to the shooting, as well as the efforts the University undertook in the period…
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Bari Weiss: “You are the Last Line of Defense”
by James C. Sherlock Video courtesy of the Free Press. See that link for a full transcript. I recommend it to everyone. Bari Weiss recently delivered a speech that will be long remembered. She offered eloquence in the service of experience, sorrow and determination. And defined the internal, and existential, threat to America. I will…
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Democratic General Assembly Would Be Much Softer on Crime
from Liberty Unyielding Democrats are slightly favored to win control of Virginia’s legislature in this year’s election, although the election will be very close. If they take over, the legislature will become much softer on crime than it is now, because incoming Democratic leaders are more left-wing than their mainstream liberal predecessors. For example, if…
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Governor Youngkin Steps to Curb Anti-Semitic Activities – How about Law Enforcement?
by James C. Sherlock Governor Glenn Youngkin took action today with an Executive Directive to “Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Religious Bigotry in the Commonwealth and on Campuses.” It is excellent, and we look forward to immediate steps by other actors in the Commonwealth.
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Crime and Punishment in Charlottesville
by James C. Sherlock UVa and Harvard are the two campuses most often cited by the national and world press as homes to the worst actors after October 7. It is easy work. I posted a column on Saturday making a series of recommendations for actions by the University of Virginia to protect its Jewish…
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Miyares Moves to Support Israel
from The Republican Standard In the wake of the attack on Israel carried out by terrorist organization Hamas last week, Attorney General Jason Miyares is calling upon Virginia law enforcement agencies to help Israelis fight for their lives in a new way. Fox News obtained copies of a letter distributed to over 100 sheriffs’ offices…
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No Parole for Killers, No Matter How Old
by Kerry Doherty Autumn, with its crisp temperatures, pumpkin spice and vibrant colors, seems to be everyone’s favorite season. Not Paige O’Shaughnessy’s. In fact, each year when the season changes she’s reminded of the hellish fall of 2000. That was the year her husband, Timothy O’Shaughnessy, 40, was murdered in his downtown Norfolk office. It…
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Democrats for Crime Witnesses and Victims
by Dick Hall-Sizemore For those readers of this blog who contend that Democrats and “progressive” prosecutors are fixated on not prosecuting violent criminals and ignoring the needs of witnesses and victims, I have some good news for you. Witness Protection Since 1994 Virginia has had a statute authorizing the Virginia State Police to establish a…
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A Day in Court
by Dick Hall-Sizemore I spent some time today observing proceedings in Henrico County District Court. (No, I was not a defendant.) I recommend the experience to anyone interested in seeing how the criminal justice system works in real life. District court is the venue for hearing traffic offenses and misdemeanors. It also hears more serious…
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Data to Ponder
According to the websites of the State Compensation Board and the Department of Corrections, the starting salary for a correctional officer or deputy sheriff is $44,100. Based on information submitted to the Department of Education by local school divisions, the starting salary for teachers in 34 school divisions in school year 2022-2023 was lower than…