Too Many Pieces of the 14th Street Pier Puzzle Don’t Fit

by Kerry Dougherty

Day two and we have more questions than answers about what happened Saturday morning on the 14th Street pier in Virginia Beach.

Yes, we know an SUV drove through two barriers and off the end of the pier. We learned that strong ocean currents and murky water are creating problems for those trying to haul it to the surface.

But get a load of what the police will say when they know the local news media don’t know how to ask follow up questions. (This is from the local newspaper):

Police have not determined who was operating the vehicle, nor do they know if anyone else was inside, according to Virginia Beach police spokesman Jude Brenya. While authorities have identified the type of vehicle, an SUV, police are not releasing the make or model to avoid causing “a panic,” he said.

A PANIC? Seriously?

What the heck are they talking about? What kind of panic? Is this some sort of alien craft? A self-driving Tesla? A Chinese spy SUV?

Ridiculously, the newspaper mentions that a car that went into the drink 15 years ago on the Peninsula was only recently brought to the surface.

Hellooooo.

In that case, the driver escaped. There was no sense of urgency. Who cared if the car ever surfaced?

This is different. They supposedly don’t know who was driving the car and whether there were passengers.

There’s more secrecy surrounding this submerged car than any other since Ted Kennedy drove his black Oldsmobile off a bridge and drowned Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but too many pieces of this puzzle do not fit. Some of this is because of an uncurious press corps not asking questions and some is due to public officials who seem to have forgotten who pays their salaries and who pays for the equipment they use for rescue and recovery.

Give us the facts about this tragedy. We can handle it.

These bizarre obfuscations are not helping.

We promise not to panic.

Republished with permission from Kerry: Unemployed and Unedited

.


Share this article



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)


Comments

65 responses to “Too Many Pieces of the 14th Street Pier Puzzle Don’t Fit”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar

    Oh so now it’s more than bad news reporting? The police are also failing?

    geeze… this sounds like a “Karen” ?

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Looks like the grill of a Jeep to me. Wayne would probably be better at recognizing.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WSmBQfi6vM

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Looks like the grill of a Jeep to me. Wayne would probably be better at recognizing.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WSmBQfi6vM

      1. It does look like the grill from a later model Jeep Cherokee or Wagoneer. Of course, some 2019-2023 Hyundai Santa Fe s have a similar looking grill.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Knew I could count on you. I ruled out Hummer since the end of the pier would have gone with it.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar

        wow! had no idea this retro censoring was a thing!

  2. Carlyle Gregory Avatar
    Carlyle Gregory

    Thank you for making my day. Gross stupidity needs to be spotlighted. Panic indeed.

  3. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    So, Karen, what about Taylor Swift?

  4. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead

    My guess is a Thelma and Louise reenactment.

  5. Is VBPD missing any vehicles?

  6. DJRippert Avatar

    I assume the panic the police are trying to avoid is a panic by other owners of the same make & model SUV. If the SUV couldn’t be stopped by the driver, that might well cause a panic among other owners of the same make and model. Of course, if the crash was caused by a mechanical failure, a bit of panic by owners of the same type vehicle is perhaps warranted.

    My bet?

    A standard suicide or murder – suicide.

    1. Are both Dem Senators accounted for?

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      A body dump? A spectacular body dump. In the video, I see brake lights.

  7. It must be lot of work looking for reasons to stay annoyed, frustrated, and/or angry all the time..

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      For some, it’s life-affirming.

  8. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    They probably know exactly who drove, who else was in the vehicle, and what make and model it is. At least based on missing person reports. If not on the pier they must have CCTV footage from the street outside the pier.

    1. And they do not release such information until they have contacted next-of-kin. That’s pretty much standard operating procedure – and it has not even been three full days since the incident.

      1. DJRippert Avatar

        True, and the police need to determine who was in the car. Until they get it out of the water, they won’t know if there were any passengers.

        1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
          Eric the half a troll

          But… Kerry must know now!!!

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            GAWD, I’d hate to be an elected or local “official” where Kerry lives… geeze

            A couple or three like that and in your district and “serving” citizens takes on a whole new meaning.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Neighbor, relative, doctor, tree trimmer, lawn service, pet, …

          3. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            “This job would be great if it weren’t for the customers!”

          4. LarrytheG Avatar

            What? You havent turned in yet? No wonder you’re not up at 6 in the am! 😉

          5. LarrytheG Avatar

            What? You havent turned in yet? No wonder you’re not up at 6 in the am! 😉

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Somebody important? I remember a bolt from the blue in 1968/9 hit a couple of blocks from us around 57th Street.

      Virginia Beach does give deference to certain people, like sealed divorce records, etc.

      1. Turbocohen Avatar
        Turbocohen

        Small world, lived on 54th for 27 years.. What bolt from the blue?

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          On a nice clear summer day, a brief rain shower moved in. A single bolt of lightning struck and killed Becky Godwin, Governor Godwin’s 16-year old daughter.

          1. Turbocohen Avatar
            Turbocohen

            This occurred a few blocks from our house. There was thunder offshore and locals know to get out before it arrived. VSP apparently did not. She was 13.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            13? Okay. Memories… misty watercolor… yada, yada, yada. Gimme a break, it was 55 years ago and now I’m old!

    3. LarrytheG Avatar

      I agree but why does Kerry think she is ENTITLED to that info?

    4. DJRippert Avatar

      Exactly right. Unless Virginia Beach is the least “camera-full” city in America, they already have the license plates and know who owns the car.

  9. Wow. Talk about instant gratification. It’s been two-and-half-days. The vehicle is at the bottom of the ocean in an area that never has calm water. The police most likely do not even know the make, model, year of the vehicle involved, never mind a license plate number.

    Salvage diving is difficult and dangerous even in the best of conditions, and the end of that pier will never be ‘the best of conditions’, especially in winter.

    If you are so impatient for answers, why don’t you put on a mask and some fins, strap on a tank and dive off that pier yourself. I’m sure you’d get to the bottom of this in just a few minutes – and probably end up trapped there until your air ran out.

    Please give the professionals who handle situations like this a little bit of time to work.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      re: ” The vehicle is at the bottom of the ocean in an area that never has calm water. ”

      and strong currents.. that car could be on it’s way to Florida… or some such…

      1. Yes, but It’d most likely be moving north-northeast, following the Gulf Stream.

        Nova Scotia, perhaps… 😉

    2. LarrytheG Avatar

      I’d agree on fins and strap and don’t forget the weights… then go show the professionals how to do it!

      1. Yes. Weights. You can never have on enough weights…

        😎

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          She. Not you. Unless…

  10. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Panic by relatives of missing persons.
    There’s a Petersburg woman went missing Dec 10 in her red Jeep.

    https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/the-tri-cities/petersburg-police-ask-publics-help-to-find-missing-40-year-old-woman/

    Then there was an Amber Alert, eventually cancelled, but the suspected abductor was driving a Jeep. The cancellation indicated the missing girl had been found but said nothing about the suspect.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      I would imagine if the police have the plate , they’re in touch with the owner and go from there but it won’t be provided to Kerry as a courtesy….

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        “But, but, I’m deserving!” (Stomping her Pappagallo pumps)

    2. Panic by relatives of missing persons.

      Exactly!

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        The very reason they used vehicle, not car, not SUV, not ute, not golf cart, not…

  11. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Dang! IRS Direct Rollout is available. But, alas, not for Virginia.

    Virtually unusable. Only certain States, but some include the State tax returns too.

    Can’t use if you itemize. Okay, not many do nowadays. 1099INT < $1200. Meh, okay. No 1099R, 1099DIV, 1099B income. Wipes out a lot of Boomers who saved in IRAs or had pension plans, or invested.

    But, it’s a start. It will be a godsend for young workers that don’t use the Marketplace for healthcare insurance.

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      So it’s basically an electronic version of the discontinued 1040EZ?

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        More automated. More like commercial software, which is why the commercial companies are fighting it.

        Max income about 79K I think. After that no “free”, you need to pay someone or do the “free file” which is pretty manual I think.

        Interactive software would guide you through the process. Would ask if you have a IRA or earn 1099misc income, have ACA insurance, etc.. then once it knows the first, it will ask a series of other questions to get you on proper schedules and thence into the 1040.

        AARP (and others like United Way) has done some of this using commercial tax software that the IRS has contracted with and certified the tax counselors. Called VITA/TCE.

        They get you to Efile – if rejected, they fix until it is successful and hopefully reduces the chance of getting an IRS “letter” about some error that was made.

        AARP/United way others also are starting to offer “guided” returns where you sit down with the tax software and do all the keying in and there are some counselors in the room who can come help if needed and/or do what is called a “Quality Review” which is an independent check of the return by an experienced counselor before it is efiled.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Max income $200K for IRS Direct.

          Or did you mean the commercial stuff?

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Max income $200K for IRS Direct.

          Or did you mean the commercial stuff?

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            I thought I saw 79k. where did you see 200K?

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            “You can’t use Direct File if your wages are more than $200,000 ($160,200 if you had more than one employer).

            You can’t use Direct File if you’re using the filing status Married Filing Separately and your wages are more than $125,000.”

            You can’t use Direct File if you file a joint federal tax return and one of the following is true:

            Your spouse’s wages are more than $200,000 ($160,200 if your spouse had more than one employer)

            You and your spouse’s total wages are more than $250,000

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Yep. It’s one of the + links

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Yep. It’s one of the + links

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        I never understood the 1040A, EZ, and now the SR. It’s just fewer lines than the 1040, most of which are readily identified as being N/A. On the other hand, reading the 1040 instructions line-by-line is always a worthwhile endeavor. Looking for loopholes. Looking for loopholes.

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          I’ve only filed on the 1040EZ maybe two or three years, and it was before I bought a house.

        2. LarrytheG Avatar

          OBE… once they figured out that the postcard idea was never going to happen?

          What kind of rube believes taxes can be done on a postcard?

          Senators and Congressmen?

          big changes to 1099K…(third party payment organizations)

          reporting threshold 20K this year, $600 next year. Gonna get ugly.

  12. walter smith Avatar
    walter smith

    Still no panic in Va Beach?
    Is it safe yet?
    I’ll be there in April…
    What if Covid is there, too?

    1. DJRippert Avatar

      Remember the Northam Directive:

      1. Wear a mask, even when sleeping alone.
      2. Don’t go to the beach.
      3. No drinking after 10:00 pm (that’s when COVID is at its most virulent).
      4. Be home by midnight. Nothing good ever happens after midnight.
      5. No music on the beach.

      1. walter smith Avatar
        walter smith

        And he is a doctor!

  13. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    … Dozens of people lined the boardwalk and watched as divers extracted the car. Some said they had waited days for this moment.

    “My heart has been with the family,” said one woman**. “It’s just so sad, you can’t comprehend it.”…

    **Well, we know who she wasn’t.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      Ambulance chasers who are “concerned”?

    2. LarrytheG Avatar

      Ambulance chasers who are “concerned”?

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        No, I was thinking of the indignant who wondered who might panic.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar

          modern day society is butt ugly on some things… I blame social media…. birds of a feather
          and all that and what is that thing where a msg goes out and a crap load of people show up?

          You know, with all the issues ongoing in our world… these folks have time to go see this
          kind of thing… nothing else going on in their lives so they trundle on down to get a look-see.
          It’s like these folks in front of you on a highway and something happens and they all eyes and brakelights.

  14. RTD says a body was found in the SUV.

Leave a Reply