A taxi cab driver was robbed Wednesday afternoon and two suspects are being sought, according to South Boston Police Chief Jim Hall.
The incident occurred on Jewell Street and Supthin Road at about 1:55 p.m. when cab owner Leo Humphries was robbed of an undetermined amount of money, according to the investigation.
No weapon was used or seen during the robbery, police said.
"This is what we call a 'snatch and grab' situation," commented Chief Hall. "The passengers grabbed his wallet and fled into a nearby wooded area."
The two suspects were described as black males in their early twenties, wearing light jackets, Chief Hall said.
They were fares in Humphries cab prior to the robbery, and were even taken to a convenience store on Wilborn Avenue where they purchased something to drink, police said.
No injuries occurred during the incident.
Police are asking anyone with any information to contact the South Boston Police Department at 575-4271 or the Halifax County Crime Stoppers at 575-8477 or 476-8477.
Public hearings on proposed amendments to the county code for the construction of farm buildings and an increase in solid waste fees will be held during Monday night's meeting of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
The public hearings are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., while the regular monthly meeting of the board is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the second floor public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Office Complex in Halifax.
One proposed amendment specifies that enforcement of code violations in existing buildings shall be based upon complaint or notification, or upon discovery by building department personnel.
The second proposed amendment requires that farm buildings and structures obtain appropriate permits for construction or related activities, and to exempt such buildings and structures from Uniform Statewide Building Code requirements and from the Building Permit Fee Schedule, provided buildings and structures are located on a parcel assigned a Farm Number, officials said.
The third proposed amendment requires that a permit fee in an amount that is double the standard fee shall be charged for initiation of construction work prior to obtaining appropriate permits.
The board will also hold a public hearing to amend the county code on the fees charged to owners and renters of solid waste containers that are emptied by the county.
Those proposed fee changes are from $2.25 per cubic yard to $4.00 per cubic yard, with a minimum fee of $16.00 for a four-cubic yard container; $24.00 for a six-cubic yard container; and $32.00 for an eight-cubic yard container.
Individuals requiring special assistance to attend and participate in the hearings should contact the Halifax County Planning and Zoning Office at (804) 476-3310, prior to the meeting.
Early one September morning last year, Earl and Laura Crowe got the telephone call all parents fear.
First, a friend called to say their son had been in an automobile accident.
"We called the hospital and they said to come over there," recalled Laura Crowe.
A second call to their house brought the news that changed their lives forever, Robert Crowe, 16, had not survived the accident.
Laura Crowe fought back the tears this week as she recalled the horror of that September night, but her message was one of hope.
Robert Crowe had been an organ donor, and last week the Crowe family, as well as other Virginia families, accepted the Medal of Life presented by Gov. George Allen during a special ceremony in Richmond.
"Sixteen hundred Virginians gave the second chance at life or enhanced the quality of someone's life through organ, tissue or eye donation," Gov. Allen told those assembled in Richmond. "On behalf of the people of Virginia, Susan and I express our heartfelt gratitude, respect and admiration for your caring act."
Robert Crowe's "Most Precious Gift of All: Life" is one Laura Crowe describes as helping bring a degree of peace to family survivors.
For Robert, she recalled, the decision to be an organ donor came early in life.
"When Robert turned 15 and got his Learner's Permit, he was learning to drive a straight gear," recalled his mother. "We were talking and I asked him if he had thought about donating his organs."
Robert, she said, was positive about the idea. They talked about what it could mean to someone in need of a transplant ...and then the subject was dropped.
"When his daddy carried him to get his Driver's License at age 16, he asked him the same thing, and Robert said, 'Yes,'" recalled Laura Crowe.
The 16-year-old high school athlete would become a donor that year.
On Sept. 14, Robert and two passengers in the vehicle he was driving were involved a two-vehicle collision that would claim all three of their lives.
Robert's license, signifying he was a donor, was not immediately found at the scene, although authorities soon discovered it.
The hospital called the Crowe's house the day following the nighttime collision.
Laura Crowe still remembers the woman's call. "She said she knew it was a bad time, and said she was sorry about all that had happened. Then she asked if we would like to help another life."
Laura Crowe agreed to all but one request, one involving Robert's legs. "I wanted his body together," she said quietly.
"Robert donated his eyes and the main arteries to his heart, which saved two lives," she continued. "We got a letter from the eye bank and from another group.
"When we got the first letter about the eyes, we were really happy. My husband said, 'Well, two people got to see.'"
The Crowes have been told they will meet the transplant recipients, but they do not know when that will occur.
"I think it is a gift of God to help others," said Laura Crowe. "If we can help give the gift of life to someone else ... You know your child or a person can have the feeling in their heart that this person helped another life to see or to breathe. And it puts a little ease on you. It is hard to lose a child, but I know he is in a better world than we could ever be ...because he was a good boy. And he was saved."
A slender 6'2" high school wrestler at the time of his death, Robert Crowe is remembered by his mother as "a caring boy, laughing and ready with a joke."
In a school project, his mother discovered the high school student's hopes for the future. "Go to college, work for NASA in computer science, have a nice brick home, a fast boat and a nice supportive wife who loved him. And a 4X4 pickup," added Mrs. Crowe.
Robert Crowe's legacy lives on today not only in those he has already helped, but also in a new Crowe family legacy. Earl, Laura and Robert's younger brother, Roger, are all organ donors.
"I would highly suggest this to anybody, to help another life," said Mrs. Crowe. "It is a wonderful feeling knowing that you have helped someone else. It is a gift of God."
Three students of the Halifax County High School are facing felony and misdemeanor sexual charges which stem from an alleged incident that took place at the school on June 3, according to the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Their names were not released due to their ages. They are listed as a 15-year-old white female, a 17-year-old black male, and a 16-year-old black male, according to court documents.
The female was charged with a felony count of sodomy and a misdemeanor count of fornication; the 17-year-old male was charged with a felony count of sodomy and a misdemeanor count of fornication; and the 16-year-old male was charged with a felony count of sodomy, according to police.
After an extensive investigation spearheaded by Investigator C.A. Bates, the resulting charges were quite different from initial allegations that were reported.
Juvenile petitions, including felony counts of rape, forcible sodomy and abduction, were originally sought for the black males, while the female was listed as a "victim."
In the outset of the investigation, the female was described as "intimidated enough to go with the group to a secluded section of the school," where the alleged incident took place "against her consent," according to the earlier police report.
Two of the males were not charged after the conclusion of the investigation because they did not directly participate in the alleged incident, police said.
A teacher walked upon the scene, effectively breaking the incident up shortly after 1:30 p.m. on what was the second to the last day of the 1996-97 school year, according to the investigation.
The three are expected to be free on bond pending their trials in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, police pointed out.
Block scheduling will be the focus of a Wednesday night meeting for parents of high school and middle school students.
Halifax County High School principal Larry Clark said that Wednesday night's meeting, set for 7:50 p.m. in the high school cafeteria, is one of critical importance for parents of students in grades 9-11 at the high school and parents of students currently in the eighth grade at Halifax County Middle School.
The Parents Meeting is being held in conjunction with Halifax County High School's Open House/Parent Visitation Program which will start at 6 p.m.. Wednesday. Parents will have a chance to visit with teachers from 6 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. and then attend the Parents Meeting in the school cafeteria at 7:50 p.m.
Although the Halifax County School Board has not formally acted to implement the 4x4 Block Schedule format at Halifax County High School for the 1998-99 school year, it did give Clark the nod to take initial steps toward implementing the block scheduling format next year including staging student registration.
During the three week period that students will be in school between now and the start of the Christmas holidays, students will register for their 1998-99 classes based upon a 4x4 Block Schedule format.
Clark will present the registration data along with other pertinent information including potential impacts on staffing, the building, and other related areas to the county school board at the school board's January 12 meeting.
And, with student registration looming close on the horizon and the major impact that block scheduling will have on high school programs, Clark says it is essential that parents attend this meeting so that they will better understand what may be in the works for their children next year.
"What we will do," Clark said, "is present parents an overview of the 4x4 Block Schedule that we envision will be implemented here at the high school for the 1998-99 school year."
"We will begin with what a typical school day would look like and when school would begin and end, something that I think is a big concern of parents," added Clark.
"We will talk about things such as how we would handle lunch, how many minutes we would give students between classes, especially considering that they will have been sitting in class for about 90 minutes, and information dealing directly with the instructional program."
In discussing the instructional program, Clark said that information would be given concerning student registration for the 1998-99 school year which will begin immediately, how two period courses will be handled, how Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses will be handled, and how sequential courses will be handled. Graduation requirements and the new Standards of Learning will also touched upon during the meeting.
"We will give parents an opportunity to ask questions and we will do our best to answer them," Clark stated.
Virginia Hailey McCullock, 63, of 1103 Jennings Lane, Nathalie died Friday, November 28, 1997 at Woodview Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Dick Lewis McCullock.
Mrs. McCullock was born in Halifax County on August 18, 1934 the daughter of Samuel Hailey and Burley East Hailey Jones. She was a member of Clover Bottom Baptist Church.
Survivors include three sons, Richard T. McCullock of Lynch Station, Joseph W. McCullock of Nathalie, and Samuel L. McCullock of South Boston; three daughters, Elizabeth McCullock of Appomattox, Shirley Shotwell of Nathalie and Eva Nelson of South Boston; eight grandchildren, J.R. Shotwell, Samantha Shotwell, Joseph Shotwell, all of Nathalie, Alyssa Nelson, Libby Nelson, Geena Nelson, all of South Boston, Bess Rowland and Jason Rowland, both of Lynch Station; three brothers, Dewey Hailey of Lynchburg, Roy Hailey of Danville and Richard Hailey of South Boston; six sisters, Myrtle Epperson of Gladys, Janie Childress of Madison Heights, Dolly Danner of Powhatan, Zadie Francis of Altavista, Margaret Pauley of Seaford, DE, and Frances Simpson of Lanexa.
Funeral services for Mrs. McCullock were held Sunday, November 30 at 4 p.m. at Henderson Funeral Home chapel with Revs. Charles O'Roark and Ed Melvin officiating. Burial was at Clover Bottom Baptist Church cemetery.
Bertha Lee Spradlin West, born in Lynchburg on October 2, 1898, died at her home at 801 Marshall Avenue, South Boston on November 26, 1997. She was the daughter of the late Thomas Green Spradlin and Dora Stone Spradlin and was widow of Frank Merritt West. She was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church.
Survivors of Mrs. West include one son, Dr. Frank M. West Jr. and wife, Margaret Poling West of Altavista; one daughter, Dora W. Stubblefield and husband, Tom Stubblefield of South Boston; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren and a devoted friend and companion, Mrs. Nannie Lucy Cliborne.
The funeral was held Friday, November 28 at 2 p.m. at Main Street United
Methodist Church with Revs. Janet Given and Dean Miller conducting the service.
Burial was in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Clinton Wayne Tuck of 1101 Florida Trail, Virgilina died November 30, 1997
at his home at the age of seven.
He was born December 8, 1989 in Halifax County the son of Victor David Tuck Jr. and Sherry Bowen Tuck. He attended Grace Baptist Church.
Graveside services will be held Tuesday, December 2 at 2 p.m. at North Fork Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Jack Stewart officiating.
Survivors include his parents; one sister, Samantha Nicole Tuck of the home; maternal grandparents, Thomas and Linda Bowen of Virgilina; paternal grandparents, Nancy and Jimmy Hatcher of South Boston and Victor and Mildred Tuck of Virgilina; maternal great-grandmothers, Doris Bowen and Verlie Carter, both of Virgilina; and paternal great-grandmother, Minnie Thomas Waggoner of Hopewell.
The family will receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home tonight, December 1 from 7 until 8:30, and other times at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Ronald McDonald House, PO Box 4005, Charlottesville, VA 23903.