Michael Dean Roberts, a.k.a. “Fireball,” age 54, of Saltville, Va., was arrested via a federal criminal complaint earlier this morning and charged with one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, Roberts is charged with distributing the name brand prescription pain killer Lortab, which contained the schedule III narcotic hydrocodone.

On June 08 Roberts was recorded in a phone call with a cooperating defendant and later met with the defendant in the afternoon where pills were provided. While being recorded with audio and video Roberts crushed the pills and snorted two lines and then raked the residue with his hands from the place and licked the residue from his hands

On two previous occasions the defendant provided pills to Roberts according to the criminal complaint.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Lee will prosecute the case for the United States.

]]> http://www.roanokefreepress.com/marion-virginia-police-chief-arrested-on-federal-drug-charges/feed/ 0 http://www.roanokefreepress.com/bbb-warns-of-summer-job-offer-scams/ http://www.roanokefreepress.com/bbb-warns-of-summer-job-offer-scams/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:40:10 +0000 Valerie Garner http://www.roanokefreepress.com/?p=20242 Roanoke, VA (June 19, 2013) Summer has arrived, and while too much exposure is liable to get you burned, the sun isn’t the only thing scorching Virginia residents this time of year. The summer job scam period is officially in season.

The BBB Serving Western VA is warning Virginia residents to watch out for fraudulent summer job offers that arrive each year just as students begin summer vacation. As thousands of high school and college students begin the search for seasonal work, scammers work overtime to post job offers designed to lure in this young and temporary work force.

Sites like Craigslist are a prime breeding ground for job offers that promise unrealistically high wages for doing simple tasks. Another common trend is the declaration that no experience is needed, that an applicant’s “motivation” and “drive” are experience enough.

One Troutville resident told the BBB, “They were offering $1,500 a week to stuff 500 envelopes. I knew it was a scam- when I worked at the bank I could do that in less than an hour, and I didn’t make half that salary.”

She also said that the company requested a $40 “training fee”, another common sign of work-at-home job scams.

While there are many legitimate summer job opportunities out there, Julie Wheeler, President & CEO of BBB Serving Western VA, stresses that students need to do their research before accepting an offer.

“We understand how hard it can be to find a job with little or no job experience, but be wary of any jobs that offer high salaries for that lack of experience,” said Wheeler. “The reality is many of these offers may be scams, pyramid schemes, or schemes to gather personal information.”

Here are 10 tip-offs that the “employment opportunity” could be a scam:

1. Big bucks for simple tasks. Watch out if they promise to pay you a lot of money for jobs that don’t seem to require much effort or skill. If it sounds too good to be true, it might be a scam.

2. Job offers out of nowhere from strangers. If they offer you a job without getting an application from you, meeting you, or doing an interview, it’s probably a scam. Don’t hand over your personal information, especially your Social Security Number or credit card information to such people. This could lead to identity theft.

3. Requests for up-front payments. If someone wants you to make an advance payment to partake in a new business opportunity – especially if it’s a big investment, or you don’t have much information about the deal – this is a red flag.

4. They ask you to wire the money. If you wire a payment to somebody, it’s gone forever. Wire transfers of money are a convenient and perfectly legitimate service. But scam artists often ask you to wire payments that they are requesting (especially to destinations in other countries) because they know you won’t be able to get your money back.

5. High pressure to do it now. Don’t be in a hurry to accept an unsolicited offer of work, or to make a business investment, particularly if the other party is asking you to spend your money on the deal. Take your time and check it out. If somebody tries to convince you that this is a “limited time” offer and you have to act now, just tell them to forget it. High pressure is a common sign that something’s wrong.

6. Refusal to give you full details in writing. Ask for complete information in writing. Look carefully at any documentation they might provide to make sure it answer all your questions. If they won’t give details, or don’t respond to questions, don’t do business with them.

7. References are missing or a bit suspicious. A real business should be able to give you professional references.  Ask for references and check them yourself. Even if the references seem good, don’t make your decision based on references alone. Do a careful background check; free Business Reviews are available at www.bbb.org

8. Contact information is missing or doesn’t make sense. Be very cautious if a company is trying to get you to accept a job, but seems to lack any established physical location with a real street address. A cell phone number and website address are not enough contact information.

9. They want you to buy expensive items. Be cautious if they expect you to make a major purchase of equipment, software, inventory, or information in order to get started in business. It seems like it might be a real business opportunity – but it’s not; the buyer makes the purchase and never receives the things needed to set up the business.

10. It has a bad rating with the BBB! Victims do complain to the BBB about work at home scams. It only takes minutes to check a company’s record with us at www.bbb.org

Councilman Bill Bestpitch

UPDATE: 6/18: Councilman Sherman Lea backtracks today saying he sees the pay raise issue overshadowing the good things this council has accomplished.

He will fall into line with an 8% pay raise “that equals what really is 2% which is what city employees are getting.” he said.

UPDATE 6/17: 7:45 p.m. Councilman Sherman Lea said Bill Bestpitch’s sudden reversal after his long explanation on why they should get the raise was baffling.

Lea: “I guess the pressure got to him and Anita [Price]. People can change their minds I respect that right. However on a matter of this magnitude I would expect a member  to tell a colleague  if they change their minds.  It is a matter of respect and even more trust. 

Earlier: Kicking the can down the road and placating the pleadings of Council members Ray Ferris and Dave Trinkle, Bill Bestpitch made a motion to table the vote on the second reading for the 28.5% pay raise for city council members and the 15% raise for the mayor. Council will discuss the raises at a work session on July 1. The motion was agreed to by all but Councilman Sherman Lea and Mayor David Bowers.

Three speakers addressed city council before council’s discussion with one saying he was offended by the substantial increase.

Bestpitch ran through the numbers that in summary compared raises for city employees versus pay increases for city council over the past 18 years. Bestpitch read the dates of raises: 1997 a 7.7% raise, in 2003 a 3.5% raise, in 2004 a 2.2% raise and in 2008 a 5% raise. Three of those years after 2008 they took a 5% cut that was reinstated in 2012.

Using compounding he said that city employees have received 15 raises for a total of 66% over the 18 years. For 2 of the 3 years that city employees did not receive raises and instead they were given a $1000 bonus that city council did not receive.

“It’s true city employees are not getting a 28% increase this year,” said Bestpitch. “They got their 28% a long time ago.”

In 1996 the General Assembly authorized raising the cap for local officials but Roanoke City Council decided instead to give themselves a 7.7% increase. The intention, said Bestpitch was to slowly raise council’s pay to the GA maximum over time. “Subsequent councils chose not to follow that example,” he said.

Councilman Dave Trinkle

Councilman Dave Trinkle said, “there is one big difference – we are elected leaders and are not hired city employees … it’s a voluntary position.” He was adamantly opposed to the 28% raises and thought the process of the proposed raise was flawed. “We are dishonoring previous city councils and the decisions they have made.” It should be much more incremental he said.

The GA limits don’t mean that is where we should be said Trinkle. “It doesn’t mean we should be at the limit.”

Trinkle again offered his 10% pay raise option. This would cover the contributions for benefits coming out of their paychecks similar to what city employees are facing and are being compensated for. “Hopefully future councils will tie future pay increases to what we do with our city employees,” he said. “One big leap and one big jump doesn’t honor the significant decisions that previous council members have made … you just don’t know where the economy is going to lead us years down the road.”

Councilman Ray Ferris

Councilman Ray Ferris had director of finance, Ann Shawver explain the pension and health retirement contributions going into effect in July of 2013 and 2014 for a total net reduction in pay of 6% for city employees and city council. The effect on paychecks with deductions for 6% raises comes to 8% when including tax implications and insurance premium increases.

Ferris proposed to council members intending to vote for the 28% increase that he would go along with Trinkle’s proposal. Ferris called for more discussion at a work session. “We need more than just today to do that … I will hold out the olive branch and say that I will consider something in the 8-10% range to keep us even if there is an attitude toward changing your positions on the 28.5%.”

“There are a lot of things that I flat out disagree with,” said Bestpitch. He agreed that this was not the place for more “robust discussion” and made the motion to table the ordinance until after the July 1 work session.

Few confront city council raises at public hearing

Roanoke city employee pay raises far outpace city council’s

Public Hearing notice on Roanoke City Council Raises

Roanoke City Council pay raises kicked down the road

Roanoke City Council gets paid to play for their raise

Governor Bob McDonnel

RICHMOND—Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that twenty-four Virginia cities and counties will soon be able to provide school resource officers (SROs) in schools where none are currently assigned, thanks to grants just approved by the Criminal Justice Services Board.

Funding for the grants originate from a $1.3 million appropriation requested by Governor McDonnell and approved by the General Assembly earlier this year. The recommendation was one of a series of recommendations from the Governor’s Taskforce on School and Campus Safety, convened after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Governor McDonnell remarked, “Creating a safe learning environment is paramount to insuring a high quality education. This is a vital part of our efforts to do everything we can to assure safe and secure schools for every Virginia student. We must continue to make it a priority to protect our children and those who have taken on the responsibility of caring for them while they are in the classrooms.”

In addition to providing funding for these grants, the governor and members of the Virginia General Assembly worked together on a number of school and campus safety measures that the governor detailed at a legislative signing ceremony on June 5, 2013. They include: providing additional funds for security equipment in older schools; training for school personnel, first responders and others; and expanding mental health and crisis services.

The SRO grants approved by the Board will provide funding for the salaries and benefits for school resource officers in 42 elementary, middle and high schools around the state that do not currently have an officer assigned there. Localities receiving grants will provide matching funds, with the amounts based on the Department of Education’s Composite Index of Local Ability-to-Pay.

Thirty-seven localities across the Commonwealth submitted applications in response to the solicitation that was issued earlier this spring by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). They requested more than $2.6 million in funding for 83 SROs.

Review by the DCJS staff and a subcommittee of the Criminal Justice Services Board resulted in recommendations to the full Board that were approved at the Board’s June 13 meeting.

Virginia’s U. S. Senator Tim Kaine

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today signed onto the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act – legislation that would end the ban on prescription drug price negotiations for the government’s largest health care program.

“Every corner pharmacy negotiates for prescription drug prices so it makes no sense that the federal government isn’t allowed to do the same,” said Kaine. “At a time when we continue to look at every line item of the budget for savings, this common sense measure should be adopted to make Medicare more efficient and low-cost without compromising care for Virginia seniors.”

Senate, Kaine pledged to join efforts to close this loophole in the Medicare program that served 50 million seniors across the country in 2012, including more than 1.2 million in Virginia. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act would allow Medicare to use the same price negotiation process that takes place in the Veterans Administration, in order to help lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.  Under this bill the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) would directly negotiate with drug companies to get the best possible prices for drugs purchased under the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

Economist Dean Baker determined that the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries would save $600 billion between 2006 and 2013 if Medicare were allowed to directly offer a Part D benefit and to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that, on average, the Veterans Administration pays only about 42 percent of the Average Wholesale Price (AWP) – or the suggested list price – for brand-name drugs.

Trees still litter property from July storm

Roanoke, VA (June 14, 2013) The BBB Serving Western VA is advising consumers affected by recent powerful storms to be on the lookout for storm chasers and out-of-town contractors soliciting homeowners and businesses.

“Too often we see itinerant workers swarm into Western Virginia after major storm damage,” said Julie Wheeler, President and CEO of BBB Serving Western VA. “It is not uncommon for these storm chasers to be unlicensed and full of big promises they can’t deliver. They are often long gone to another state by the time the consumer realizes the job is half-done or done incorrectly.”

In some instances, the BBB has seen out of state contractors setting up shop in the area trying to capture construction work caused by the storms. The BBB is advising local, established contractors to avoid storm chasers who may offer to pay substantial amounts of money to use their local established name, reputation and contact information. After masquerading as a local business, storm chasers can leave these companies with unsatisfied consumers and unrealistic and unfulfilled warranties.

Another common scheme involves insurance fraud, where the itinerant worker offers to deal with the consumer’s insurance company directly and suggests the homeowner not pay their deductible. Under NO circumstances can a homeowner avoid paying their deductible. Any contractor that suggests otherwise to a homeowner is committing insurance fraud. The BBB has received multiple reports since July of 2012 of contractors offering to cover deductibles and then charging higher costs to cover this expense. Consumers are encouraged to always deal with their insurance company directly and not allow a third-party to engage in negotiations for insurance coverage and settlements.

Some BBB tips:

· Start With Trust. For reliable information, lists of BBB Accredited Businesses by industry and business reviews you can trust on local companies, visitwww.bbb.org.

· Check to see that your contractor is properly licensed and is registered by your state or local agency.

· Many municipalities require a solicitation permit if sales people go do-to-door. Verify that they have to have a permit by contacting your local Township or Municipality. BBB suggests consumers be pro-active in selecting a contractor and not re-active to sales calls on the phone or door-to-door pitches.

· While most roofing contractors abide by the law, be careful allowing someone you do not know inspect your roof. An unethical contractor may actually create damage to get work. If a roofing contractor goes up onto your roof without your permission, call the police department.

· Try to get at least 3-4 quotes from contractors, and insist that payments be made to the company, not an individual.

· Do not pay for the job in advance. Be wary of any contractor who demands full or half payment upfront.

· Resist high-pressure sales tactics such as the “good deal” you’ll get only if you hire the contractor on the spot.

· Get a written contract that specifies the price, the work to be done, the amount of liability insurance coverage maintained by the contractor, and a time frame. Require a copy of their current certificate of insurance.

· Pay by credit card, if possible; you may have additional protection if there’s a problem.

· Check that the contractor’s vehicle has signs or markings on it with the business name, phone number and has your state’s license plates.

U. S. Senator Mark Warner

U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) today sent a letter to the chairmen of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, Robert F. Bauer and Benjamin L. Ginsberg, urging them to take strong steps to address the hours-long election lines that too many voters endured during the 2012 election. The Commission, a non-partisan panel created by the President earlier this year to promote more efficient elections, is set to have its first public meeting in Washington on June 21.

Sen. Warner’s efforts to protect voting rights follow an election day last November that saw extraordinarily long lines in Virginia.  Some voters in Prince William County, for instance, reported waiting in lines for up to three hours.  Wait times reportedly stretched to five hours at some voting precincts in Chesapeake, more than four at polling places in Virginia Beach, and up to three and a half in Fairfax County.

“The long lines and wait times that many voters in Virginia and across the country experienced last November were unacceptable for the world’s leading democracy,” said Sen. Warner. “We need to continue looking for opportunities to improve access to this most basic Constitutional right.”

Specifically, the Senators called on the Commission to hold public meetings in areas of the country where voters faced the longest lines so the Commissioners can hear directly from the public and seek answers from state and local election officials. For example, voters in parts of Virginia waited in lines of up to five hours, and in parts of Florida voters waited for up to seven hours to cast a ballot.

“Voters in these areas had the most difficulty in having their voices heard on Election Day, and are those most deserving of the opportunity to be heard at your public hearings,” the Senators wrote.

Sens. Warner, Boxer, Coons, and Nelson also called on the Commission to examine whether the long voting lines were the result of discriminatory behavior, given that a recent report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that African-American and Hispanic voters waited twice as long to vote as white voters during the 2012 election.

In the letter, the lawmakers urged the Commission to make specific legislative recommendations to Congress. Several bills have already been introduced in the Senate, including the LINE Act, sponsored by Sens. Boxer and Nelson, which would help ensure that no American voter has to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot, and the FAST Voting Act, introduced by Sens. Warner, Coons and others, which would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform.

“The American people will be closely watching the work of the Commission,” the Senators wrote. “The President has entrusted you with great responsibility, and we urge you to complete the mandate you have been given in a meaningful way.”

Brian Lang

Besides being involved in Boy Scouts and tutoring at the Westend Center he has taught English as a second language said Senator John Edwards in his introduction of Brian Lang for Roanoke County Board of Supervisors in the Hollins District. Twenty supporters gathered at the Hollins Library with officials like Sheriff Michael Winston attending.

“He’s a very innovative person in many ways – he has three patents,” said Edwards. “By definition that means you are an innovative human being.”

Lang, 45 is a mechanical engineer at Yokohama Tire Corporation in Salem. He has lived in Roanoke County’s Hollins District for 21 years. He is in his third-term of serving as chair of the Roanoke County Democratic Committee.

He will focus on Roanoke County being “a wonderful place to live.” Lang said while people do leave the Roanoke Valley to find jobs they return as soon as an opportunity opens.

“We’ve got far more going right than we have going wrong. I look at it as an opportunity to build on the strengths that we already have,” said Lang earlier in a phone call.

Lang himself experienced a plant closing he said and struggled to stay in the Roanoke Valley eventually finding work at Yokohama Tire. “I haven’t forgotten what it was like to be searching for a job,” he said.

Sen. John Edwards introduces Brian Lang

His campaign will place a heavy emphasis on both recruiting employers to Roanoke County and taking care of employers already here he said. He hasn’t yet defined his plan for the expected $5 million cost for Storm Water Management in the county. That is sure to be a topic for all the candidates to address.

His platform is still evolving and Lang said he will have more to say about working with Roanoke’s Economic Development effort down the road. He is committed to keeping Roanoke County’s school system at its current top ranking.

Lang said he will address the shortage of athletic fields in the county. He wants to see dog parks similar to Salem and  Roanoke City’s Highland Park facility. The cost is low he said and the county can look at using “private/public partnerships to sponsor the minimal costs of putting up fences.”

With Lang’s entrance into the race it creates a three-way contest between the Republican candidate Al Bedrosian and independent Gary Jarrell.

The Republican firehouse primary ended in a draw – both Al Bedrosian and Mike Bailey received 389 votes each on May 11. A drawing was held the following Tuesday and Al Bedrosian who is considered the tea party candidate won.

Independent Gary Jarrell is on the Roanoke County Planning Commission and has the endorsement of Hollins District board member Richard Flora who is stepping down from his BOS seat.

There are no Democratic candidates for the other contests in the Vinton district and Windsor district. Republican Jason Peters is unopposed in the Vinton district. In the Windsor district there will be a rematch between incumbent board member Ed Elswick who dropped the Republican Party label and Joe McNamara winner of the May 11 Republican Primary.

Lang said of his two opponents that they offer some parallels. “I think that those two gentleman are both very dedicated and obviously love living here too – it’s simply that we have different ideas about how to go about it.”

McNamara wins Windsor – drawing will decide Hollins Tuesday

The luck of the draw goes to Al Bedrosian

Justin Fairfax vying for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.

Justin Fairfax thanked Virginia’s voters for their support of his vision for Virginia and the Attorney General’s office. “As I’ve met voters across the Commonwealth, they have all agreed that it’s time not only for a new Attorney General, but a new kind of Attorney General – one who fights for more security and economic opportunity for all Virginians and protects and defends the Constitutional and civil rights of all Virginians. I congratulate State Sen. Mark Herring on a hard-fought race and look forward to supporting him and the entire Democratic ticket in the November general election,” Justin Fairfax stated.

“The past 10 months have been an incredible journey. I have spoken to voters across the Commonwealth about my goal to be an Attorney General who fights for our families and businesses, takes politics out of the office and restores the credibility of the Office of the Attorney General. I am humbled and honored by the great support I have received all across the state. I look forward to supporting Terry McAuliffe and the rest of our very strong Democratic ticket in November.”

Justin Fairfax is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a former Duke University trustee, and a graduate of Duke University and Columbia Law School (Columbia Law Review).

Tim Allen leaves Peters Creek Precinct to wait for returns.

Roanokers may not have been familiar with the statewide candidates in Tuesday’s Democratic primary but they were paying attention to the sheriff’s race. Many of the 291 voters at Tim Allen’s precinct at Ruffner (Peters Creek Precinct) didn’t know the names of the other statewide candidates but were there to vote for Tim Allen.

The unofficial vote totals were 1917 for Allen and 292 for his opponent Joe Bush. The total number of voters for the day was 2274.

Allen will face Octavia Johnson the incumbent Republican who is seeking her third term as Roanoke City’s sheriff and independent Travis Akins a Certified Crime Prevention Specialist for the Roanoke Police Department.

Allen has 26 years of professional law enforcement and corrections experience. He served in the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office for over 21 years reaching the rank of Lieutenant.  He worked in the Jail, in the court services division, and the DARE Program.

Allen is a certified General Instructor, Firearms Instructor, DARE Instructor, and an FBI certified Crisis Negotiator.  In 2008 he became a Captain at the Western Virginia Regional Jail. “It’s a stressful job dealing with inmates and criminals from four jurisdictions day in and day out,” said Allen.

He was a member of the Regional Jail’s transition team responsible for opening the new correctional facility in Roanoke County. In September 2010 he was promoted from Assistant Security Division Commander to Major and assumed command of the Services Division.

Allen is a graduate of the Basic Jailer Academy, Cardinal Criminal Justice Police Academy and of the National Jail Leadership Command Academy in Houston Texas.  He recently retired from the Western Virginia Regional Jail to run for Sheriff of Roanoke City, a long-time goal of his he said.

Allen said after his win he was going to have a small celebration and get some rest – “this was just the first leg of the race.”

He said of the Sheriff’s Department at a previous Democratic event that there needs to be more staff involvement. “That’s not going on right now.” There needs to be more training divvied out. “There is only about one percent of the folks that are able to get some of the training,” he said.

Phones ring off the hook in Roanoke City Registrar’s Office as numbers are tallied.

Allen wants to see Regional Cooperation to “strengthen relationships with other local and federal agencies.”

He plans to increase the inmate work crews from 2 to 4 full time crews. “This would allow the citizens of Roanoke to have work crew assigned to each quadrant of the city. It saves the taxpayers a tremendous amount of money and allows an inmate to give back to his or her community. This will help with recidivism.”

He would also address staff morale. “Having an Employee Advisory Committee will give staff an opportunity to address the issues and be a part of the solutions.”

“My focus and my goal –  if I can keep a jail clean, orderly, staff trained and people focused then certainly it’s going to be a safer place. I’m not a politician – I’m a jail administrator … I’ve truly enjoyed this process and the opportunity to get out and meet folks,” said Allen. “I’ve been well received.”

Joe Bush ran for the Democratic nomination for Sheriff in 2009 and gave it another go this year. Bush served 15 years in law enforcement and part of that time as deputy sheriff in Prince Edward County. He resigned his position as a Probation and Parole officer in the winter of 2012 to run for Roanoke City Sheriff.

Other statewide numbers in Roanoke City were Aneesh Chopra 1344 to Sen. Ralph Northam’s 738 and for Justin Fairfax 1430 to Sen. Mark Herring’s 674. Statewide Northam won for LG and Herring won the AG Democratic Primary.