©2011 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photo By Tommy Stafford : Incumbent Sheriff David Brooks at Thursday's recount of his November 8th election. Brooks will retain his seat after a recount was completed and showed him picking up additional votes.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
As we first told you here earlier in the day Thursday, a recount was being held in the Noveber 8th Sheriff’s race in Nelson County. NCL can confirm the recount is completed and Nelson Sheriff Brooks has won the recount. Nelson County Election Registrar, Jackie Britt, notified NCL just moments ago to confirm the final totals:

W. David Brooks – 2613
Mac E. Bridgwater, Jr. – 2599

Bridgwater also picked up some votes and we are working to get those final numbers to post.

As of this post, the three circuit judges charged with overseeing the recount are now filling out paperwork and certifying the recount.

More shortly.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia

Updated 11.13.11 11:00 AM EST

On Sunday morning 11.13.11 Jackie Britt the Election Registrar with Nelson County emailed NCL and verified the information from her office. “The Electoral Board finished the canvass Thursday evening. The result was that David Brooks gained 3 votes and Mac Bridgwater gained 1. There is now eleven votes separating them. Bridgwater can now file a petition requesting a recount.”

More as we know.

NCL has been told that a recent canvassing by the Nelson County Board of Elections shows the results slightly changed with Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks now showing a total of 11 votes over closest challenger Mac Bridgwater who also picked up an additional vote over the Tuesday night totals. “Election Registrar Jackie Britt has confirmed to me the changes in the total,” Sheriff Brooks said by telephone mid-afternoon Friday November 11th.

NCL attempted contact with Nelson Registrar Jackie Britt, but all local non-essential governments offices are closed due to the Veteran’s Day holiday.

Mac Bridgwater returned our call Friday evening and did confirm the numbers to be the same as reported above. “We are still looking at a possible recount. We’re looking into some other things right now and the state will certify the election soon. At that point we have the option for a recount after a 10 day waiting period,” Bridgwater said in a phone message to NCL.

More updates as we know them.

Original Post from 11.9.11
The day after polls in Nelson County closed in an election that granted incumbent David Brooks a narrow a 9-point victory margin in the Sheriff’s race, challenger Mac Bridgwater says he is seeking a recount.

“Someone’s got to win and someone’s got to lose. At this point, we’re trying to find out who won,” Bridgwater said in a phone interview Wednesday morning. Which is why, Bridgwater explains, he has yet to concede the race.

Brooks’ 2606 votes, 9 more than Bridgwater’s 2597, allows for a recount under state law. Nelson County Election Registrar Jackie Britt said the local election board was canvassing results Wednesday, and that as of Wednesday afternoon, her office had yet to receive a formal recount request in the Sheriff’s race. Britt said once the canvassing is completed and the election is certified locally (which must happen within three business days), “… a 10-day waiting period begins before a formal recount can actually be requested.” According to Britt, a recount can be requested by a challenger when there is a less than 1% difference in the totals.

Acknowledging that he is delving into unfamiliar territory in pursuing a recount, Bridgwater said his supporters were researching the process for him. He says the razor-thin vote margin, coupled with the 392 votes cast for Independent candidate Jim Wright, point to a general dissatisfaction with the current administration.
Sheriff Brooks posted a message to supporters on his public Facebook page Wednesday morning:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that voted for me yesterday and worked so hard to get to this point. It was a close race. I am the sheriff for everyone in Nelson, not just for the ones that voted for me. It is apparent that I have work to do in the next four years to gain the confidence of voters that didn’t support me. I accept that challenge and welcome the opportunity to work hard to gain their trust. For those who did vote for me, I thank you, sincerely. Your support means more than I can ever put into words.”

Regarding the close race and likely recount, Sheriff Brooks said his team ran a clean campaign that he is proud of and has no regrets. Brooks “stands by the results,” though he added “Mac is certainly well within his right under Virginia law to request a recount.”

Image via VA State Board Of Elections : Less than 10 votes separated incumbent Sheriff David Brooks from his 2nd place contender Mac Bridgwater. Challenger John Wright came in a distant 3rd with a total of 392 votes. Click to enlarge.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
You couldn’t slip a sheet paper in between the election results of Nelson Sheriff David Brooks and challenger Mac Bridgwater. Only 9 total votes separated the two as of late Tuesday night according to results posted by the Virginia Board Of Elections. As NCL understands the law, an automatic recount is not mandated, but in cases with such close vote totals, it is almost certain a recount will occur. Brooks finished with 2606 total votes while Bridgwater was right on the heels with 2597 total votes. John Wright, the 3rd place challenger, came in with 392 votes or 7% of the total vote in Nelson County.

Other races weren’t so close. In the race for Commonwealth Attorney in Nelson, Anthony Martin easily defeated challenger Daniel Rutherford. Martin had 3275 votes compared to Rutherford’s 2249.

Another contest closely watched by Southern Nelsonians was the Board of Supervisors’ race. Larry Saunders handily beat incumbent Joe Dan Johnson in a three way race. Saunders: 468 – Johnson: 314 – Ponton: 257

In the race for Nelson County Treasurer, Angela F. “Angi” Johnson easily beat challenger Susan Kidd Stevens by 2567 votes.

In the race for the Virginia House of Delegates, Nelson BOS Connie Brennan captured the Nelson County vote, but that didn’t seem to be enough to send her to Richmond.

The screenshot above shows Nelson's Connie Brennan easily won her home county. Click to enlarge.

As of 10:35 PM EST Tuesday night Brennan was in 2nd place with a gap of 2537 votes separating her and the frontrunner, C. Matt Fariss. Click to enlarge.

You can view all of the Nelson race breakdowns by going here to the Virginia Board Of Elections.

Shipman, Virginia where an Amtrak passenger Train stopped on Thursday morning requiring assistance from the Nelson County Sheriff's Department because of an unruly man on board.

Shipman
Nelson County, Virginia
It was an unusual call that came into the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department around 8:30 Thursday morning. The Amtrak Crescent 20 was stopped on the tracks in Shipman, requesting help from police for a man on board who was being very unruly. “He was severely taunting passengers. He’d already assaulted an employee and a passenger before officers arrived. An Amtrak employee was found lying down in the train with injuries when we got on the scene,” said Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks.

NCSD Photo : Barrett Harrington Wolfe was arrested after atacking passengers and deputies in Shipman, Virginia Thursday morning.

Once the scene was secured 22 year old Barrett Harrington Wolfe of Atlanta was arrested and on a variety of charges including felony escape when he kicked the window out of the back of a patrol car on the scene and tried to flee. “He was shackled at the time and we were right by the car, but he attempted to run anyway. Obviously, he was going anywhere, “Sheriff Brooks added.

Wolfe’s list of charges include:

3 counts of felony of assault on police officer
1 count of felony property damage
1 count of felony escape
1 count of misdemeanor resisting arrest
2 counts of misdemeanor of assault and battery

The injured Amtrak employee was transported to UVA Medical Center for treatment. The Crescent 20 proceeded normally on it’s destination to New York after the scene was cleared Sheriff Brooks said.

CBS-19′s story here.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
Update 5.28.11 – 10:30 AM EDT

NCL has been able to verify that the calls being placed are by someone identify themselves as the The Nelson Guide and they are trying to get people to by magnets of some sort. Via a mutual client of The Nelson Guidebook and NCL , we were told about the information Saturday morning. NCL and the legitimate Nelson County Guidebook are not related, but they are nice folks and very legitimate. The people posing as them are not.

So obviously is someone calls with posing as The Nelson Guide and is trying to sell you magnets, and obtain any personal financial info, don’t fall for it!

Original Post from 5.27.11 @ 11:41 AM EDT
It’s come to our attention here at NCL that phone scammers are at it again in Nelson County. This time they may be calling in the name of Nelson County Life Magazine, or other Nelson County organizations or businesses. The say they are soliciting ad money. If you receive such a call it IS NOT us. We know for sure such calls have been made in the past 24 hours using names such as Nelson County Guidebook, which is a legitimate publication like ours, though there is no business connection between the two.

The caller may be using a variety of legitimate business names with Nelson County in the title. This is very similar to scams in the past that have used police or sheriff organizations to trick people into donating or revealing sensitive bank information. Don’t fall for it. If it sounds suspicious, it is. One person we talked to this morning reports the call, obviously, came from a telephone number that was blocked or unavailable on caller ID.

Local banks reports having such inquires as well. Nelson County Life NEVER makes unsolicited telephone calls requesting ad money. If you are an established customer, you know how we operate, and new clients would never receive such a call.

We highly encourage you to report any such phone calls to the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department at (434) 263-7050 and your local bank, if you did reveal any account information.

All Photos By Tommy Stafford : ©2010 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Nelson County Deputy Bill McDonald prepares to train with his dog Nicodemus at the old American Yarn Plant in Afton. Virginia. Click any photo to enlarge.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia

By Jennie Tal

Bill McDonald, the Nelson County School Resource Officer, spent one recent Wednesday in an empty building looking for narcotics with his K-9, Nicodemus. And, although it wasn’t a real drug bust, Nicodemus was successful. We first told you about the team in the March 2010 printed issue of Nelson County Life magazine on page 20.

Officer McDonald and Nicodemus were just practicing that day. They’re both members of the Blue Ridge Police K-9 Association, a group of police officers and their K-9 partners who train all day every other Wednesday. The association was formed about five years ago to help train the dogs and their handlers.

“It just sort of formed out of a necessity for area K-9 handlers to train together,” said City of Charlottesville K-9 Officer and Handler Lynn Childers. “Most departments have only one or maybe two dogs and the training you need to do, you need other people to help you.”

Photo Courtesy of Lynn Childers : Charlottesville K-9 Office Lynn Childers and her dog Brett.

Officer Childers said that the 16 hours a month the association trains is really only the minimum that police dogs should be training and that most of the dogs, including her K-9 Brett, get training at home daily.

“A dog needs constant repetition and constant reminders to stay good at what he does,” she said. “There’s a lot of things you can do by yourself, but the group really fills the gap with doing more advanced skills.”

Brett, an 8-year-old German Shepherd, is considered a cross-trained K-9 who does both full police work of tracking and apprehending people and searching for drugs. Nicodemus and Officer McDonald, on the other hand, focus mainly on narcotics, something Officer McDonald says has been extremely helpful to him as a school resource officer.

Deputy McDonald does a room to room search with Nicodemus inside the former American Yarn Plant.

“I think the school credits [Nicodemus] with keeping drugs out of the school by a large margin,” he said.

Just by having Nicodemus, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, around the school, it prevents some students from bring narcotics to class. Likewise, Officer Childers says that by having Brett at her side, suspects are quite often more likely to cooperate.

“Just showing up on a chaotic scene… with a dog really makes a difference in the outcome,” she said. “[Suspects] don’t seem to be as concerned with officers pointing rifles at them as they do with dogs.”

For years, the group has been open to any local police departments with K-9 components, but recently it has attracted some new members. Helene Dodge and her yellow Labrador retriever, Orso, were invited to be part of the association. Orso, a search and rescue dog, specializes in live wilderness searches and human remains detection.

Helene Dodge (left) with her dog Orso along with professional trainer Armin Winkler debrief after a practice search in the old yarn factory.

“This is kind of a different end of the spectrum,” said Dodge. “But they have a really great trainer and he will help me kind of move my dog along and help with some of the weak spots he has in his searching.”

While the officers really do learn from each other, they have some professional help, too. That trainer Dodge mentioned is Armin Winkler who has been training dogs since he was a kid and is now a professional trainer who lives here in Central Virginia. After meeting with the Blue Ridge Police K-9 Association to help with a dog having training trouble and then teaching an annual in-service course for K-9 Handlers, Winkler has become a mainstay in the training program.

Helene and Orso preparing to enter the building on a search.

“All dog training, especially in law enforcement, is what a dog naturally likes to do,” he said. “Like he’s hunting a rabbit.”

The trick is just getting them to do it on command.

“What we do in training is we manipulate the dog to believe that a make-believe rabbit smells like narcotics,” said Winkler. “We give him replacement prey.”

Deputy McDonald and Nicodemus right after a successful search at the training day.

Be sure to check out the print story in the March 2010 issue of NCL, ONLINE, by clicking here!

©2009 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks stands with members of Elmo Bowling's family, his father, mother and sister. The defibrillators were dedicated in memory of Elmo Bowling.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
An anonymous donation of $5,000 enabled the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department to reach its goal of equipping every patrol car with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). At the donor’s request, three of the AED units were dedicated in memory of Elmo Bowling. The family of Mr Bowling, his father, mother and sister, were on hand for the presentation at the Nelson County Courthouse earlier this month.

The Sheriff's Office plans to set aside money from future fund raising activities to support the ongoing costs of the AED units.

AED units cost approximately $1600, battery packs $350 and pads $45.00.

©2009 NCL Magazine : Photo By Tommy Stafford : Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks (left) and Helene Dodge, a Special K-9 Deputy, along with Orso at RRES.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
As the school year winds down and summer vacation begins, young minds are on being outside. To help keep children safe while being outdoors, Helene Dodge, a special K-9 deputy with NCSD along with her search dog, Orso, talked to students at Rockfish River Elementary School about safety tips if they should become lost in the wilderness.

Sheriff Brooks demonstrates how a bright orange garbage bag can be used to stay dry and help search teams locate a missing child in the woods.

The program is a cooperative effort between the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department and Saunder’s Brothers, Inc in Piney River to teach children what to do if they ever become lost.

Sheriff Brooks tells one of the students at RRES to have a safe and fun summer!

Students say so long to Deputy MacDonald and his dog.

A similar program will be held on the 1st of June at Tye River Elementary School.

Have a safe summer!

©2009 NCL Magazine : Opal Page from a Rockfish River Elementary School yearbook picture.

Afton/Nellysford
Nelson County, Virginia
Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks tells NCL Magazine that his department will be conducting door to door canvassing in the Crawford’s Climb-Paul’s Creek areas Saturday afternoon asking residents if they may have seen anything unusual the morning 73 year old Opal Page’s was murdered in her home at the intersection of Chapel Hollow Road and Route 151. We first told you about the murder Wednesday evening after friends discovered the body around 6PM.

Lawmen continue following leads in this case and are making detailed interviews with anyone living in the nearby radius.

Other previous updates here and here.

We’ll continue to follow this story as the investigation unfolds.

©2009 NCL Magazine : VA State Police Investigators at the scene of Opal Page's murder Wedbesday night.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
As NCL has been telling you since we first broke the story of 73 year old Opal Page’s murder, police are still on the search for her killer(s). Mrs. Page’s car was found Thursday in Waynesboro. Police think the murderer stole the car after crime then abandoned it in Waynesboro. Friday Nelson County, Virgina Sheriff, David Brooks, released more information about possible suspects in the case.

“We had a witness turning from Chapel Hollow Road north onto Route 151 around 5 AM Wednesday morning, the day of Mrs. Page’s murder. That driver reported seeing two suspicious males near the driveway of Opal Page’s driveway,” Sheriff Brooks tells NCL. The first male is described as 5’9″ to 5’10″ in height wearing a red hooded zip up sweatshirt. The other male was described as slightly shorter wearing a dark colored zip up sweatshirt and darker colored bluejeans. The witness could not tell the race of either male.

The sheriff continues reviewing video surveillance recordings from area businesses along 151 in hopes of being able to pick up on anything that may help with additional clues in the case. Investigators continued canvassing the neighborhood Friday where Mrs. Page’s car was abandoned in Waynesboro.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department at 434.263.7050.

More updates throughout the weekend.

The crime scene area in Afton, Virginia.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
©2009 NCL Magazine
As we first told you here earlier Wednesday evening, Nelson County Sheriff, David Brooks, is investigating the highly suspicious death of a 73 year old Afton woman just north of Greenfield on Route 151. A short while ago the sheriff told NCL they are asking the public to be on the lookout for the woman’s car that apparently has been stolen.

The car is described as a 1998 – 4 door Cheverolet Malibu, dark green in color. The license tag number on the missing car is: Virginia – YZR 1900

Anyone that spots this car is asked to immediately contact the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department at 434.263.7050, The Virginia State Police, or any other law enforcement authority.

We will continue updating this story as events unfold.

Map courtesy of Google.com : The crime scene area along Route 151 in Afton where authorities are looking into the suspicious death of a 73 year old woman in Afton, VA Wednesday evening. Click map for larger view.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
©2009 NCL Magazine
NCL can confirm this Wednesday evening that state police and local Nelson County Sheriff Dept. officers are on the scene of a highly suspicious death in the Afton, Virginia area just north of Greenfield along Route 151. According to Nelson County, Virginia Sheriff David Brooks, an investigation is underway into the death of a 73 year-old woman living in the Rockfish River Elementary School/Falls’ Grocery area. Deputies were called to the scene after a neighbor found the woman dead in her home.

NCL can also confirm that the deceased elderly woman’s car is missing which escalates the suspicion of authorities that foul play was involved.

We continuing to follow this story and will have additional updates out shortly.

James Lee Spencer, who has been on the run since last week was apprehended Tuesday night in Nelson County, Virginia

Lovingston – Nelson County, Virginia

Nelson County, Virginia Sheriff, David Brooks, reports Tuesday evening just after 9 PM EST, that James Lee Spencer, a fugitive who ran from police last week has been apprehended. “He was found under the bed in his home just off of Davis Creek,” said Sheriff Brooks. The history here. (ignore last post, unrelated)

Sheriff Brooks had long suspected that Spencer may have been hiding in or near the home on Davis Creek Road, and had been watching the area to see if he returned.

Spencer remains in police custody awaiting his initial appearance before a judge.

Central Virginia Crime Stoppers

Lovingston – Nelson County, Virginia

Update: Suspect Captured 11.25.08 9 PM EST

As we have been telling you over the past several days, here, Nelson and Central Virginia law enforcement authorities have been on the search for James Lee Spencer. Today Nelson Sheriff, David Brooks, announced that Central Virginia Crime Stoppers has now authorized a $1000.00 reward for information leading to Spencer’s apprehension.

Sheriff Brooks said as of Tuesday morning the following charges have now been filed against Spencer:
-Felony abduction
-Felony eluding police
-2 Counts of assault & battery
-Driving on a revoked drivers license

The sheriff says the current state Order of Protection (a document providing state court protection against the victim) is on file and continues in force.

Anyone with information on Spencer’s whereabouts are urged to contact Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. All information is strictly confidential and your identity is never asked for. A special coding system is setup for reward money to be issued.

James Lee Spencer is wanted by the Nelson County, Virginia Sheriff after a search Thursday came up empty.

As NCL broke and first told you here and here, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department (NCSD) is on the lookout for the man pictured above. James Lee Spencer’s photo was released this morning. His photo was on file from a previous arrest.

Spencer ran from police as they were trying to serve court papers on him involving a domestic abuse case. He was involved in a brief pursuit in the Davis Creek Road area of Nelson County just northwest of Lovingtson. Authorities searched for Spencer well into the evening but were unable to locate him. At the time of the pursuit, Nelson County Sheriff, David Brooks, said he was showing aggressive behavior and should be consider dangerous.

Anyone that has any information on Spencer or sees anyone like the man above is asked to call the NCSD at 434.263.7050