Virginia
Former West Virginia school system employee accused in scheme to steal $3.4 million
A former maintenance director of a southern West Virginia county school system was charged in a scheme to steal about $3.4 million from a local board of education.
Michael David Barker appeared in court Wednesday after his indictment on one count of conspiracy and multiple counts of mail fraud, money laundering and theft. If convicted on all counts and sentenced to serve consecutive sentences, Barker could face a maximum of 300 years in prison due to the multiple mail fraud charges.
Barker was responsible from 2015 to 2023 for ordering supplies for school system upkeep through the Boone County Board of Education. According to a federal indictment, he falsified documents that showed the school system received large amounts of hand soap, trash can liners and other custodial products. Instead, only a small supply was delivered.
The indictment said Barker, 47, of Foster, used some of the money to buy a utility vehicle and make down payments on a track loader and excavator.
The school board sent the payments to Rush Enterprises, a Kentucky business with an office in Kenova, West Virginia. The indictment said Rush Enterprises operator Jesse Marks deposited the checks and paid a share of the proceeds to Barker.
The indictment named Marks as an unindicted co-conspirator.
“At a time when Boone County Schools faced significant challenges, particularly while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Barker used his position of authority to enrich himself at the expense of the children of Boone County,” U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in a statement.
An email seeking comment was sent to Rush Enterprises on Wednesday. A phone number listed on Facebook for the company wasn’t working.
Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer led fellow Democrats to major gains in November’s election. Now he’s turning his attention to the redistricting of the Commonwealth, and a run in the newly proposed 7th district. He joins Sydney Persing on The Final 5 to discuss.
FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.
Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.
RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County
Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.
Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.
Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.
Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.
The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.
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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.
Virginia
Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News
A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.
Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.
A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.
The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.
The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.
Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.
Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.
The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.
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