MISSING PERSON: ANTONIA ROGERS
Antonia Rogers last had contact with family in February of 2024. Antonia is described as a black female, 5 foot 5 inches in height, 115 pounds.
Report #: 2024-004536
If you have any information on Antonia’s whereabouts, contact the police at 540- 373-3122. To make an anonymous tip, send a text to “847-411” and text “FPDtip” followed by your tip. Or, download the free FPD Tip app available for Android and iPhones. To download the app, search “FPD Tip” in the Google or iTunes App Store.
Uriah Kiser, Founder and Publisher of Potomac Local News, has updated a video from the scene of tonight’s storm, which has brought significant rain, lightning, and thunder to Prince William, Manassas, Stafford, and Fredericksburg.
Kiser has pulled over at a gas station and notes that traffic is moving slowly. Trucks, cars, and SUVs are all pulling over on the side of the road or driving slowly with flashers on. He said, “If you’re at home, stay there.”
Kiser also noted that over 4,000 homes in Stafford County and 400 homes in Prince William County are reportedly without power. As the storm impacts power lines, more outages may be reported.
The National Weather Service has listed a Flood Watch for Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania Counties Thursday afternoon through evening. Heavy rain from thunderstorms may lead to flash flooding of small streams and creeks as well as urban areas.
Additionally, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for the Washington Metropolitan area as well as portions of central Maryland until 11 PM this evening. Damaging winds are the primary threat.
Stafford County Sheriff has reported that the 3800 block of Richmond Highway near Telegraph Road is flooded, and trees are down on roadways throughout Hartwood, including Tacketts Mill Road, Spotted Tavern Road, and Hartwood Road. Trees are also down on Cropp Road and Stefaniga Road.
The storm can be tracked by the National Weather Service.
Time and Space Comics, a new comic book store, is hosting a soft opening in Stafford this weekend. For founder Kent McKee, this is the realization of a lifelong dream that has been years in the making.
McKee and his wife Courtney started Time and Space Comics in 2019 as an online venture. "We began by doing sales online and attending local comic cons," McKee shared. After moving to Aquia Harbor, Kent had always envisioned opening a store in Stafford. The shop's name holds special meaning, derived from a phrase the couple often say to each other: "I love you through all time and space."
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Fairfax County Public Schools has completed its investigation into allegations of recruitment violations and retaliatory practices by Daryl Overton, Head Football Coach at Hayfield High School in Fairfax.
“A two-month investigation found Hayfield High School’s football program did nothing wrong regarding transfers and eligibility. Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid announced the findings of the investigation Tuesday night,” reports InsideNova.
As election season approaches, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Early voting in Virginia begins Sept. 20.
To help voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District make an informed decision, we continue a feature series offering insights into each candidate’s stand on critical issues affecting our area. Candidates are emailed a question and asked to reply by a deadline.
This first question focuses on data centers.
This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day. Senator Tim Kaine and Hung Cao are running for the U.S. Senate. Derrick Anderson and Eugene Vindman are running for the District 7 seat in the House of Representatives.
This week, we asked Tim Kaine (D) and Hung Cao (R) the following question:
Given the rapid expansion of data centers in Virginia, how do you plan to balance the economic benefits they bring with the environmental and community impacts, such as energy consumption and land use?
Kaine responded:
“While data centers fall under the jurisdiction of state and local officials in Virginia, I remain focused on bringing good-paying jobs to the Commonwealth. During my time in the Senate, I’ve proudly introduced several bills to expand job training and upskilling programs and help fill the high-demand jobs of the future in tech sectors – including in data centers. At the same time, building an economy that works for everyone requires taking steps to protect communities from noise pollution, water loss, and negative environmental consequences.”
Cao did not respond.
We asked Derrick Anderson (R) and Eugene Vindman (D), both running for House of Representatives the following question:
Data centers are a significant part of Virginia’s economy; how do you plan to work with local and state governments to ensure that their growth benefits local communities without compromising quality of life?
Anderson did not respond.
Vindman did not respond.
This series will continue next week. If you have suggestions for topics, feel free to add a comment.
A round-up of criminal activity shared by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Department:
On August 23, a traffic stop on White Oak Road led to two arrests for possession of suspected controlled substances. Sergeant B.U. Demirci initiated the stop, and was assisted by Sergeant J.D. Hurt, Deputy E.C. Taylor, and Deputy I.E. Baldi rather the driver, Joshua Barr declared sovereignity. A white powdery substance was in plain view, and a K-9 alerted. Passenger Summer Turner was also charged.
While Walgreens is a pharmacy, there are some drugs that shouldn’t be there. A Woodford man discovered this during a traffic stop Friday night.
On August 23rd at approximately 9:43 p.m. Sergeant B.U. Demirci conducted a traffic stop on a Chevy at Walgreens, located at 50 White Oak Road. Sergeant J.D. Hurt, Deputy E.C. Taylor, and Deputy I.E. Baldi would respond to assist as the driver, identified as Joshua Barr, 32, declared his sovereignty. In plain view, a white powdery substance was observed.K9 alerted to the vehicle and it was subsequently searched. Both Barr and his passenger, Summer Turner, 30, of Woodford, were found to be in possession of suspected controlled substances. At the jail, jail staff conducted a strip search and located additional suspected controlled substances on Turner’s person.
Turner was charged with possession of controlled substances, as well as, felony by prisoner. She was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Barr was charged with possession of controlled substances and also held without bond.
A Walmart employee luckily only received minor injuries after a disturbance involving a 68-year-old Fredericksburg man.
On August 24th at approximately 2:28 p.m. Deputy D.S. Jett and Deputy J.W. McAlister responded to Walmart, located at 125 Washington Square Plaza, for a disturbance. It was advised a male suspect was actively being detained by staff after an assault. Since a knife was involved in the altercation, deputies quickly arrived on scene and detained the suspect before unraveling what occurred.It was discovered the suspect, Derrick Jones, began using profane language towards an employee after being told he cannot chain up his bicycle to the customer service desk. A manager stepped out in an attempt to deescalate the situation. When Jones became increasingly more agitated, he was asked to leave. He would refuse and continued causing a scene. When staff began calling law enforcement, Jones reached for a knife on his hip and assaulted the manager. The manager tackled Jones in an attempt to detain him. Jones would continue to reach for his knife until another staff member could remove it from the altercation. Jones would continue to resist and even spit towards staff until deputies arrived to detain him. Luckily, no one was stabbed during the altercation.
Jones was charged with attempted malicious wounding, two counts of assault and battery, disorderly conduct, and trespassing. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
A 39-year-old Stafford man attempted to get back at his boss by stealing a vehicle while in an intoxicated state. Due to his actions, he’ll probably miss his next shift.
On August 25th at approximately 11:54 p.m. Deputy J.A. Martin responded to Auto Chiefs, located at 198 Tyler Von Way, for a stolen vehicle report. It was advised an employee, identified as Tyler Bober, just took a Cadillac that belonged to the business. It was further advised that Bober was intoxicated.As Deputy Martin took the initial report, he broadcasted the stolen vehicle’s description to nearby units. Approximately 15 minutes later, First Sergeant N. Zotos would locate the stolen vehicle at a residence in the 1000 block of Richmond Highway. First Sergeant Zotos would make contact with the driver, identified as Bober. Bober had signs of intoxication and it was discovered his license was revoked due to a prior DUI incident. Three priors to be exact, one of which was highlighted in a release back in January of 2021.
Bober was charged with driving under the influence fourth offense within ten years, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving while revoked, and second offense refusal. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
A 25-year-old Stafford man lost a game of hide and seek to K-9 Titan early Monday morning in Garrison Woods.On August 26th at approximately 12:21 a.m. deputies responded to Garrison Woods for an assault. The suspect prevented the victim from calling 911, assaulted, and strangled her as she attempted to leave the residence. The suspect was identified at Kayshawn Purdie. As Deputy T.G. Croson arrived in the area, it was advised Purdie fled the residence and was in possession of a firearm. Deputy Croson would observe Purdie walking in the area and attempted to make contact with him. Instead, Purdie would lie about his identity and when his lie didn’t work, took off running.Deputy Croson gave chase as he traveled down Onville Road towards Evans Lane before running behind trailers on Hanson Lane. During the chase, Purdie would discard his backpack. Deputy Croson would lose sight of Purdie behind the Kwik Stop; however, with the number of deputies now in the area it was only a matter of time before he was found again.As a perimeter was being established, Purdie’s backpack was recovered. In it was a firearm that was discovered to be stolen out of North Carolina. Due to the severity of the crimes, an active threat to both citizens and deputies, as well as, the suspect actively evading capture, the decision was made to release the titanium K-9 team.Sergeant B.U. Demirci deployed his K-9 partner, Titan, in the area Purdie was last seen. Titan displayed strong tracking behaviors up Aquia Avenue, left onto Oak Road, and again onto Barrett Heights Road. There, they discovered a freshly partially broken fence at a residence. Titan went through that threshold and Purdie made his presence known rather quickly as Titan completed the apprehension. Purdie quickly climbed back over the fence into the waiting arms of Sergeant Demirci and Deputy C.M. Sterne where he was detained.Purdie received treatment for his K-9 bite at a nearby hospital before being transported to Rappahannock Regional Jail. He was charged with assault and battery, strangulation, preventing communication to 911, providing a false identity, obstruction of justice, and receiving stolen goods. He was held without bond.Excellent work by deputies and K-9 Titan for this arrest.
Fillagreen, a new shop in downtown Fredericksburg, is set to offer refills on household and bathroom supplies, with a mission to reduce plastic waste. Owners John and Beverly Hicks were inspired to start Fillagreen by their 11-year-old twins, who had been learning about environmental issues and pollution. "We saw an opportunity to make a difference in the world while also teaching our children about the hard work that goes into running a small business," said Beverly.
The Hicks first test-marketed their concept at the Manassas Farmer's Market before opening their first brick-and-mortar location at 9029 Center St. in Manassas. They noticed a substantial gap in refillable product locations along the I-95 corridor between Manassas and Richmond and felt Fredericksburg was an ideal place to bridge that gap. John, who helped found the University of Mary Washington’s Mother’s Rugby team and remains active in its foundation, said that moving into downtown Fredericksburg was made easier through their partnership with Main Street America. Both Manassas and Fredericksburg are part of the Main Street program, which focuses on revitalizing historic downtowns and neighborhoods nationwide.
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Fredericksburg’s STEP VA Inc. has announced Disney’s “Finding Nemo, Jr.” will be its 2025 spring musical. The organization, which empowers people with disabilities through artistic expression, has chosen the show as its fourth licensed musical, following previous productions like “The Lion King, Kids!” and “Seussical Jr.”
The STEP VA musical selection committee of 14 STEP VA participants ranging from middle school-age to adults worked together over four sessions to narrow down show options. The committee then presented the options to the production team, who made the final choice and submitted it to the licensing organization for approval.
The musical will be performed on April 12-13, 2025, at Courtland High School.
STEP VA, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 2013, provides sensory-based theater and arts programs that empower people with disabilities and their families.
A Stafford man has been convicted by a federal judge in Alexandria on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Eman Goodwin, 33, a former U.S. Marine, was found guilty following a trial where evidence revealed his involvement in obtaining and storing thousands of explicit images and videos involving children.
Court records show that in February 2021, Goodwin attempted to acquire CSAM from a trafficker on the messaging platform Kik, specifically requesting material involving children under the age of 12. A subsequent search of his apartment, car, and person by the FBI on March 24, 2022, led to the seizure of 21 electronic devices. Forensic analysis uncovered nearly 5,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activities, which Goodwin had meticulously organized into folders with explicit labels.
Goodwin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 13. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, taking into consideration the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims. The case was announced by Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with representatives from the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
