MARTINSVILLE, Va. –   The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fire that occurred at 411 Third Street in the City of Martinsville earlier this evening.

      Fire & EMS crews were dispatched to the scene at 8:36 p.m. When firefighters arrived on the scene they encountered a fully-involved fire with heavy smoke and heat in the kitchen area of the home.  Firefighters were able to contain and quickly extinguish the blaze without further incident. There were no injuries sustained while fighting the fire. Residents were home when the blaze ignited, all were able to escape without injury.

      The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office has concluded its investigation of the blaze. “We’ve been able to determine that the fire was accidental in nature. The homeowner, Latika Jamison, indicated that she believed the fire started from cooking oil in a pan that ignited on top of the stove. In the course of the investigation, we found burn patterns originating from a frying pan on the right-front burner of the kitchen stove.  These findings are consistent with Ms. Jamison’s account of how the incident occurred,” said Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson. 

      The Martinsville Fire & EMS Department would like to extend thanks to the Martinsville Volunteer Firefighters, Fieldale Volunteer Fire Department, Martinsville City Police Department, and Stone Ambulance Service for their assistance in dealing with this emergency.

      The house is the residence of Latika Jamison, the homeowner, and her two daughters, who are five and seventeen years old. Jamison told investigators that the home is not insured. The family is being assisted with temporary housing and urgent needs by the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

      The Martinsville Fire Department reminds area residents to check their smoke detector batteries frequently and replace any smoke detector that is more than ten years old. Free smoke detectors are available through both the Martinsville Fire Department and the Henry County Public Safety office. To get one, call 403-5325 in the city or 634-4660 in Henry County.      City fire officials remind property owners that they are responsible for ensuring that any rental property is equipped with properly working smoke detectors.  

 

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Police Department has introduced a new paint scheme on its patrol cars. Two new units sporting the new livery went into service today and can be seen patrolling the streets of the city this weekend.

            “The increase in popularity of predominately white emergency vehicles including police cars, rescue squad first responders, fire marshal’s cars, and even some Martinsville City vehicles in other departments, has made it increasingly apparent that we needed a change to immediately identify our marked police cars from all angles.  As it is now, an individual might pass a police car traveling through the city and not be able to identify which agency it belongs to until you look at the graphics from the side. The stark contrast in the color scheme of black and white is immediately identifiable as police,” said MPD Captain Tim Porter.

            The Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Martinsville City Sheriff’s Office, and the Martinsville Police Department all currently have mostly white marked units in their respective fleets.  The use of black and white cruisers is becoming an increasingly popular replacement option for municipalities nationwide.

            The black and white units will be phased in through attrition as the MPD replaces older cruisers that are at the end of their service life.  The department currently has ten marked units that are assigned to the patrol division.  It will take approximately five years to convert the entire fleet to “black & whites.”

Boo Woods threw for three touchdowns and O'Shane Valentine returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score as the Bassett Bengals secured a share of the Piedmont District championship with a 28-6 upending of the Magna Vista Warriors Friday evening at Ed Bassett Stadium.

 

Valentine also caught two touchdown passes as Woods was 11 of 17 passing for 207 yards.

 

The title is Bassett's (7-3 overall, 3-1) fifth consecutive district championship under head coach Jay Gilbert. Coach's overall record in his six years at the helm of the program improved to 52-21 with two regional titles.

 

"I'm really proud of the whole team for their determination and work ethic," Gilbert said after receiving a nice, cool Gatorade bath courtesy of several jubilant Bengal players.

 

"The kids knew we had to win out to even have a shot at being co-champions and they dug down deep and didn't hang their heads when we got beat. That says a lot about their character and toughness and I'm very, very proud of this group of seniors and the whole team."

 

Woods continued a torrid late-season resurgence that culminated in six touchdown passes and over five hundred total yards over the last two games. Clutch victories over Martinsville (4-6, 2-2) and Magna Vista (0-10, 0-4) were pivotal after a mid-season slump that included consecutive losses to McMichael and Patrick County.

 

The Cougars' 38-10 drubbing of Martinsville on Friday evening ensured Bassett a spot in the regional playoffs while ending the Bulldogs postseason hopes.

 

Bassett's seniors shined brightest when it counted the most throughout the season, providing leadership and support to underclassmen while also tormenting teams throughout the district. Captains Dameon Hairston, Michael Hodges, Andrew Miller and Woods were determined to go out of the Piedmont District in style.

 

Mission accomplished. Now bring on the playoffs.

 

By Christian Dollarhite

For BTW 21

 The Patrick Henry Patriots Men's Basketball team picked up their first win of the season in their first NJCAA sanctioned game, a 82-55 decision over former VCCS rival Southside Virginia Community College.

Anthony Wooten led all scorers with 21 points for the Patriots, who turned a six point 37-31 lead at the half to a 82-55 rout. Marvin Brooks and Marlin Cribbs scored 14 and 13 points respectively and were joined by Lamar Ricks with 10 points as the four Patriots to score double figures on Opening Night.

Things got off to a slow start for the Patriots as Southside jumped out of the gates early as the visitors scored the first seven points of the game. "We started four freshman and just one sophomore so there were some nerves there at first," said Patriots Head Coach Chuck Moore. "Once we got settled down and started executing on defense, we wore them down and took advantage," added Moore.

The Patriots would rally just minutes later after Southside took the early lead. Anthony Wooten's three pointer with 12:10 remaining in the first half gave the Patriots a 16-13 lead, a lead that they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game. PHCC opened up a 31-20 lead with seven minutes left in the first but Southside would turn up the heat and closed to within six to end the half.

The second half was all Patriots as they outscored Southside 45-24 and cruised to the win. Antron Fowlkes scored 16 points to lead Southside in scoring. "Southside has a very strong team with some good guards and some size in the middle, they should do very well in the VCCS," added Moore.

The Patriots travel to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend to play Volunteer State and Columbia State in the Volunteer State Invitational. "This weekend will be a big test against two division one teams with all scholarship players, it will be a good measuring point to see where we are early on in the season," said Moore.

By DOUG GIBSON - PHCC Sports Information Director

·         When NASCAR fans want fast relief and simple solutions for heartburn, they turn to TUMS. When they want fast action on the track, they turn to TUMS Racing. TUMS Racing helps NASCAR fans enjoy their race experience to the fullest.

·         TUMS QuikPak gives race fans the green flag to enjoy the food they like and eat as many Martinsville hot dogs as they can handle. Fans can pick up samples of the new TUMS QuikPak in the Fan Zones throughout the weekend, and during the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. 

·         The partnership with Martinsville Speedway provides TUMS increased visibility among the millions of fans of the sport. The partnership also allows TUMS to demonstrate that it offers a simple solution for fast relief from heartburn.

 

·         The attributes of TUMS’ core consumers are very similar to those of NASCAR fans: like speed on the track and speed in relieving their heartburn. This sponsorship is a great way to reach the target audience.

 

·         The TUMS Racing program is designed to help drive home the message to our consumers: whether they’re attending a race or watching on television, with TUMS QuikPak for heartburn relief, fast just got faster.  TUMS launched a nationwide search to find the Grand Marshal of the TUMS QuikPak 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.  In the spirit of TUMS, and the all-new TUMS QuikPak, the focus was to find an individual to serve as Grand Marshal who had provided fast relief to others. Out of hundreds of entries received, we are thrilled to award Staff Sergeant Robert Hankins with opportunity to serve as a Grand Marshal at the TUMS QuikPak 500.Robert is a Martinsville native and is currently home on leave from his third tour of duty in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Not only has Robert provided fast relief to his fellow soldiers while serving overseas, but he has also provided fast relief to his friends and neighbors outside his current home in Colorado.  I was honored to be selected as the TUMS QuikPak 500 grand marshal and can’t wait to deliver the “start your engines” command on Sunday!   I’m grew up in Martinsville and have watched many cars race to take the checkered flag right here at this track. Being selected by TUMS to serve as the Grand Marshal of the TUMS QuikPak 500 is the ultimate dream come true.  I am currently on leave from my third deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and couldn’t think of a better place to be than with my family at the TUMS QuikPak 500. After this week, I will return to Iraq, with a lot of TUMS, to finish the reminder of my fifteen month combat tour. Serving as the grand marshal of Sunday’s race is going to be one of the biggest highlights of my life. I want to thank TUMS for making it possible; they really know how to put fans first.

Police chase leads to arrest and multiple charges

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Police Department arrested a local man on multiple charges stemming from a chase that occurred shortly before 12:30 a.m. this morning.  

MPD Officer Eddie Dillard observed a white, 90’s-model Buick being operated with defective equipment on Memorial Boulevard near Lavinder Street.  The suspect vehicle refused to stop and continued traveling on Memorial Boulevard turning right onto Park Street.  The driver, later identified as Fletcher Dernard Millner, continued to elude police, taking the chase to several residential streets and major thoroughfares before traveling on Askin Street and turning left onto DuPont Road in Henry County.

Millner stopped the vehicle and bailed out just below the Martinsville- DuPont Credit Union office and fled on foot.  MPD Officer Dillard was joined by Virginia State Trooper Noah Night who was nearby at the time the incident started; the two officers chased the suspect on foot.

Millner left the transmission of the Buick he was operating in drive causing the vehicle to continue to roll forward.  MPD Officer Richard Pulliam had pulled his police cruiser in front of the Buick when Millner bailed out.  The vehicle rolled forward stopping against the front bumper of MPD Car 14 (Officer Pulliam’s cruiser).  This low speed collision caused only minor cosmetic damage to the front end of the police cruiser and Millner’s Buick.  

Millner continued to flee on foot, running between a utility pole and an attached guide wire.  As Officer Eddie Dillard pursued the suspect on foot he hit the guide wire with his left shoulder in a full sprint.  Millner was chased down by VA State Trooper Noah Night and taken to the ground after he reached for his waistband. After Millner was apprehended a handgun was found underneath him.  

Millner was then handcuffed and searched.  The search incident to arrest turned up several individually packaged white rocks believed to be crack cocaine; the material will be sent to the state lab for further analysis. 

Officer Eddie Dillard received only minor injuries when he collided with the utility pole guide wire; he will return to work as scheduled. There was no property damage other than the minor cosmetic damage to the front end of the white Buick LeSabre driven by Millner and to the police cruiser driven by MPD Officer Richard Pulliam. The chase began in the City of Martinsville and ended just across the border in Henry County. 

Fletcher Dernard Millner, age 20, of 1160 Yorkshire Road in Martinsville was arrested and charged with the following in the City of Martinsville:
- Felony Eluding Police
- Misdemeanor Obstruction of Justice 
- Misdemeanor Driving with Revoked License 

Further charges may be forthcoming in Henry County, depending on results of lab analysis on the substance retrieved from Millner upon arrest.  

The Martinsville Police Department is continuing to gather evidence and information in this case. Further charges may be forthcoming.  Anyone with information on this crime should contact the Martinsville Police Department Investigations Unit at 403-5301, the 911 Center, or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers pays rewards of up to $1,000 in certain cases. You do not have to reveal your identity. Report tips anonymously to 63-CRIME (276-632-7463).

Industrial incident causes one fatality

MARTINSVILLE, Va. –   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating an industrial incident that led to a fatality at 101 East Commonwealth Boulevard in the City of Martinsville earlier today. The building is a large warehouse located behind the Commonwealth Center office complex, and is used for storage. Martinsville Fire & EMS crews were dispatched to the scene at approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning.

The victim was working with at least one other individual at the time the incident occurred. The workers were in the process of removing a large commercial-grade air conditioning unit from the roof of the building. During the process the air conditioner shifted toward the victim, pinning his body between the unit and an exterior wall. The victim sustained injuries that included massive trauma to the head and upper chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is yet to be determined what caused the incident. The Martinsville Police Department will assist OSHA and the state medical examiner’s office in the investigation of this incident. Stone Ambulance Service also provided assistance. A crane truck was utilized in the removal of the victim’s body and was not involved in the actual incident.

The warehouse where the incident took place is owned by the Lester Group of Martinsville. The men working on the project are private subcontractors from the Danville area of Virginia. The identity of the victim is being withheld until his family can be notified. Further information will be released when it is available.

Update on fatal industrial accident  The identity of the man fatally injured yesterday in an industrial accident at a warehouse located at 101 East Commonwealth Boulevard in Martinsville has been released by the Martinsville Police Department. He has been identified as Carl Wayne Turner, aged 54, of Sugartree Church Road in Danville, VA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is still investigating the incident. No cause has been determined at this time