James City County Police were busy this week with a brawl between juveniles in a park that resulted in seven misdemeanor assault and battery charges. They also investigated the theft of an iPhone and a Fort Eustis soldier accused of deserting his post, stealing a car and damaging the backseat of a police car.
James City County
Fort Eustis Soldier Charged with Vehicle Theft, Military Desertion
A Fort Eustis soldier was arrested after he was pulled over driving a stolen vehicle, a James City County Police Department spokesperson said.
Stephanie Williams-Ortery of the James City County Police Department said police received an alert at about 2:45 p.m. Sept. 19 from the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office advising that 33-year-old Nace Eugene Houchin was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle and that he might be en route to Country Village Mobile Home Park in James City County.
Officers located the vehicle that night and initiated a traffic stop, where he was taken into custody. The license plates on the vehicle were stolen from Newport News while the vehicle was stolen from Gloucester County, Williams-Ortery said.
Williams-Ortery said that after he was placed in the backseat of a police car, Houchin used the handcuffs restraining him to scratch a window. He also tore wires from the floor liner of the vehicle. She said there did not appear to be any indication of alcohol or drug use involved in the case.
He has been charged with felony grand larceny, possession of stolen property and destruction of property. Fort Eustis has charged him with military desertion, also a felony.
Fort Eustis Spokesperson Sameria D. Zavala said Houchin is assigned to the 149th Transportation Company, 10th Transportation Batallion, 7th Sustainment Brigade. He has served in the U.S. Army for five years. Zavala said no other information is available on the military desertion charge as the matter is still under investigation.
Seven Girls Charged with Assault After Brawl in Park
A James City County woman reported to police that her 14-year-old daughter was assaulted by a group of other juvenile girls in a park on Theodore Allen Road.
The woman told police her daughter was in the park when another juvenile female approached her and the two got into a verbal argument. During the argument, the juvenile offender pushed the victim several times. Afterward, the offender’s older sister punched the victim in the face.
After being punched in the face, the victim began fighting back. Two additional females got involved in the fight along with the sister of the first victim. The fight then broke up for a moment before three additional females began assaulting the initial offenders.
The parties were then separated. A witness captured the fight on a cell phone camera. Seven girls, ranging in age from 14 to 17, were charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.
Man Grabs iPhone, Purse from Woman at Busch Gardens
A man grabbed an iPhone and a bag containing $20 from a woman at the entrance of Busch Gardens on Sept. 21.
Williams-Ortery said the woman was standing at the entrance of Busch Gardens that night when a black male who was described as 19 to 20 years old with an athletic build grabbed the phone and bag and ran away with four other men, also described as black males aged 19 to 20 years old. They ran toward the France parking lot.
Several witnesses were able to provide suspect information, which police are using in their investigation. No arrests have been made. The woman told police the man yelled “go” when he grabbed the items.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Line at 888-LOCK-U-UP (888-562-5887).
The College of William and Mary
Police Investigate Thefts of 12 Bicycles
The William and Mary Police Department is investigating the thefts of 12 bikes across the campus, including eight taken from the Ludwell Apartments.
The bicycles vary in value from $25 to $800. Seven of the eight thefts from Ludwell Apartments were reported Sept. 18. William and Mary Spokesperson Suzanne Seurattan said police continue to investigate the thefts and that it is not yet clear whether they are connected.
The other thefts occurred at the Sadler Center, Landrum Drive, James Blair Drive and One Tribe Place.
William and Mary Police Chief Don Challis shared his tips with WYDaily in August for how to keep bicycles secure.
In Case You Missed It
- Federal agents searched the corporate headquarters of Lumber Liquidators in Toano to learn more about the alleged importing of wood illegally harvested from the habitat of the endangered Siberian Tiger.
- A Newport News woman working for a home healthcare company was charged with eight counts of grand larceny after she allegedly stole more than $21,000 in jewelry and silverware from residences where she worked.
- An alleged heroin dealer appeared in court this week where the prosecution outlined the case they built against him for a homicide charge filed after an overdose death from heroin he is believed to have sold.
- The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office has asked for the public’s help for information after 32 vehicles were rummaged through in 48 hours.
- A man convicted of misdemeanor peeping has appealed the two-month sentence he was given in Williamsburg-James City County District Court.
- Less than 24 hours before Bill’s Seafood House in Grafton was set to close for good, a break-in resulted in the loss of more than $1,000.
- The James City County Police Department is searching for a woman believed to have used counterfeit money.
- A man claiming to be a fire chief from a nearby city fraudulently returned cans of the nutrition drink Ensure to a York County Food Lion.
