Stafford County Fire and Rescue is celebrating the retirement of two of its members.
“Please join us in congratulating Technician Doug Gress who is retiring from Stafford County Fire and Rescue after more than 10 years, in addition to a full career as a United States Marine,” Stafford County Fire and Rescue announced. “Please join us in congratulating Battalion Chief Charlie Freeman on his retirement from Stafford County Fire and Rescue after more than 25 years of dedicated service!”
“There is no cause for concern. THIS IS A PRIVATE TRAINING EXERCISE,” Stafford County Sheriff’s Office announced. “The training will not be open to the public.”
The joint training exercise between the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office and Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department will take place today, June 1, as well as June 2, 8 and 9 from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at and around Gayle Middle School. Since the county’s last day of school was Thursday, May 28, the building is currently empty for summer break. Residents may notice an increased presence of public safety vehicles in the area.
“I am concerned as a commissioner about the desecration of any graveyard in Stafford County, and in addition this particular one,” reports the Fredericksburg Free Press.
The Stafford County Planning Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday night to recommend the Board of Supervisors deny key approvals for the Potomac Creek Campus data center project on 99 acres south of Eskimo Hill Road. The recommendation followed concerns about a historic cemetery on the site that includes Seddon family burials and unmarked graves believed to belong to enslaved individuals. Commissioners noted the location could otherwise suit data center development near the approved Stafford Technology Campus.
The driver of a tour bus involved in a multi-vehicle crash that killed five people on Interstate 95 has been arrested and charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen announced Saturday that his office authorized felony warrants based on evidence showing the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck slowed traffic in a work zone, causing a chain-reaction crash involving at least eight vehicles.
“Boom, people screaming on the bus, glass flying everywhere, the bus turning over,” WTVR reported. “There was blood everywhere. People holding their heads, their shoulders, still waking up trying to figure out what was going on,” passenger Wayne Tobin said.
“You had blood, people bleeding, people screaming, the bus smoking. A stranger came, bust the window open and let us all out.”
As the investigation continues into Friday’s tragic multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 southbound, Stafford County Fire and Rescue (SCFR) — the first agency on scene — has released its official incident report.
INCIDENT INFORMATION
Virginia State Police are investigating a devastating multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 southbound that killed five people, including two children.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:35 a.m. Friday at mile marker 146 on I-95 southbound, south of Exit 148 (Quantico).
Stafford County drivers should plan for new routes next week. Route 644 (Rock Hill Church Road) will now close on Thursday, June 4, after weather postponed the original Monday, June 1 start date. The Virginia Department of Transportation is replacing the temporary single-lane bridge over Aquia Creek with a permanent two-lane structure.
The project replaces a 50-year-old bridge that has shown significant deterioration. A temporary bridge was installed in fall 2020 to keep the road open while the $6.4 million project was funded and designed. The new bridge will feature two 11-foot travel lanes, 6-foot paved shoulders, higher rails, and the ability to carry all legal vehicle loads. Rock Hill Church Road will stay closed to through traffic between Dunbar Drive and Van Horn Lane through June 2027.
“Seeing America’s national bird up close is always incredible, but these calls are also a reminder of how important it is for the community to report injured wildlife when they see it,” Stafford County Sheriff reported. “Blue Ridge Wildlife Center relies heavily on volunteers to help transport injured and orphaned wildlife to their hospital because staff cannot leave the facility for rescues.”
Animal Control responded to two more injured bald eagles on the same day — one with a wing injury on Richmond Highway and another with a leg injury in the Doral Court area — bringing the week’s total to three. Both birds were safely transported to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Boyce, VA, for treatment.
