BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

The Caroline County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday night urging the timely passage of the state budget.

But unlike some other local governments, Caroline took out a section urging the General Assembly to decouple the expansion of Medicaid from budget consideration.

The General Assembly is at an impasse over the state budget. The Senate won’t pass a budget without Medicaid expansion, and the House won’t pass one with it.

At Tuesday night’s meeting in Caroline, the supervisors approved the resolution in a 5–1 vote, with Bowling Green Supervisor Jeff Sili dissenting.

The vote was not without discussion.

County Administrator Charles M. Culley Jr. told the board that he received the resolution from Del. Margaret Ransone, R–Kinsale.

In the resolution, it said: “failure to pass a timely budget will result in uncertainty for the County of Caroline; which received a large portion of its funding as direct aid from the commonwealth.”

The resolution explains why the passage of a state budget is necessary for the county.

But the second-to-last paragraph in the proposed resolution, which was about the Medicaid expansion, was removed.

It said, “Be it resolved further, that the issue of Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act should be decoupled from budget negotiations and considered in a separate legislative session to facilitate prompt passage of a stage budget.”

Floyd Thomas, chairman of the Caroline Board of Supervisors, was at first hesitant to pass the resolution.

“As a person who really enjoys a good fight, I’m not sure this is the fight we’re supposed to be in,” he told fellow supervisors, noting that they are a nonpartisan board.

The board didn’t get involved when the federal government, where most county funds come from, did the same thing, he said.

He suggested striking the paragraph about Medicaid.

However, Sili, who is the head of the county’s Republican committee, disagreed with Thomas.

He said that as a member of the county’s social services board and learning what the county will have to do, and how the Department of Social Services will be affected if Medicaid is expanded, he could not support the expansion.

Port Royal Supervisor Calvin Taylor weighed in, saying that he wanted to approve the resolution and wants the state to pass it’s budget but also did not see the need for the paragraph about Medicaid expansion.

Initially, the vote passed unanimously, but immediately after, Sili changed his vote to “no.”

Madison District Supervisor Wayne Acors also commented after the vote, saying that he is not in support of the Affordable Care Act as it has been implemented, but “doesn’t think it’s appropriate for us to get in a political fight between the governor and General Assembly.”

Similar resolutions were sent by state representatives to other local governing bodies as well.

On March 18, the King George Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an identical resolution to the one Ransone sent to Caroline, but left the paragraph about Medicaid in.

House Speaker Bill Howell, R–Stafford, asked the Stafford Board of Supervisors on March 18 to pass a resolution, which included the paragraph about Medicaid as well. The supervisors unanimously approved it.

Spotsylvania County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on March 25 to approve the resolution with the point about decoupling Medicaid expansion.

House of Delegates Republicans have pointed to such resolutions passed by counties as proof that the Medicaid issue should be removed from budget talks so a state budget can be passed.

Robyn Sidersky 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

Rachel Wessell’s service dog, Dawson, checks out Godiva, a horse from the Caroline Hunt Club, as Wessell’s sister Nicole looks on during the Secretariat Birthday Celebration at The Meadow Event Park Saturday in Doswell. / Photos by Peter Cihelka

BY HOPE RACINE / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

The tall, dark bay gelding took carrots happily from passersby, utterly unaware that the crowds at The Meadow Event Park weren’t there for him.

Covert Action, the 19-year-old grandson of Secretariat, was just one of the many birthday visitors to the famous racehorse’s birthplace on Saturday.

The event is held annually at The Meadow in Doswell, a location known for holding the state fair each year, but also for being the birthplace of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.

Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, signs autographs for fans during the annual birthday fete for the storied racehorse.

Only 11 horses have claimed a Triple Crown title, a feat that has not been achieved since 1978.

This year’s birthday event marked almost 41 years since Secretariat’s winning streak, and featured the reunion of three of his former riders: Hall of Fame jockeys Ron Turcotte and Eddie Maple, and exercise rider Charlie Davis.

Turcotte jockeyed Secretariat during the 1973 Triple Crown in addition to riding fellow Meadows champion Riva Ridge during the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

“I actually saw Secretariat win the Preakness Stakes in 1973,” said Elizabeth Bath, a Richmond native. “This is the first time I’ve attended his birthday celebration, and it’s thrilling to see Turcotte here.”

Bath and her daughters were among the many visitors who waited for the chance to receive autographs from Turcotte, Maple and Davis.

Despite rain, most of the celebration-goers braved the showers to pay Covert Action a visit.

Housed in the yearling shed in a stall that once held both Secretariat and Riva Ridge, the horse was in fine spirits.

“All he cares about are those carrots,” Anne Tucker told a pair of girls who attempted to pet him.

Tucker is the president of the Virginia chapter of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which owns Covert Action and 20 other former race horses.

In addition to providing a safe haven and second chance to horses, TRF also pairs with Virginia inmates. The foundation offers a program that teaches inmates about horse care and horse management, and pays them for their work.

“It’s giving the horses and the men a second chance,” Tucker said.

Despite his famous lineage, Covert Action was not cut out for racing. After winning only three of his 26 races, he made the most headlines during his retirement, due to his relationship with former inmate Tamio Holmes.

Holmes was part of the rehabilitation program and worked closely with Covert Action. After serving his sentence, Holmes went on to become a farrier, and often returns to the program to teach inmates and visit his old friend.

According to Tucker, the thoroughbred makes an appearance at many state fairs, and is at The Meadow every year to honor his grandfather’s birthday.

In addition to meeting Secretariat’s offspring, visitors were able to learn about equine history and Virginia racehorses at the brand new Museum of the Virginia Horse.

Housed in the Meadow Hall mansion, the museum aims to preserve and celebrate the history of the Virginia horse.

The exhibits trace the history of horses in Virginia from the Colonial period to present day, and highlights famous horses and jockeys. In addition, the museum has a special exhibit focused on Secretariat, The Meadow and the other famous horses that lived there.

While the museum is currently only available during special events at The Meadow, museum director Beryl Herzog hopes to expand and make it open year-round.

“We want to give it a permanent home where we can showcase things like saddles and tack, and other pieces that visitors don’t get to see otherwise,” Herzog said.

Though the event was focused on remembering one of Virginia’s greatest horses and celebrating the state’s rich equine history, some of the guests were more interested in the future of horse racing.

Abbey Gordon attended the event at the suggestion of her riding instructor so she could learn more about Secretariat and jockeying.

Gordon, who has been riding for three years, said her favorite part of the event was meeting the horses and learning about horse racing.

“When I grow up, I want to be a jockey,” Gordon said. “Though actually, I might be too tall.”

Hope Racine 540/374-5403

hracine@freelancestar.com 

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

A Spotsylvania County man was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday for a 2012 carjacking and abduction in Caroline County.

Trent Allen Brooks, 22, was found guilty in June of abduction, carjacking, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and hit and run in Caroline Circuit Court.

Judge J. Howe Brown handed Brooks a 24-year sentence with all but eight years suspended.

Defense attorney Harvey Latney argued for a lighter sentenced, saying that Brooks, who had no prior felony convictions, was not the driver in the hit-and-run crash.

“If Mr. Brooks had just stayed, we would not be having this conversation because he did nothing to cause the accident,” Latney said. “The driver is not in the same position.”

The case stems from a Sept. 22, 2012, incident in Woodford in which a 2006 Pontiac G6 ran through a stop sign and hit a 1998 Dodge Durango around 6:30 p.m. The Pontiac was traveling east on Marye Road and the Dodge was traveling north on U.S. 1.

According to state police, the three people in the Pontiac were unhurt, but three of the five in the Dodge were taken to Mary Washington Hospital with serious injuries.

As Trooper M.C. Hite was assisting the injured, he saw the driver of the Pontiac, Cheryl Ruedi of Spotsylvania, and Brooks, who was a back-seat passenger, leave the scene on foot.

Less than an hour later, a man told troopers he was forced at gunpoint to drive a man and a woman away from the scene.

Joel Byrd testified during the trial that Brooks walked up to him holding his nose as if he had been injured in the crash and asked for a tissue. As Byrd turned toward his vehicle, he said a blunt object was thrust in his back and Brooks told him to get him out of the area because he was wanted.

Byrd said Brooks told him to pick up Ruedi before the two later fled on foot into the woods, away from the crash scene.

Both were taken into custody a few days later.

Brooks testified at trial that he offered Byrd $20 to give him a ride so he would stay out of trouble and that he didn’t have a gun.

He told the judge that he ran from the scene because he had a warrant out for his arrest in Spotsylvania, and he didn’t want his girlfriend to find out he had been riding with Ruedi.

After all testimony was heard, it came down to the word of Byrd versus the word of Brooks.

“I do believe Mr. Byrd. I do not believe the defendant,” the judge said. “His story has gotten better, but not more truthful.”

Ruedi, who also testified in court, was convicted earlier of reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, possession of marijuana and not reporting an accident. She served a month in jail.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

The Caroline County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night unanimously approved the budget for next year that includes an 11-cent real estate tax increase. The total budget is $85.3 million. Of that, $44.9 million is for the general fund, an increase of about 7 percent over the current general fund.

The tax increase goes toward paying the debt service for two major projects:

3 cents for a $6.5 million

new public radio communications system and 8 cents for $25 million in renovations to Caroline High School and Madison Elementary School.

The current tax rate is 72 cents per $100 of assessed value and it would rise to 83 cents under Caroline County Administrator Charles M. Culley Jr.’s proposed budget. A chart made by Culley shows that for the median single-family residence and land value in Caroline County, which is $143,500, the median tax bill would be $1,191.05 per year. That’s an increase of $157.85 per year. That median value has stayed the same since the last reassessment in 2011.

Over the past 10 years,

the lowest real estate tax rates were in 2006 and 2007, when the rate was 48 cents each year. The median single family residence and land value in those two years

was $214,500 and the median real estate tax bill was $1,029.60.

Chairman Floyd Thomas of Mattaponi district was absent due to a death in his family. The remaining five supervisors said they knew the rate hike was necessary.

“We have mandated expenses that we’ve got to take care of,” said Western Caroline Supervisor Jeff Black. “It would be unfair to keep the taxes really low, have this referendum in place and kick the can down the road.”

He emphasized that for him, schools are a priority in the budget, and that this budget reflects that because the school system is the only department that got an increase. He encouraged the board to continue to have a dialogue with school officials on how to improve the school system.

“It’s a difficult situation to be in,” said Port Royal district’s Calvin Taylor. “I regret having to put the citizens of this county in that, but it can’t be helped.”

Reedy Church representative Reggie Underwood said the two projects that caused the tax increase were necessary. “It is a very very tough situation but this tax increase is almost mandated by the citizens of this county.”

Madison district’s Wayne Acors pointed out that the county “has come a long way,” but also said that he could not remember a larger tax increase in the 27 years he has been on the board.

Bowling Green Supervisor Jeff Sili, who chaired the meeting, said the board had no choice. “With what the citizens committed to I don’t see that we have a choice. We actually agreed to do those things,” he said, referring to the school improvements and the radio system.

The new tax rates take effect on July 1. There is no proposed change to the personal property tax rate.

The budget includes $12 million allocated for Caroline County Public Schools. That’s a slight increase over the current year’s allocation.

Robyn Sidersky: 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

A Hampton man will spend 25 years in prison for a 2013 robbery in Caroline County.

Cortney Lee Johnson, 24, was sentenced in Caroline Circuit Court on Tuesday to 59 years in prison with all but 25 years suspended on nine felony charges.

He was convicted in January of armed burglary, abduction, three counts of robbery and four counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

According to Caroline Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Diane Abato, the robbery occurred Aug. 3 at a home in Ruther Glen.

Abato said Johnson and four others came up with a plan to rob the man who lives there, thinking he was a drug dealer and had a stash of money.

A woman was visiting the home at the time of the robbery and was forced to get on her knees while a gun was placed to her head, Abato said. That gun was later discovered to be a pellet gun.

The intended victim saw what was going on, ran through the house and began shooting at the intruders before they fled on foot. No one was injured.

After their arrest, Johnson was the only one of the group who did not cooperate with police and he was recorded on a jail telephone trying to create a fake alibi for himself during the time of the robbery, Abato said.

He also told a parole officer that he had been in a gang since he was 14 years old.

Judge J. Howe Brown went above the sentencing guideline, which is just under 20 years, because of Johnson’s previous criminal history. That history includes several burglaries and grand larcenies in the Hampton area. Johnson received suspended sentences in those convictions.

“He has not been punished for this behavior and now his behavior is escalating,” Abato argued during the sentencing hearing.

Three of the four co-defendants in the case received sentences ranging from suspended time to 10 years in prison. Charges were dropped against a fifth co-defendant who had a minimal role in the robbery and was hit by a car driven by one of the defendants.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Caroline County narcotics detectives seized more than $13,000 worth of suspected synthetic marijuana, commonly known as spice, at two convenience stores.

Caroline Sheriff Tony Lippa said Monday that the investigation began after numerous tips from residents about clandestine sales of the substance.

Undercover purchases were conducted based on information that buyers would wait until there were no other customers in the stores and then asked for spice by a code name, Lippa said.

A number of these purchases were made before search warrants were obtained earlier this month.

A search of the Corbin Mart resulted in the seizure of $6,760 worth of suspected spice. Another $6,495 worth of the substance was taken from the Port Royal Supermarket. Other items seized by police included invoices and digital security videos, Lippa said.

The owner of the Port Royal Supermarket, 53-year-old Pirt Kang of Fredericksburg, and Corbin Mart employee Ip Kim, 58, of Woodford, are both charged with three counts of distributing synthetic marijuana.

Synthetic marijuana emerged legally about four years ago in the form of an herbal incense in the United States and was sold openly over the counters of convenience and tobacco shops.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency banned it in 2010, claiming its use led to an increase in emergency room visits by users suffering from a range of adverse reactions, including seizures, vomiting, hallucinations and paranoid behavior.

In Virginia, a bill introduced by former State Sen. Edd Houck of Spotsylvania County was passed, making the sale of it a crime.

Additional chemicals were added to the statute earlier this year after manufacturers changed the formulas to avoid the ban.

The sale of spice is a Class 6 felony, punishable by a prison term of between one and five years and a fine of up to $2,500.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

The Caroline County School Board voted unanimously last night to start the 2014–15 school year before Labor Day.

The August 20 start means that students could get out a month earlier, ending around May 20.

“Kids would have to go to school eight days earlier, but would get out a whole month earlier and it would be less working days for teachers,” said Madison district member Shawn Kelley.

Mary Anderson of the Western Caroline district said her constituents are concerned that the change comes after they have already made and put deposits on vacation plans for next summer.

“It can be handled on a case-by-case situation,” said Superintendent Greg Killough. “If there is any change then we’ll have to have some flexibility. We will have to make some concessions and work with them.”

He said those students should not be penalized, but administrators will have to make sure the work is made up.

Caroline is now eligible for a waiver from the state Department of Education to start before Labor Day because of the number of days missed over the past 10 years.

To be eligible, students must miss an average of eight days for five years out of the last 10 years.

In Caroline, the average number of days missed is now about nine days, said Assistant Superintendent Rebecca Broaddus.

This school year, Caroline students will finish on June 19. Days were added to the end of the school year because of time missed from inclement weather during the winter.

If school started in Caroline after Labor Day, on Sept. 2, classes would end on June 18.

Starting earlier would also mean that students would end the first semester before winter break and would take final exams before the holidays, Killough said.

“It’s a good schedule,” said board Chairman George Spaulding Jr. “It’ll just take some getting used to.”

Caroline County’s neighbor to the north, Spotsylvania County, used to start before Labor Day. But that division reverted to the later start like most public schools in the immediate Fredericksburg area.

The state law requiring schools to start after Labor Day is often called the Kings Dominion Law because tourism businesses requested the legislation to extend the summer tourism season. Those businesses also employ many teenagers in the summer months.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY RUSTY DENNEN / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Caroline County residents can formally weigh in on Synagro Central LLC’s plans to spread treated sewage sludge on several thousand acres.

The Department of Environmental Quality on Monday opened a 30-day public comment period on the company’s modified permit application. An initial public information meeting was held in Caroline in February.

The public comment period is a window of opportunity for residents living adjacent to the areas to be treated to request a public hearing and suggest revisions.

Synagro wants to add eight tracts covering 3,831 acres, to an existing permit to spread biosolids on farm fields and forestry tracts in the rural county.

According to a legal ad in The Free Lance–Star this week, requests for a public hearing must include the name and permit number for which the hearing is requested; the reason why a hearing is sought; and a brief, informal statement on potential impacts.

“A public hearing may be held, including another comment period, if public response is significant, based on individual requests for a public hearing, and there are substantial disputed issues relevant to the permit,” the notice says.

A similar process is playing out in several area localities, including Spotsylvania County, where DEQ is preparing a draft permit for Synagro to apply biosolids on more than 6,200 acres.

Some residents there have been mobilizing in recent weeks to oppose the application, and to request that a public hearing be scheduled.

An information session on Synagro’s application was held in Spotsylvania in March.

Requests for public hearings are reviewed by DEQ staff, then referred to the agency’s Richmond headquarters for approval. Hearings are held before the State Water Control Board.

Since 2008, when the DEQ took over Virginia’s biosolids permit program, three public hearings have been scheduled for the agency’s Northern Regional Office, which includes much of the Fredericksburg area. Each of those was for applications in Fauquier County, an agency representative has said.

While there have been some revisions to permits, none has been denied by the water board.

Biosolids have been used for decades on tens of thousands of acres across the Fredericksburg area.

Companies such as Synagro are paid by municipalities to dispose of the material, which is given free to farmers as fertilizer.

Opponents say the material is harmful to the environment and human health, while supporters and the industry contend it is a safe method of disposal that provides farmers with beneficial crop nutrients.

Public hearings are posted on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall: http://townhall.virginia.gov/l/Meetings.cfm

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431

rdennen@freelancestar.com

Mykal Coleman, 8, and his 6-year-old sister, Nyah, listen to aquatics coordinator Kim Emison while taking a swim test at the new YMCA in Caroline County last Thursday. The pool is one of the features of the new facility. / Photos by Peter Cihelka

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Christine Jones said she used to be a member of the YMCA in Spotsylvania County, but when her membership lapsed, she just didn’t renew it.

When she heard a YMCA was going to open just five minutes from her home in Caroline County, she signed back up.

“I wanted to get better fit and I like to climb mountains, and it’s harder to do as I get older,” she said.

The 52-year-old said she goes to the new Caroline YMCA about three days per week and uses the elliptical trainer and treadmill, and the strength-training machines for her arms.

The area’s newest Y opened earlier this month in Ladysmith after months of construction and years of talk.

Caroline County resident Daronte Rollins works out in the gym of the new YMCA. He plans to use the facilities two or three times per week to work out.

Executive Director Keith Marine said the branch has about 517 memberships, which means about a thousand people use the facility.

Those are all new memberships, he said, but they expect about 20 or 30 members from other YMCAs in the region to switch over to Caroline. Another 100 or so applications are being processed for potential members who signed up during promotional events before the opening.

The 41,000-square-foot facility has a child care area, a group fitness room, a cycling room, a gym with two basketball courts, a large pool for swimming, a therapy pool, locker rooms and other amenities.

Tammi Coleman sat near the swimming pool recently while two of her children, ages 6 and 8, took swimming lessons.

She said she has lived in Caroline for 12 years and lived in Ashland before that. She used to have a membership in a YMCA there, but it was not convenient.

Caroline County youths play a pickup game of basketball in the gymnasium at the recently opened YMCA in Ladysmith on Thursday.

“We’ve been waiting 12 years for a Y to come, so we’re really, really excited,” she said. “It’s the accessibility. Having to drive to Ashland or Fredericksburg to use the facility this is definitely more convenient.”

She believes the Y will be beneficial to the community. Her kids are excited about the Y too. They like the swim lessons and the brand-new building.

In the fitness room, Daronte Rollins, 17, was taking advantage of being able to go in every day during spring break from school last week. He was using a machine that had a rope to do cardio exercises.

He expects to go to the Y two or three times per week, alternating “push days” and “pull days” for workouts.

Working out is a way to beat boredom for him. “It gives me something to do in off time,” he said.

He said he thinks it will be good for Caroline County, too. “Everybody can come and work out. For the kids, they have the gym.”

Over there, a pickup basketball game was underway on a recent afternoon.

Marine said it gets busy during around 5 to 6 p.m. When the nursery is open, it’s common for parents to leave their child there and get a workout in, Marine said.

Robyn Sidersky 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

UPDATE 2: A second body was found in a heavilty wooded area near the Caroline Pines subdivsion in Caroline County around 11 a.m., State Police said.

Corrine Geller of the Virginia State Police said it was located about 1,500 yards north of where the first body was found.

She declined to provide any identifying information at this time pending results from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

More than 100 personnel are still searching for the third occupant of the hot air ballon that caught on fire Friday evening. They are divided into teams and doing grid searches, she said.

“We will stay here until the third person is found,” she said.

She said the rural area that they are searching in is very dense and is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“We still have not located the basket or the balloon, but we continue to find debris that would have been in the balloon,” she said. “Finding the wreckage is proving to be a challenge in itself because there may not be much left of it.”

There were reported sightings of the balloon top as far away as King George and Fort A.P. Hill, she said.

She added that a total of 13 balloons took flight Friday, and all but that one landed safely during the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival.

Other balloon pilots from the ground could see that the pilot on the crashed balloon was using a proper safety protocol after it hit a power line.

“He was taking every measure possible,” Geller said. “Based on the witness accounts, he did everything he could to save his passenger’s lives and himself.”

State Police do not believe weather was a factor in the accident, she said.

Another press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m.

UPDATE: Virginia State Police confirmed this morning that the body of one of the occupants was located around midnight in a heavily wooded area, where a large brush fire was reported.

“It wasn’t far from the drop zone, which is where they were supposed to land and not far from the power line that was hit,” Virginia State Police Spokeswoman Corinne Geller said at a press conference Saturday morning.

The remains have been sent to the office of the chief medical examiner in Richmond for positive identification, she said.

She said some debris was also found. She didn’t specify what type of items were found, but said they are “certain things that would be associated with the balloon.”

The search is still on for the other two missing occupants of the balloon.

“Because of the time that has transpired and the fact that we have not been able to get in contact, we are transitioning from a rescue operation to a recovery operation at this time,” she said.

They are not releasing the names of any of the missing people.

Geller said they are also aware of reports that two people may have “exited” the basket.

“We have had reports and we’ve also seen video which seems to have two people that have possibly leaped or fell,” she said.

She said she hopes the daylight will help authorities in the search.

Another news conference is scheduled for noon with any further updates.

 VIRGINIA STATE POLICE RELEASED THE FOLLOWING UPDATE OVERNIGHT:

“Shortly before 8 p.m. Friday (May 9, 2014), three hot air balloons took flight from Meadow Event Park as part of an ongoing hot air balloon festival. The balloons headed north of the park to a designated landing zone in a field off Ruther Glen Road. Two of the balloons landed there safely. During its descent, the third balloon came in contact with a live utility line. The contact sparked an immediate fire.

“Based on witness accounts, the pilot attempted to regain control of the balloon and manage the fire. At one point, the balloon’s two passengers leapt from the basket/gondola. Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread. The gondola and the balloon then separated.

“Virginia State Police, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, Caroline County Fire and Rescue, and Henrico County Police spent the evening and overnight hours searching the immediate area for the balloon’s three occupants and the wreckage of the balloon and basket. The FAA also responded to the scene Friday evening. The NTSB has been notified. Searches have been conducted by air and on the ground of the rural, heavily-wooded terrain.

“The investigation into the incident continues at this hour (4 a.m.), as do the search efforts. At daybreak, additional state police resources are being brought in to expand the search.”

Photo by Nancy Johnson. Posted on Instagram account kutzandphoto

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE-STAR

An intense search was underway for three people in Caroline County Friday night after a hot air balloon struck a power line, erupted in flames in flight and apparently crashed.

Police and emergency workers from several agencies were searching the area around Meadow Event Park, where the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival was scheduled this weekend.  It has now been canceled.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller said they were notified at 7:56 p.m. by the Caroline Sheriff’s Office that there was a possible crash near the Meadow Event Park.

“Witnesses say they did see it crash,” Geller said at a news conference. “At this point, no wreckage has been found.”

She said it appears that the gondola, or basket, of a hot air balloon containing three people struck a power line in the air above Ruther Glen and Signboard roads in Caroline, just northeast of the home of the State Fair of Virginia.

Debra Ferguson, who lives off of Signboard Road, said some hot air balloons landed safely in her yard.

She said one of the men pointed up at one of the other balloons and mentioned that they may be in trouble.

“As soon as we looked up, the thing blew up right there,” she said. “All I heard was ‘Oh my God, Oh my God’ and all you saw was the top of the balloon still flying, but all of the basket was gone. All of the flames just disappeared.”

It was so high up and so far away,” she said. “It was like a match, poof, and then it was gone.”

A staging area and command post was set up in a field near Signboard Road in Ruther Glen.

Geller said multiple law enforcement agencies were on hand to conduct what was restricted to a ground search and it was expected to go through the night.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were on the scene because the hot air balloon is considered an aircraft.

Caroline County resident Paula Dustin, her husband and two children headed to the event at the Meadow Friday night to meet friends for some family fun.

She said they arrived about 6 p.m. and about a half hour later watched the balloons inflate and take off to the north toward Carmel Church. Most of the balloons had two or three people on board.

After 15 or so balloons had lifted off, a friend said to her, “That doesn’t look right.”

They could see a balloon off in the distance was in trouble.

“We saw a glow, and you could tell the bottom of the balloon was in flames,” Dustin said.

A band was playing at the time, and a lot of the people in the crowd did not appear to be aware of what was happening, she said. The people in her group saw something falling from the balloon—possibly the basket—and whatever it was, it was on fire.

Afterward, the balloon kept floating for a time, and no flames were present.

Dustin said it was horrifying to see the burning balloon, and it was especially upsetting for her 11-year-old son.

“We were all trying to think positively, to hope there was a way [the people] got off safely,” she said. “You knew that probably wasn’t the case.”

A formal announcement about the accident was never made. Instead, a heavy downpour started and the crowd dispersed, Dustin said.

This was to have been the first such event for the Richmond area.

The festival had sold nearly 4,000 advance-purchased tickets, said Farm Bureau spokesman Greg Hicks. The Farm Bureau owns the site.

“It’s a tragic thing, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, but we don’t know for sure what has happened,” Hicks said.

The first night kicked off with live music, food and drinks.

Authorities ask that anyone with information about the fire or the crash should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 804/994-5754.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419 

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

To help make the two major school renovation projects in Caroline a success, the county is lending the school division one of its two building inspectors to be a project manager.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night voted to work out an agreement between the county government and the school division. Under the deal, the school system would pay the building inspector, who would become the project manager, $4,200 per month to work for the system full time while the renovations are taking place.

That could be up to two years.

Caroline High School and Madison Elementary School are set to undergo $25 million worth of major renovations and expansion over the next two years.

The School Board discussed the same topic in closed session Monday night, but tabled a vote to move forward with hiring its own project manager.

If the School Board decides to hire its own project manager, then the renovations would have two people in charge—one hired by each board.

Floyd Thomas, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the idea in having a county building official oversee the projects is to save the school division money and help create a successful project.

The designated inspector would already be familiar with the county’s building policies and could help with any issues.

Both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors saw presentations this week on the timeline for the projects.

The Madison project is about a month behind schedule. The building design is about 85 percent complete, and the purchase of property needed to complete the new bus loop has been finalized.

The project will be advertised for bids June 11, with bids received by July 10 and presented to the School Board on July 14.

Work will begin in late July and be completed by August 2015.

At the high school, the first project will be the resurfacing of the track. That project was expected to be put out for bid this week, and the bids will be received in time to be presented to the School Board on May 28.

The track work will begin in June and be completed by August.

For the rest of the work at the high school, the design work is still being done. The school division is expected to advertise for bids for the project Aug. 13 and receive them back Sept. 11. The work would begin in late September and be completed by Aug. 2016.

The renovations total $21 million for the high school and $4 million for the elementary school.

The spending was approved through a bond referendum last November. Eighty-one percent of voters approved the measure.

The renovations will add 8 cents per $100 of assessed value to the current real estate tax rate, in addition to 3 cents more for another county project.

The School Board had also tabled the decision about whom to hire to manage the renovation projects at a previous special meeting on April 28.

Schools Superintendent Greg Killough told the board that he was recommending the same firm, DMC, that he recommended at the previous board meeting, on April 14. At that meeting, the board voted 4–2 to reject the recommendation.

At the April 28 meeting, Director of Maintenance Geoffrey Honan said that the key individual with DMC would be David McConnell.

McConnell was the project manager for the Bowling Green Elementary project, which has had issues, even though the school opened in the fall. For example, the School Board was not satisfied with the flooring in the cafeteria and the hallways.

Robyn Sidersky 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

By RUSTY DENNEN / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Aqua Virginia Inc. is facing a state enforcement action and a fine for violations at its Lake Land’Or wastewater treatment plant in Caroline County.

That’s according to a consent order proposed by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. A consent order is a negotiated settlement between the state agency and a responsible party.

According to the April order, which will be taken up by the State Water Control Board, Aqua Virginia had several problems with the Lake Land’Or plant in Ruther Glen between April 2013 and February 2014.

The company’s discharge monitoring reports showed that it had exceeded permit limitations for releases of E. coli, nitrogen and phosphorus into an unnamed tributary of the South River.

The DEQ issued notices of violation for the discharges, and last fall the company and the agency met to discuss them.

Aqua Virginia told regulators that most of the violations “were due to multiple months of increased foam, and the plant being overloaded with solids because of operator error, and the loss of aeration units . . ..” Those led to problems removing nitrogen from the effluent, and the failure of an ultraviolet light system that kills bacteria.

Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in sewage treatment plant discharges can cause water-quality issues in receiving streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Those nutrients feed summer algae blooms that rob oxygen in the water needed by marine life.

Aqua, according to the order, hired a new operator, repaired an aeration system and the ultraviolet disinfection component.

The company said another issue last summer complicated the effort to get the plant back into compliance.

It told regulators that the plant received a “toxic shock” last August. Residents of the subdivision reported seeing a septic tank sludge hauler emptying his truck into the sewer system. Aqua Virginia said it stepped up security as a result.

The company now says the problems have been corrected.

Aqua Virginia has 30 days after approval of the order to pay an $8,295 fine.

A copy of the proposed order is available online at deq.virginia.gov. The agency is accepting public comments through June 19. Contact Daniel Burstein by email at: Daniel.Burstein@deq.virginia.gov, or by mail to DEQ’s Northern Regional Office, 13901 Crown Court, Woodbridge, VA 22193.

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431

rdennen@freelancestar.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the hot air balloon involved in the fatal crash May 9 in Caroline County was destroyed by fire after striking a power line while attempting to land.

The report, released Tuesday, said there was “no flight plan filed for the local personal flight that departed from the Meadow Event Park,” which was hosting the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival.

“Multiple eyewitnesses reported that the accident balloon approached a field from the south where another balloon had just landed,” the report said. “As the accident balloon approached the landing site, the pilot engaged the burner; however, the balloon struck power lines, which resulted in a spark. Subsequently, the balloon basket and a section of the envelope caught fire. The balloon began an accelerated climb and drifted out of sight.”

The balloon pilot, Daniel T. Kirk, and two passengers, Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis, died as a result of their injuries from the crash, an autopsy determined.

Multiple items were discovered along the balloon’s debris path, which stretched approximately 1.75 miles long.

Three cellphones and a GPS system were among the personal items found during the search of the crash site, the report said. Two stainless steel propane fuel tanks, a handheld fire extinguisher, the instrument panel and various pieces of the charred 78,133-cubic-foot envelope fabric, associated with the lower portion of the balloon envelope, were also recovered along the debris path.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the balloon crown, crown ring, deflation port, the burner and two other propane fuel tanks were not found.

The Eagle C–7 Balloon, N3016Z, also called “Starship” by its pilot, was last inspected on Aug. 5, 2013, and had accumulated 270.4 hours of flight time.

Kirk, according to his ballooning company website, had more than 30 years of ballooning experience and won many national and state ballooning competitions. He also retired from the U.S. Army.

Doyle and Lewis were key staff members of the University of Richmond women’s basketball department. Doyle was the associate head coach, and Lewis was the director of operations.

The power lines struck were typical rural distribution lines located just outside the Caroline Pines subdivision off Ruther Glen Road in Caroline, said Ann Lewis, spokeswoman for the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, which owns the lines.

She said while residents in the surrounding area did temporarily lose power, there was no damage to the lines that she was aware of.

Lewis said REC builds its lines to the standards and specifications of the National Electrical Safety Code and that they have been assisting authorities in the ongoing investigation.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE-STAR

A Caroline County man accused of having sex with his highly intoxicated female roommate was convicted of aggravated sexual battery yesterday.

Andrew Joseph Gropp, 50, pleaded guilty to the single charge in Caroline Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement. One count of rape, object sexual penetration and three counts of sodomy were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.

His guilty plea was an Alford plea, which means he does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that there was enough evidence for a conviction.

According to a summary of facts read in court by Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Diane Abato, the victim was renting a room in Gropp’s house in Lake Land’Or. Abato said the two did not have an intimate relationship nor were they related, but she did look at him as an uncle.

On Aug. 5, 2012, the then 27-year-old victim went to a pool party with some friends, but had too much to drink, Abato said in court. Her friends drove her home and put her in bed and let Gropp know the situation before leaving, she said.

When the victim woke up, she said Gropp was on top of her, having sex with her.

The now 29-year-old victim testified that the incident has changed her into a different person.

“I had grown to consider him family,” she said. “What he stole from me is pretty much irreplaceable. He stole my trust in humans, strength to move forward, my faith in life, my want for living and my happiness.

“What he gave me in return is weakness, pain, horrific flashbacks that never seem to stop, nightmares that just continue to get worse, a severely messed up mind that causes me to think no one cares a completely shredded, battered and torn soul from the depression that drags me down and humiliation from the mere thought of what happened,” she said in teary testimony.

Defense attorney Craig Evans said that Gropp claims the sex was consensual.

“If a woman is drunk, she can’t consent, so having sex with her is rape,” Abato said.

Gropp was transported to Pamunkey Regional Jail and is scheduled to have a sentencing hearing on Aug. 7.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and will most likely have to register as a sex offender.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Madison Elementary School Principal Scott Belako says his students are eager for bulldozers to come to the school and frequently ask him when that will happen.

They know their school will soon be under construction for a planned renovations and addition that will bring the school into the 21st century.

Caroline County officials held a groundbreaking Friday to kick off the construction, which is expected to begin in July.

The $4 million project was part of a $25 million bond referendum approved by an overwhelming 81 percent of Caroline voters last November.

“What we’re really doing is turning the corner, turning the page,” said Floyd Thomas, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

“This is going to be a wonderful time for Caroline. We’re going to make sure our future is bright and keep moving forward.”

George Spaulding, the chairman of the School Board, talked about how the project is a community effort.

“We really appreciate what the community did,” he said. “They sent out a message that they wanted their schools better.”

Belako said they are excited to provide the students with “modern facilities they can be proud of.”

Schools Superintendent Greg Killough called it “one of the most exciting projects” in the county.

The planned work includes constructing a new secured entrance with an expanded entrance into the school, an expanded cafeteria, new classrooms, new computer labs, a new media center, a new paved bus drop-off/pick-up area and a new parking lot that’s paved.

There will be 14,000 square feet added to the building, and the school division had to acquire 6.9 acres of land.

The school will be able to expand its capacity to 550 students.

Madison was originally built in the 1950s and renovated in 2004.

The project is a few weeks behind schedule. The building design is about 85 percent complete, and the purchase of property needed to complete the new bus loop has been finalized.

The project will be advertised for bids June 11, with bids received by July 10 and presented to the School Board on July 14.

Work will begin in late July and be completed by August 2015.

Robyn Sidersky 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

The final piece of the balloon from the fatal  hot-air balloon accident at Meadow Event Park May 9 has been found, Caroline County Sheriff Tony Lippa said Tuesday.

The piece, about 90 percent of the actual balloon, was found Monday night in the Mattaponi River by Caroline residents  who discovered it  between Milford and U.S. 301, he said.

The balloon and part of the basket were found by people who were floating down the river in a canoe and kayak.

Tuesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office recovered the balloon, which stretched out to about 100 feet, and the bottom part of the basket. It took five people to retrieve the balloon from the river, Lippa said.

The wreckage was found about six miles from where the balloon struck the power lines and eight or nine miles from where it was originally launched at Meadow Event Park.

The accident occurred during a hot-hair balloon festival that was scheduled for that weekend.  The balloon struck a power line and caught fire.  Three people, including two women involved in athletics at the University of Richmond, died.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect figure for the cost of the study. The cost of the study was $490,000.

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE-STAR

A three-year transportation study concluded that a bus and train station should be put in the Carmel Church area of Caroline County, a consultant told the county’s Board of Supervisors Tuesday night.

The objective of the study was “to identify a strategy for improving mobility and regional access for residents of Caroline County with the Washington D.C., metro area and the greater Richmond metro area” an engineer with Kimley–Horn and Associates told the board.

The firm looked at several options, including a commuter bus, a commuter rail, such as Virginia Railway Express, and inter-city rail, such as Amtrak.

Locations considered for the station include Carmel Church, Bowling Green, Ladysmith and a site near the Stonewall Jackson shrine.

The Carmel Church site was recommended because of its proximity to Interstate 95, its “great rail access,” and because it’s near planned growth area in the county and will attract economic activity, said David Whyte, with Kimley–Horn.

“For all of those reasons and some others, that was the location that seemed, as far as our study was concerned, the most effective location to make a transit investment,” he said.

The recommendation from Kimley–Horn was the hybrid option that would make the station initially for bus service and then later for rail service.

It would initially have a park-and-ride scenario with coach service to Washington, D.C., and Richmond. When the demand for service increases, passenger rail service would be provided along the CSX rail corridor.

The study was conducted with $490,000 provided by the Federal Transit Administration. It was commissioned by FTA, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit and the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The board didn’t take any action Tuesday night.

Robyn Sidersky: 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

Caroline County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chad Rozell pulls the remains of the balloon onto shore after it was found in the Mattaponi River by canoeists on Memorial Day. The balloon’s basket was also found at that location.

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Caroline County emergency officials knew before the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival began earlier this month that there were risks involved with hot air balloons.

That’s why, when the event kicked off May 9, there were lots of first responders ready to go at Meadow Event Park just in case.

But the worst-case scenario that was a possibility before the event turned into a reality when one balloon hit power lines while trying to land that Friday night. It caught fire and exploded, killing three people.

Earlier this week, Caroline County Fire Chief Jason Loftus gave a report to the Board of Supervisors detailing the response to the fatal accident.

The remains of the balloon’s basket sits in the water as workers pull the balloon remnants onto the riverbank.

He noted that the county has proposed new restrictions for certain events, and they were testing them at the balloon festival.

The main difference is that local public-safety officials will take the lead with State Police assisting. Currently, State Police lead. Caroline officials will consider the change next month.

In addition, the department followed the county’s existing public-safety plan in place for any emergency. “That identified who was going to be in charge, and that became very important for us,” he said.

Over the weekend of the crash, more than 20 agencies responded to assist—but the local public-safety officials stayed in control and managed the situation, Loftus said.

Loftus described to the board how the department worked with surrounding jurisdictions’ 911 command centers. “One of the things we learned is most people will call in a balloon disaster on a regular landing,” he told supervisors.

“A lot of times, they [balloons] skim the trees when they come in and people see that, and when they [balloons] drop behind the horizon and drop behind the trees and they [witnesses] think they’re going to crash,” he said.

So the various 911 centers were given a list of public-safety answering points.

“We said, ‘If you get any calls in your command center about the balloons, filter it down to the command center at Meadow Event Park so we could call the pilot and try to deal with that issue,” Loftus told the board, noting that before the event, the command center was planned at the launch site.

Another point Loftus made to the board was that it was crucial that they developed a relationship with the balloon pilots association before the event.

“We sat down with the promoter and balloonists and made sure we had a solid emergency-management plan before the event started,” Loftus said.

The sheriff’s office, the department of fire, rescue and emergency management, and the Virginia State Police communicated with the balloon pilots association beforehand “so we could understand the risks of propane and all of the risks associated with landing,” he said.

There were 13 balloons that took flight Friday. All but one landed safely.

The balloon that crashed took flight about 8 p.m. and was piloted by Daniel T. Kirk, with two passengers, Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis.

The balloon flew 3.7 miles before it struck REC power lines while attempting to land.

Loftus said it was a propane line, not a gas line, that ruptured on the balloon. And the propane expanded rapidly. Because of that, the balloon rose uncontrollably.

And because it rose so quickly, the path of the balloon changed—the winds are different at higher altitudes.

Loftus said he brought a balloon expert to the scene and it made a huge difference. He’s the one who knows about the wind and weather conditions, the balloons, the tanks used, is involved in the planning and oversees the entire event, Loftus noted.

The chief said he was glad he had established the relationship with him at the beginning of the process.

The expert helped Loftus look at possible paths of the balloon after the fire. “I probably would have taken a path that goes along straight,” Loftus said. Instead, the actual path veered to the northeast.

He said officials considered the winds, the path of the balloon and the trajectory in estimating where the craft might have crashed.

A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, provided some details on what happened.

Multiple eyewitnesses reported that the balloon that crashed was approaching a field from the south where another balloon had just landed, the report said. “As the accident balloon approached the landing site, the pilot engaged the burner; however, the balloon struck power lines, which resulted in a spark.”

Subsequently, the balloon basket and a section of the balloon’s covering caught fire, which caused the balloon an accelerated climb, eventually out of sight.

For the first 10 hours after the accident, the fire department was in charge of the scene and it was considered a search and rescue operation.

After that, the sheriff’s office took over for the remainder of the event and it was a search and recovery operation.

The area in red was the eventual search area where victims and debris were found. The larger area in yellow was the initial search area. The white line shows the balloon’s path.

Loftus said the balloon experts helped identify a zone to search for the three victims and the debris. The initial search zone was 1,300 acres of extremely dense, wooded area.

Loftus noted that he requested air support from the Henrico Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police. “We knew the only way to get quick and hasty searches going was with air support,” he said.

Initially, following the Friday evening accident, more than 100 people were helping search a very large search area. Loftus called it a “very daunting task” for first responders.

On Saturday and Sunday, though, the search was narrowed to a much smaller area in which the victims and almost all of the pieces of the balloon were eventually found. The balloon’s debris path was about 1.75 miles long, the report noted.

Three cellphones and a GPS system were among the personal items found during the search of the crash site, the report said. Two stainless steel propane fuel tanks, a handheld fire extinguisher, the instrument panel and various pieces of the charred 78,133-cubic-foot outer fabric, associated with the lower portion of the balloon, were also recovered along the debris path.

The final pieces of the wreckage, about 90 percent of the actual balloon and the basket, were found by canoeists in the Mattaponi River on Monday. The sheriff’s office retrieved it from the river Tuesday morning. It was found about six miles from where the balloon hit the power lines and about 8 or 9 miles from the original launch site.

Loftus also told the board that the search efforts showed again the current county radio system needs updating. “We were down to [using] cellphones when we found the first victim,” he said. “This is a key event in the county in which our radio system was inadequate.”

The board has approved spending $6.5 million on a new system to replace the current outdated one. The new system is expected to be operational by year’s end.

Because of the radio situation, the Caroline Pines subdivision closer to the accident site became a command post rather than the festival site, as was originally planned.

“If we had gone to Meadow Event Park, we would have lost all communications, both portable and mobile,” Loftus told the board.

Loftus stressed that even though dozens of agencies jumped in to help, the event was managed by local officials.

“We had a national event, but it was truly managed locally by our office and the sheriff’s department,” Loftus said.

Robyn Sidersky 540/374-5413

rsidersky@freelancestar.com

BY PORTSIA SMITH / THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Three Caroline County men face separate jury trials stemming from a shooting incident last year that prosecutors say was in retaliation for a 2007 death of a young family member.

Kire Davon Worley, 20, and brothers Jessee Rashaund Morris, 23, and J’uan Tyvelle Morris, 21, are each charged in Caroline Circuit Court with attempted murder, attempted malicious wounding, attempted malicious wounding while part of a mob, discharging a firearm in an occupied dwelling, conspiracy to commit murder and three firearms charges.

They were indicted May 7.

The charges stem from a June 6, 2013, incident when a home on Brownstone Road in Ruther Glen was hit by gunfire in a drive-by style shooting, said Caroline Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Diane Abato.

There were four people sleeping in the residence at the time, but no one was injured, she said.

Abato said during a preliminary hearing that prosecutors believe that 24-year-old Shawn Terrell was the intended target in retaliation for the November 2007 shooting death of 16-year-old Raquel Hunter.

Hunter, who prosecutors say is related to the defendants, was shot in the head after a fight broke out at a classmate’s birthday party.

Terrell, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony malicious wounding by mob in the slaying. He received a suspended 20-year sentence.

Eight others were also charged with sentences ranging from suspended sentences to 50 years in prison, court records show.

Abato said cases with multiple defendants are usually tried together by one jury. But because defendants in the 2013 shooting made different statements implicating each other, they are being tried separately.

Trial dates were set Wednesday in Circuit Court. Worley’s is scheduled for July 31. Jessee Morris will be tried Aug. 25, and J’uan Morris is set for a trial on Aug. 27.

They are currently being held in the Pamunkey Regional Jail.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419

psmith@fredericksburg.com