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The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a dognapping that took place on Christmas Day.
According to a series of posts made to the sheriff’s office Facebook page on the morning of Dec. 26, the dog, a 4-year-old white Great Pyrenees named Brisco, was taken from his home on Reid Road west of Timber Ridge around 2:45 p.m. on Christmas Day while his owners were out of town.
Security cameras on the property captured two women pulling up to the house in their vehicle, with the one in the passenger seat running to retrieve Brisco while the other moved the vehicle away from the house. The suspect who went to get the dog appeared to be wearing a mask to conceal their identity. The two women coaxed the dog into their vehicle and drove away.
Brisco was found at 1:30 on Dec. 26, wandering along South Lee Highway in the Natural Bridge area by some people from Roanoke who were traveling through the area. They took him to a shelter in Roanoke and he was soon returned to his family. When he was found, Brisco had been shaved.
As of this week, no arrests have been made in connection to this case. The sheriff’s office is asking for anyone with any information to call 540-- 463-7328.
-In another post, this one posted just after 7 p.m. on Dec. 27, the sheriff’s office warned of a scam caller posing as one of the department’s deputies. Several people, the post noted, had reported a caller claiming to be Deputy Jim Smith and encouraged anyone who received similar calls to hang up and report the caller to the sheriff’s office directly.
“We hope to educate citizens so they know they can hang up on the person and call us directly and know they’re speaking to a real deputy,” RCSO Deputy Chief Tony McFaddin told The News-Gazette. “And we’re not going to do that anyway, call you up and demand money.” -The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office made the following felony arrests over the past month: Jason Lee Nicely, 41, of Lexington, for one count of malicious wounding on Dec. 29.
Lydia Nicole Powell, 27, of Lexington, for one felony count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, one felony count of grand larceny of a motor vehicle and one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended or revoked license on Dec. 26.
Arielle Hannah Podlejski, 32, of Rockbridge Baths for one count of possession of a schedule I or II drug on Dec. 22.
Summer Leigh Vance, 43, of Buena Vista, for one felony count of assault on a law enforcement officer and one misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice on Dec. 17.
Lauren Marie Ramsey, 29, of Lexington for one count of child endangerment on Dec. 16.
Jeremy Ryan Smith, 34, of Glasgow, for one felony count of possession of a schedule I or II drug, one misdemeanor count of refusal of a drug test and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of drugs on Dec. 13.
Brooklyn Hoyle, 18, of Buena Vista, for one count of possession of a schedule I or II drug on Dec. 12.
Quameek Horton, 34, of Lexington, for one count of giving false information on a federal firearm transfer form on Dec. 12.
Alexander Yancey, 33, for one count of possession of a schedule I or II drug on Dec. 12.
Jeffrey B. Hebb Jr., 35, of Fairfield for one count of communicating threats on Dec. 12.
Richard Clifton Wade, 55, of Vesuvius, for one count of giving a false statement on the purchase of a firearm on Dec. 8.
Jennifer Coffey Moore, 38, of Buena Vista for one felony count of strangulation and one misdemeanor count of domestic assault and battery on Dec. 5.
David Lynn Flowers, 44, of Buena Vista, for one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Dec. 2.
Matthew James Smith, 38, of Lexington, for one count of destruction of property on Nov. 30.
Daniel Higgins, 47, of Natural Bridge Station, for one felony count of credit card theft, one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license, one misdemeanor count of obtaining money under false pretenses, one misdemeanor count of petit larceny and one misdemeanor count of credit card fraud on Nov. 29.
Kelly Swink, 53, of Lexington for one count of unlawful wounding on Nov. 28.
Marley Elms Wilson, 26, of Natural Bridge, for one count of threatening in writing on Nov. 28.
Elizabeth Marie Woodson, 34, for one count of grand larceny of a motor vehicle on Nov. 23. -The Lexington Police Department made the following felony arrests over the past month: Autumn Gail Simmons, 24, of Roanoke, for one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on Dec. 22.
Loran Elizabeth Huffman, 31, of Waynesboro, for one count of possession of a schedule I or II drug and one count of violation of probation on a felony offense on Dec. 18.
