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Jane Harper

Jane Harper covers state and federal courts for The Pilot. A native of Southeast Texas, she earned her journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin and worked at newspapers in Texas and Maryland before moving to Norfolk in 1994.

Cola Beale IV got the maximum sentence of life plus five years for the murder of his cousin. He previously was sentenced to life plus 63 years for the murder of his girlfriend, a man who was a father figure to him and the burning of the girlfriend's dog, home and car.

Crime and Public Safety |
Virginia Beach man has 4th life sentence added for 2022 murderous crime spree

August 23, 2024 at 3:34 p.m.

Cola Beale IV got the maximum sentence of life plus five years for the murder of his cousin. He previously was sentenced to life plus 63 years for the murder...

Former Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney James Panagis is accused of stealing funds meant for crime victims between 2019 and 2021. He was fired from a Virginia Beach law firm shortly after the indictments were issued Monday.

Courts |
Former Virginia Beach prosecutor’s financial crimes alleged to have occurred over 2 years

August 22, 2024 at 5:54 p.m.

Former Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney James Panagis is accused of stealing funds meant for crime victims between 2019 and 2021. He was fired from a Virginia Beach law firm shortly after...

A man pleaded guilty this week to charges related to the accidental shooting of a 14-year-old last year.

Courts |
Norfolk man pleads guilty to accidentally killing teen while showing off his gun

August 22, 2024 at 4:11 p.m.

A man pleaded guilty this week to charges related to the accidental shooting of a 14-year-old last year.

Nathan Poole also was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine, and had his driver's license indefinitely revoked. Testimony at trial indicated he was high on marijuana when he struck two women, both in their 70s, with his pickup in a Town Center crosswalk.

Crime and Public Safety |
Man who ran over 2 cousins in Virginia Beach Town Center gets 7 years in prison

August 20, 2024 at 4:37 p.m.

Nathan Poole also was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine, and had his driver's license indefinitely revoked. Testimony at trial indicated he was high on marijuana when he struck two...

Richard Bauserman, 73, was found guilty of felony child abuse almost nine months after his 5-year-old grandson accidentally shot himself with a gun the man left on a sofa.

Courts |
Virginia Beach man found guilty after grandson, 5, shot himself with gun left on sofa

August 20, 2024 at 7:05 a.m.

Richard Bauserman, 73, was found guilty of felony child abuse almost nine months after his 5-year-old grandson accidentally shot himself with a gun the man left on a sofa.

Dana Plummer, 36, was released from a Maryland hospital on Friday and taken to Prince George's County Department of Corrections. He appeared in a Maryland court Monday, where he was ordered to remain jailed without bond.

Crime and Public Safety |
Virginia Beach father who caused fatal crash after abducting children is in jail after release from hospital

August 19, 2024 at 5:58 p.m.

Dana Plummer, 36, was released from a Maryland hospital on Friday and taken to Prince George's County Department of Corrections. He appeared in a Maryland court Monday, where he was...

Dana Plummer and his ex-wife remained close neighbors after their divorce, living just around the corner from each other. But the family's lives were forever changed this week after Plummer allegedly stabbed his ex-wife and stepdaughter, and fled with their three other children, then causing a crash that killed one child and injured the others.

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Crime and Public Safety |
Day after Virginia Beach child abduction, many questions but few answers

August 17, 2024 at 8:26 a.m.

Dana Plummer and his ex-wife remained close neighbors after their divorce, living just around the corner from each other. But the family's lives were forever changed this week after Plummer...

The abduction of three young children from their Virginia Beach home ended in a multi-vehicle crash in Maryland that resulted in the death of the youngest child and the arrest of the man police say kidnapped them during a domestic dispute.

Crime and Public Safety |
Father faces multiple charges after Virginia Beach abduction ended with 1-year-old’s death, 2 injured children

August 20, 2024 at 6:18 p.m.

The abduction of three young children from their Virginia Beach home ended in a multi-vehicle crash in Maryland that resulted in the death of the youngest child and the arrest...

The Virginia resident who died lived in the state's Eastern Health Region, which includes Hampton Roads, and was 65 or older. The Virginia Department of Health declined to provide any other information about the decedent.

Health |
Third person to die from listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat is from Eastern Virginia

August 12, 2024 at 2:19 p.m.

The Virginia resident who died lived in the state's Eastern Health Region, which includes Hampton Roads, and was 65 or older. The Virginia Department of Health declined to provide any...

Officers on patrol in the 8500 block of Orcutt Avenue early Saturday morning heard gunshots and found a man lying in the road.

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Crime and Public Safety |
2 fatal shootings reported in Hampton in just over 24 hours

August 10, 2024 at 2:31 p.m.

Officers on patrol in the 8500 block of Orcutt Avenue early Saturday morning heard gunshots and found a man lying in the road.

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