Man Charged With Starting Brush Fire
A Glasgow man has been taken into custody and charged with starting a brush fire in the area of Kanawha Street and 15th Street, between the CSX railroad tracks and the James River.
The incident occurred on March 7 at approximately 2:15 p.m., according to a press release from the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrived on the scene and found the Glasgow Fire Department actively extinguishing the fire.
The sheriff’s office and partner agencies have been investigating a series of suspicious fires in the Glasgow area, and the investigation into the March 7 fire resulted in evidence that led to the arrest of Nicholas Colton Falls, 31, of Glasgow.
Falls has been charged with one felony count of maliciously setting a brush fire and three misdemeanors: one count of entering property belonging to another with intent to cause damage, one count of leaving a fire unattended and one count of trespassing on train tracks. He has been released on bond with a hearing in Rockbridge County General District Court on March 27 regarding the appointment of an attorney.
“Fires of this nature present a serious risk to public safety, first responders, and critical infrastructure,” Sheriff Tony McFaddin said in the release. “We take incidents like this very seriously and will continue working with our partner agencies to thoroughly investigate these cases and hold those responsible accountable.”
The investigation into this fire and other related fire incidents is active and ongoing, and anyone with information about this fire or any of the other fires being investigated is encouraged to contact Deputy Troy McAdams at (540) 462-5399 ext. 2224, or email tcmcadams@ rbsova.gov.
Deputies Assist
In Parkway Chase
The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office during a chase along the Blue Ridge Parkway on March 9.
The chase began in Augusta County, where, according to a press release from the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was dispatched to a suspicious activity call involving a vehicle at an address on Elk Mountain Lane in the Afton area of the county.
Upon arrival, the deputy located the vehicle, a red Subaru, leaving the address where the call originated, and the driver “went into the ditch and drove around the deputy in an attempt to flee.” The deputy turned on his lights but the driver of the Subaru did not stop, leaving Elk Mountain Lane and continuing onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The chase continued into Rockbridge County and then returned to Augusta, staying on the Parkway the entire time, involving several law enforcement agencies, including the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police. At one point, the vehicle pulled into an overlook near Irish Creek and intentionally backed into an Augusta County Sheriff’s Deputy’s vehicle. Tire deflation devices were deployed in an attempt to disable the vehicle, which did successfully deflate the tires but did not end the chase as the driver continued to flee, “running the tires off of the rims” before losing control of the vehicle and crashing.
The driver, identified as Scott Wayne Fitzgerald, 34, of Mount Sydney, was taken into custody without further incident and charged with one count of eluding police and one count of reckless driving. He is being held without bond at Middle River Regional Jail.
Augusta County Sheriff Donald L. Smith expressed thanks to Wintergreen Police Department, the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police for their assistance in the chase.
