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Thomas "Tom" G. Shepperd, Jr. York County Supervisor, District 5
Hm: (757) 858-8591 Mb: (757) 903-1875 Email address: Shepperd@yorkcounty.gov Email address: TGShep@cox.net | | District 5 Update - September 2024 | | Residents and homeowner associations are encouraged to share the Update with others in their communities. Comments and questions are always welcome* | | | Back in May I wrote about Sheriff Montgomery’s initiative to install speed check cameras in five school zones. Tabb Elementary School is one of the zones. On August 26, the first day of school, the cameras went active. The next 30-days is a trial period to get the public used to the cameras and work out any bugs in the system. Speeders during the trial period will receive a warning letter from the Sheriff’s Office. Effective Wednesday, September 25, civil citations will be issued with a fine of $100 for anyone exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour.
There is no cost for the cameras or their installation. Only a small portion of the funds collected from the fines will go to the vendor. The rest will go into the County’s general fund per state statute.
Current traffic data is showing a positive impact on speeding. Earlier this year the Sheriff’s Office recorded 3,725 speeding violations of 10 mph or more over a five-day period. During a recent four-day period, the violation had dropped to 822 violations with about 70 percent of the violations occurring in the York High School zone on Route 17. The Sheriff’s Office will be placing greater attention on the troubled speed zone.
For more information about the program go to https://www.yorkcounty.gov/359/Sheriffs-Office | | Speeding on Carys Chapel Road | | | Over the past year I received numerous complaints about excessive speeding on Carys Chapel Road. As a result, the Sheriff’s Office conducted a speed study using a Stealth Stat system. The results of the study showed that the median speed was 39 MPH and the 85th percentile speed was 43 MPH. This means that 85 percent of the vehicles were going 8 miles over the speed limit. This prompted the Sheriff to station several patrol cars along Carys Chapel Road.
During the patrols in late July and early August, the Sheriff deputies issued 19 citations and 9 warnings. Also, there were 6 Direct Patrols/Radar Enforcements. Not surprisingly, there were two Reckless Excessive Speed citations and one driving with a Suspended/Revoked license. Some of the highest speeds were recorded in the morning around 5 a.m., with speeds around 70 mph. The posted speed limit is 35 mph.
As you might expect, word got out about the patrol cars and the traffic did slow down. However, we realize this is not a permanent solution. Because of the high traffic volume and ongoing speeding, the Sheriff plans to redeploy the deputies on a routine basis. | | | Another Scam: A criminal with "a fake country accent" is calling around pretending to be Deputy West with York County. He says that you need to do a DNA swab, a photo lineup, or have a warrant issued for your arrest. He proceeds to ask you to pay a fine, and if you don't pay, he will then threaten your family.
No one from our Sheriff's Office or any other law enforcement agency will ever try to elicit fines from you over the phone, especially fines paid in gift cards! Be smart! Please don't fall for this scam!
As a general rule, I never give out credit card or banking information to someone who makes an unsolicited call to my number. Professional scammers will call and attempt to distract you into doing something you would not normally do in a calm situation. Always, always, verify who you are talking to. One of the best ways to verify a family member during a crisis call is to simply ask questions about the family. Scammers are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Don’t be the next victim. | | | Sheriff Montgomery's Program: “NOT in YORK COUNTY”
April 23rd – A suspect enters the ABC Store in the Kiln Creek Shopping Center with a large backpack and begins filling the backpack with various bottles of liquor. The store clerk realizes what the perp is doing and threatens to call the police. The perp blows off the threat and tells the clerk to go ahead and make the call because they will never catch him. He walked out of the store with over $1,400 worth of liquor. On May 2nd the perp was arrested and charged with Felony Grand Larceny. The perp learned a hard lesson about crime and that is you might get away with it somewhere else, but “Not in York County.”
June 13th –The Sheriff’s Office responded to a call that someone was trying to break into car in the Coventry neighborhood. Officers arrived quickly and worked with neighbors in both the Coventry and Tabb Lakes neighborhoods to locate the suspect. He was arrested on 2 counts of entering a motor vehicle with intent to commit larceny, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and on 4 counts of Obstructing Justice, which is also a misdemeanor. Additional charges are pending. The suspect learned, “Not in York County.” August 15th – The Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from the Kroger grocery store near Kiln Creek where they found a male suspect trying to use stolen credit cards. He was not armed as first reported. He was arrested and charged with 8 counts of Credit Card Theft, which are felonies, 4 counts of Credit Card Fraud, which are misdemeanors, and 1 count of wearing a mask in public, which is a felony. He also learned, “Not in York County.” | | | Comments from the York County and City of Poquoson Commonwealth’s Attorney Krystyn L. Reid
I would like to begin this update with a description of our staff in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Including myself, we have nine prosecuting attorneys in the office. What is remarkable about our attorneys is the collective experience they possess. Five of the nine attorneys in the office have more than 20 years of experience and a couple have more than 30 years experience. This is rare in small law offices, particularly prosecutor’s offices. In addition to the attorneys, we have six support staff members and three Victim Witness Advocates. We are a collaborative office where we all strive to serve the needs of our victims and our community.
We recently finalized a case that occurred in December of 2020. On December 26, 2020 in the upper end of the County, one man shot another resulting in permanent significant injuries for the victim. The men were known to each other and this incident stemmed from a personal dispute. The defendant pleaded guilty to Malicious Wounding, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony. The defendant was sentenced to 48 years with 33 years suspended resulting in an active sentence of 15 years. The victim was consulted on this resolution and restitution was ordered to cover his medical bills. Upon release, the defendant will be on probation and good behavior for 40 years.
One issue of particular importance in the County right now is scams. York County residents lost and continue to lose a vast amount of money to scams, particularly over the phone. Based on the scammers’ use of cutting-edge technology, these scams are notoriously very challenging to investigate and prosecute. We remind residents to be wary of calls demanding immediate payment and of calls that demand money based on an emotional connection. It’s always a good idea to take a break, think about the demand, look up the phone number of the agency, and return the call after some reflection.
One missing aspect in the state court system is assistance for witness protection and relocation. The federal system has long provided resources for this purpose but we in the state system were lacking. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services recently implemented a Virginia Witness Protection Program providing grants to localities for reluctant or threatened witnesses. Our office applied and was awarded a $25,000 grant that will provide tangible protections for witnesses including cell phones, temporary lodging, relocation, and security systems. We are optimistic that this will be helpful in successful prosecution of serious crimes by providing these necessary protections for our witnesses. | | | Rave Alert York County has launched a new emergency notification system called Rave Alert. This platform uses state-of-the-art technology to allow county officials to provide timely, accurate information directly to residents during emergencies. Rave Alert replaces the County’s current system, York Alert. Rave Alert is designed to enhance public safety by delivering real-time alerts and notifications through multiple channels, including text messages, emails, voice calls, and mobile app notifications on a variety of situations, such as severe weather, public safety threats, and important community updates.
Another key aspect of the Rave Alert platform is the Smart911 app that can be used to receive the notifications being sent by the County and can also store important health data that can be shared with the County’s Emergency Communications department when assistance is needed.
Registration is free and now available. You can enroll in the Rave Alert system by visiting yorkcounty.gov/ravealert.
For any questions or assistance with the sign-up process, residents may call the County at 757-890-4961 or send an email to ravealert@yorkcounty.gov. | | HRSD Pressure Reducing Station (PRS) and Offline Storage Facility (OLSF) Update | | | The photo above is taken from the site construction cameras. On the right (to the right of the crane) you can make out some piles that will be the foundation for the storage tank, and to the left, you can see the concrete that will form the walls of the PRS. Construction remains on schedule for completion in March 2026. The contractor, MEB, has completed the bottom slab of the PRS and is over half-way through pouring the walls of this facility. Pile driving for both facilities (PRS and OLSF i.e. storage tank) is complete. The OLSF subcontractors will be onsite beginning September 16th to begin work on that facility. | | | Have you ever wished for a quick an easy way to comment on important issues that come before the County Board of Supervisor. You know, those issues that impact you, your family and community? Well, now you can. York County is working with FlashVote to gather resident input through scientifically developed surveys. The survey questions are unbiased and the data from the survey is parse statistically to help County officials make informed decisions. From this Supervisor’s perspective, FlashVote is an outstanding tool that can help me in working with the other Supervisors to set policy, create budgets, fund schools, buy equipment, and plan for the County’s future.
FlashVote gives you a voice in local government. Often Supervisors only hear from a self-selected few on an issue. One vote every few years from regular citizens doesn’t do you or the Supervisors much good. A lot can change between elections, and it is good to receive citizen input on significant issues from time to time. To participate in FlashVote, you must sign up at https://www.flashvote.com/yorkcountyva. You can also sign up by calling or texting 775-235-2240. Here’s how it works:
- Sign up takes less than one minute and your input is always kept anonymous
- Personal or demographic information collected by FlashVote is never shared with the County or anyone else.
- When residents sign up, they can determine how surveys are received – whether by email, text or phone call.
- They will receive a notification whenever there is a new survey, and they will have 48 hours to participate before voting closes.
- Once a survey is closed, everyone who participated will automatically receive a summary of the overall results and be able to see how their responses compare to the group.
First FlashVote Survey Results: The subject is home based businesses. Here are the five questions and results: Note that 266 of the 440 invited to participate responded to the survey. Again, you must sign up to be invited. You will have only 48 hours to respond to the survey.
Question 1: Is the home where you live part of a Homeowners Association (HOA)? 52.5% yes, 47.1% No
Question 2: Do you know or suspect that there are one or more home based businesses in your neighborhood? (Choose ONE)
- I don't think there are any home based businesses in my neighborhood 25.7% (61)
- I suspect there is at least one home based business in my neighborhood 4.9% (59)
- I know there is at least one home based businesses in my neighborhood (and my home isn't one) 21.1% (50)
- My home is used for a home based business 2.5% (6)
- Not Sure 25.7% (61)
Question 3: Which of the following would be your biggest concerns, if any, about home-based businesses operating in your neighborhood? (You can choose up to FOUR)
- Increased car traffic on the street 48.2% (108)
- Loud noises made by the home business 26.3% (59)
- Lots of cars parking on the street 42.4% (95)
- The neighborhood looking bad during business hours 8.9% (20)
- Strangers coming and going through the neighborhood 51.3% (115)
- Hazardous materials escaping outside the home 18.3% (41)
- Noise from commercial vehicles or customers coming and going 32.1%
- (72)
- None of these 19.6% (44)
- Other: 7.1% (16)
Question 4: Which of the following examples of home based businesses, if any, would you be most concerned about having in your neighborhood during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. any day of the week? (You can choose up to FOUR, if any) - A home beauty salon or piano teacher with 1 customer at a time 1.3% (3)
- A home beauty salon or piano teacher with an employee and 2 customers at a time 16.2% (37)
- A solo cabinetmaking business in a detached garage 8.3% (19)
- A cabinetmaking business in a detached garage with three employees parking on the property 44.1% (101)
- A landscape contractor who parks a trailer with mowers and a truck in their driveway overnight 31.4% (72)
- A craft (crochet, etc.) or service business (accounting, etc.) with customers doing drop offs or pick ups a dozen times a day 22.7% (52)
- An auto repair business that works on one or two cars at a time inside the home’s garage 46.3% (106)
- None of these are a big concern for me 35.4% (81)
- Other: 9.6% (22)
Question 5: Any other comments or suggestions about home based businesses in York County? Only 10 of the 65 inputs are shown here:
- I literally do not care if there is a home based business in my neighborhood.
- I think the Home-Based Business regulations need to be loosened in York County. Having a total of four people and four cars all parked in parking spaces on the property and not on the street would be of no concern to me.
- Prefer off street parking (business must have enough parking on property) and concern about non-yard items stored in site of street (example: vehicles being worked on).
- Aside from traffic and drugs, I have zero concern what residents are doing on their own property.
- Establish ordinances for vehicle parking and daytime noise.
- Since I live on a very narrow lane, the street parking would be a concern for us. We already have to dodge lawn maintenance and delivery trucks. Some park on the easements and it destroys the ground (which they don't bother fixing).
- There are so many variables that make a difference in some home businesses being okay, the neighborhood, how close the houses are, how wide the street is and type of parking (if it is a type of business that has visitors) and so on. Neighbor input should also be considered.
- Not at this time.
- As long as the home-based business aligns with the typical sights and sounds of a residential neighborhood, and has the appropriate licenses and insurance, have no issues.
- I saw the Supervisors discussion on this topic. I think less rather than more rules about this is the right thing. People are struggling as it is to make a living. A little more grace and understanding should be the norm. I am more disturbed about the complaining homeowners who are counting how many parents are picking up their children from daycare. Why is this such an outrage? 4 cars twice a day. Who are these people? Perhaps they should get out more. Delivery trucks run down my street every day delivering to people's homes. This is how we shop. Why it is relevant what they are delivering?
The FlashVote results presented here are not the complete survey report. By signing up to participate, you will be able to see more details about the survey. To participate in FlashVote, you must sign up at https://www.flashvote.com/yorkcountyva. You can also sign up by calling or texting 775-235-2240. | | * Comments and opinions expressed in the District 5 Report are authorized and approved by me and do not necessarily represent the position of other elected representatives. All email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and to the Virginia Public Records Act, which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement. | | | | |
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