Advertise With the Virginia Mountaineer Today!
|
|
|
|
Adam
Chapman
Charged
in
Shooting
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rowe
Man
Charged
in
Father's
Murder |
|
by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor
A
19-year-old
Rowe
area
man
was
charged
Sunday
with
the
murder
of
his
father.
Adam
Wayne
Chapman
was
charged
with
the
first
degree
murder
of
David
Chapman,
51,
at
the
family
home
on
Whitt
Branch
on
Garden
Creek
shortly
before
8
p.m.,
Sunday.
Adam
Chapman
was
also
charged
with
use
of
a
firearm
in
the
commission
of
a
felony.
According
to
Buchanan
County
Sheriff
Ray
Foster,
David
Chapman
was
shot
in
the
head
with
a
12-gauge
shotgun.
Foster
said
David
Chapman's
body
was
found
on
the
bathroom
floor
of
the
home,
near
the
bathtub.
Law
enforcement
officials
learned
of
the
incident
after
a
9-1-1
call
was
placed
and
a
woman
was
heard
crying
in
the
background
before
the
line
disconnected.
A
few
moments
later,
a
second
call
was
made
at
which
point
the
woman
calling
reported
she
believed
her
husband
was
dead.
The
Virginia
State
Police
responded
to
the
scene
initially
and
called
for
assistance
from
the
sheriff's
department
at
which
point,
according
to
Investigator
Larry
Crouse,
the
department
was
told
it
appeared
the
shooting
had
been
a
homicide.
Both
Foster
and
Crouse
said
the
shooting
appeared
to
have
been
"a
domestic
dispute
gone
bad."
Crouse,
who
reported
to
the
scene,
said
David
Chapman
and
Adam
Chapman
had
apparently
been
arguing
before
the
shooting
incident
occurred.
He
said
Adam
Chapman
allegedly
confessed
he
shot
his
father,
David
Chapman,
and
further
alleged
that
prior
to
the
shooting,
David
Chapman
had
struck
him
(Adam
Chapman)
in
the
chest
and
scratched
the
back
of
his
neck.
According
to
Crouse,
Adam
Chapman
said
his
father
had
been
drinking
prior
to
the
incident.
"Apparently
there
was
a
history
of
domestic
violence,"
Crouse
said.
In
fact,
a
warrant
charging
David
Chapman
with
misdemeanor
assault
and
battery
of
Adam
Chapman
was
issued
a
little
more
than
a
year
ago
on
December
2,
2005.
The
charge
was
dismissed
in
February
2006
on
payment
of
costs
when
there
were
no
further
problems
reported.
The
criminal
complaint
in
that
incident
indicated
David
Chapman
had
been
drinking
and
admitted
to
being
intoxicated.
It
further
indicated
that
both
Adam
Chapman
had
his
mother,
Barbra
Chapman,
had
stated
then
they
were
"in
fear
of
bodily
harm
of
David
Chapman."
Adam
Chapman
was
taken
into
custody
Sunday
evening
following
the
shooting
without
incident.
He
was
arraigned
Tuesday
in
Buchanan
General
District
Court
at
which
time
his
case
was
continued
to
February
27,
2007.
Tazewell
Attorney
Rich
Patterson
was
appointed
as
his
attorney.
He
was
returned
to
custody
at
the
Haysi
Regional
Jail,
where
he
is
being
held
without
bond
pending
a
bond
hearing,
which
has
not
yet
been
set. |
|
|
CNX
Says
Gates
Are
Locked
for
Safety
Reasons
|
|
by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor
The
locks
on
gates
leading
to
gas
well
roads
in
the
county
are
there
for
safety,
a
CNX
Gas
Company
official
said
Monday.
Last
week,
members
of
the
Lonesome
Pine
Trail
Riders
appeared
before
the
Buchanan
County
Board
of
Supervisors
to
ask
for
help
in
getting
the
roads,
which
they
formerly
used
as
part
of
an
ATV
trail
in
the
county
reopened.
Dan
Zajdel,
CNX
public
information
officer,
noted
there
are
basically
three
reasons
why
CNX
has
locked
the
gates
on
its
gas
well
roads
and
the
primary
reason,
he
said
is
safety.
"Safety
is
our
paramount
concern,"
Zajdel
said.
He
said
there
is
no
connection
between
the
locked
gates
and
a
case
pending
in
Buchanan
Circuit
Court
where
GeoMet
sought
an
injunction
against
CNX
in
May
after
problems
GeoMet
had
gaining
access
to
property
on
which
it
alleges
it
has
a
right
of
way
in
order
to
construct
a
gas
pipeline.
Zajdel
said
Tuesday
the
locking
of
the
gates
had
no
connection
to
the
GeoMet
case.
At
last
week's
meeting,
ATV
riders
said
they
had
previously
used
the
property
under
an
agreement
worked
out
in
2000,
however
Zajdel
said
Monday
to
the
best
of
the
company's
knowledge,
there
had
not
been
an
agreement
made
to
allow
four-wheelers
access
to
CNX
properties.
Board
members
last
week
agreed
to
form
a
committee
to
work
with
County
Administrator
W.J.
Caudill
and
CNX
to
try
to
work
out
the
issue
and
further
agreed
to
revisit
the
issue
during
a
continued
meeting
Monday,
December
18
at
10
a.m.
Members
of
the
Lonesome
Pine
Trail
Riders
have
encouraged
ATV
enthusiasts
to
attend
the
December
18
meeting.
On
Monday,
Zajdel
said
the
three
primary
reasons
the
gates
have
been
locked
involved
the
thefts
which
have
occurred
on
CNX
property,
although
he
said
the
company
is
not
blaming
the
ATV
riders
for
those
thefts.
Earlier
this
year,
a
rash
of
copper
wire
thefts
plagued
CNX
and
other
gas
companies
in
the
county.
Without
locks
on
the
gates,
Zajdel
said,
it
is
difficult
to
control
access
to
the
sites,
he
added.
Second,
Zajdel
said
there
are
liability
issues
with
the
riders
being
on
the
property
in
the
event
of
injury
or
death.
Two
accidents
have
occurred
near
CNX
properties,
Zajdel
said.
The
third
reason,
he
said
is
a
legal
issue,
since
some
of
the
property
used
by
CNX
is
leased
and
parts
of
those
lease
agreements
prohibit
making
the
land
available
for
public
use.
Zajdel
also
noted
recent
news
accounts
in
Oregon
of
a
family
stranded
in
the
snow
after
a
wrong
turn
occurred
when
the
family
turned
down
a
logging
road
normally
blocked
by
a
gate.
Vandals
had
apparently
cut
the
lock
off
the
gate.
Zajdel
said
stories
like
that
in
the
national
news
further
illustrated
the
need
for
companies
to
be
vigilant
in
maintaining
gates
and
security
on
their
properties.
For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subscribe
to the
Mountaineer
today
and
don't
miss
out on
all
the
Buchanan
County
news!
Call 276-935-2123 or write: P.O. Box 2040,
Grundy,
Va.,
24614-2040
to get
your
subscription
started.
Pricing
information
is
found
on the
Advertising
page
of
this
site. |
|
|
*
*
*
*
*
*
ATTENTION:
ASL
Students,
Parents, Community Members . . .
Keep a Lasting Memory of the
Appalachian School of Law!
Order a beautiful color photograph of
the law school. Get details by e-mail --
jjcat@netscope.net

Photo Prices Are: (includes shipping)
5x7.................... $10.00
8x10...................$12.50
11x16.................$17.00
*
*
*
*
*
*
|
|
|
|