Friday, February 2, 2024

District 5 Update for February 2024




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 - February 2024

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Residents and homeowner associations are encouraged to share the Update with others in their communities. Comments and questions are always welcome*

Land Clearing

You may have noticed the land clearing operation taking place along Victory Boulevard behind Fire Station #2. The clearing is in preparation for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) pressure reducing station and the 2.3-million-gallon sewage storage tank. The tank and pump station will be much further away from Victory Boulevard. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

Victory Boulevard (Rt.171)

VDOT finally aligned the traffic light and turn lanes at Victory Boulevard and Rt. 17.  It looks way better.  The turn lane is the last of the intersection proffers offered by the developer of Harper Station, which is the soon to open assisted living facility across Victory Boulevard from Walmart.


The next big project for Victory Boulevard will be the addition of one eastbound lane between Hampton Hwy. and Rt. 17. VDOT will award the contract in April 2024. The project will be completed in July 2025.

Scams in York County - Hard to Believe but True!

Scams in York County are a very serious problem. Sheriff Montgomery estimates that last year York County residents were scammed out of about $1 million. Two recent scamming incidents in the last 45 days are truly mind boggling.


In the first incident a resident was scammed out of $335,000. The resident was called by a scammer posing as a DEA agent. The scammer said the resident was involved in a money laundering scheme in El Paso. The resident was told that he needed to pay the government $35,000 or all his assets would be confiscated. After paying the scammer, he was contacted a couple of days later and told that his net wealth had been underestimated and that he needed to pay an additional $300,000 in cash. The resident took the money out of his 401K retirement account by having it transferred to his bank. The bank was concerned about the large cash transaction and contacted the Sheriff’s Office to have a deputy present for security. When the deputy questioned the resident, he was told that “I want to keep the money at home.” The resident then left the bank and went to a nearby location where he met up with the scammers and gave them the $335,000 dollars. The scammers instructed the resident to go to the local Social Security Office in Hampton to obtain further information about the case. The resident visited the Social Security Office and was told that he had been scammed. To add insult to injury, since the money came from a 401K, the resident will have to pay income tax, which is estimated to be around $60,000.

 

The second case involved the loss of $47,000. In this case, the resident was on his computer when it locked up. He was given a phone number and told to contact Apple (Lie #1). When he did, he was then told that he was being transferred to Apple’s computer support (Lie #2). I’m not sure of the details of the phone call, but in the end, the instructions to unlock his computer required that he pay $47,000 in bitcoin Lie #3). He withdrew cash from his account and went to a location in Newport News where he converted the money to bitcoin and gave it to a scammer.


These are really smart people doing something that makes no sense. No government organization or reputable company will call you to demand money. When in doubt, end the call and call the agency or business. Do not use any phone numbers given to you by the caller. You can also call the Sheriff’s Office.  

Photo Speed Enforcement

Photo speed enforcement in active school zones may be coming our way soon.  A recent 5-day study by the Sheriff’s Office at 5 schools showed 3,725 speeding violations in excess of 11 MPH over the posted speed.


The Board of Supervisors will decide soon as to whether or not to authorize the program.  If approved, speeding violations in a school zone will result in a $100 fine. The citation will be mailed to your home. The citation will not be reported to your insurance company and no points will be added to your license.  Of course, you always have the option of going to court to appeal the citation.


The program is being considered for child safety and enforcement. The Sheriff dispatches five deputies each day for traffic control in various school zones. There just aren't enough deputies to catch speeders. By the way, if you are ever pulled over for speeding in an active school zone, the State mandates a $300 to $400 fine, notification to your insurance company, and the addition of points on your license.


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* 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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