PRESS RELEASE
June 2, 2016

At 9:52 a.m. on Sunday May 29, 2016, Bedford County 911 dispatchers received a call from Wagon Wheel Trail, Moneta in reference a two year old child that had been found in the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake. Dispatcher Michael Miller took the call and asked if the child was breathing and was told no and that his lips were blue. Dispatcher Miller asked the caller if anyone there was trained to do CPR and was told no. The man handed the phone to a female who put the phone on speaker for Miller to provide instructions on how to perform CPR. After a short time, the child started making sounds and started breathing.

Sheriff Brown said, thanks to Miller’s training, experience, composer under pressure, and ability to communicate instructions to those with the child, the child was able to be revived. His performance exemplifies the high caliber and professionalism of the members of the Bedford County 911 Communications Center. These are the same attributes the Bedford County Sheriff’s deputies see and rely on daily.

Sheriff Brown will recognize Dispatcher Miller with the “Sheriff’s Life Saving Award” at a ceremony later this year.

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PRESS RELEASE
May 31, 2016

At 12:04 a.m. Friday May 27, 2016, Bedford County 911 dispatchers received a call to 1140 Oyler Road, Hardy. The caller reported her boyfriend had put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. After arriving on the scene the caller advised the deputy that both of them had been drinking and he had assaulted her as well. She said after putting the handgun to her head he pulled the trigger twice. He later fired two shots inside the residence. Deputies located and arrested Christopher W. Petersen, age 29. He was charged with attempted second degree murder; discharge a firearm in an occupied dwelling and assault and battery. He is being held without bond in the Bedford Adult Detention Center.

CHRISTOPHER PETERSEN

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Bedford, Virginia – On 5/13/2016 at 11:32 a.m., Bedford County 911 Center received a call in reference to a work accident that had occurred on private property in the 1800 block of Turkeyfoot Rd. in Forest, VA. Upon arrival deputies determined, that a crewmember of a tree-service company who was conducting work at the location had been struck by a company truck and killed.

There does not appear to be anything suspicious about this incident and pending further investigation by the medical examiner’s office and notification of next-of-kin, there is no additional information available for release at this time. The Office of Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) was contacted and responded to the scene to conduct their own investigation.

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PRESS RELEASE
May 2, 2016

On Saturday, April 30, 2016, Bedford County 911 dispatchers received a call from a home owner on Trapper Lane who reported finding a barrel at their residence containing possible human remains. Bedford County sheriff’s deputies and investigators responded and determined the remains were human. The caller told the investigators that the barrel belonged to Robert Wozniak. Wozniak had rented a room from the caller since January 2016. Prior to moving to Bedford County, Wozniak resided in the City Of Roanoke. Investigators processed the scene and suspect the remains are several months old. The remains were transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke for identification and to determine possible cause of death.

On Saturday Robert A. Wozniak, age 47, was arrested and charged with Disposing of a Body with Malicious Intent to Avoid Detection and four counts of Obtaining Money by False Pretense.  He is being held in the Bedford Adult Detention Center without bond.

ROBERT A. WOZNIAK

This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be placed. At this time, Investigators do not suspect any other individuals will be charged.

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PRESS RELEASE
April 28, 2016

On April 5^th 2016, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a male subject walking in the area of Goode Rd near Terrace View acting suspicious, carrying an AR-15 style rifle.

Deputies located the subject and identified him as Justin Goodman. While speaking with Goodman, the deputies observed a rifle barrel sticking out of a towel on the side of the road near where he was standing. Deputies recovered an AR-15 style rifle in the towel. The deputies knew Goodman as a known convicted felon and asked if he had anything else on him. Deputies located a .45 caliber pistol in the waistband of his pants; approximately 7 grams of methamphetamine packaged separately, approximately 1 gram of cocaine and a small amount of marijuana on him.

Justin Goodman was arrested and charged with Possession of Schedule 1 or 2 Controlled Substance (methamphetamine), Possession of Schedule 1 or 2 Controlled Substance (cocaine), Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Possession of a Firearm while in possession of Schedule 1 or 2 Controlled Substance and Possession of marijuana.

Justin Goodman, age 27, of Forest is Being held in the Bedford Adult Detention Center on no bond

JUSTIN R. GOODMAN

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Judge Norman Moon, on March 11, 2016, granted summary judgment (Case No. 6:15-cv-00004) in favor of Deputy Sheriff and School Resource Officer M.M. Calohan, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Assistant Principal Brian Wilson and Chief Operating Officer F.M. Duis, Jr., both of the Bedford County Public Schools.

Plaintiffs in this suit were R.M.B, an 11 year old boy, his father Robert Bays, a retired school teacher; and his mother, Linda Bays, a school teacher employed by the Bedford County School Board.
Deputy Calohan based her decision to charge R.M.B on her training and experience which ‘shaped’ her knowledge of the visual characteristics and odor of a marijuana leaf. Deputy Calohan’s judgment in this matter was further corroborated when in January 2016 the crumpled leafy material found in the student’s cinch sack was sent to an independent lab. There it tested positive as marijuana. The report with the results of the lab’s testing was placed in and can be found in the court file. The leafy material was also tested by the plaintiff’s attorney and the same results were noted.

“I am pleased with the court’s decision exonerating my deputy and the school officials from the allegations in the suit. I never had any concerns as to the decision that my SRO made, contrary to some in the media and the ‘Rumor Mill of all Rumor Mills…Facebook!” states Sheriff Mike Brown.

The Sheriff added, “However, I was disappointed that after learning of the suit some in the media made a mad rush to judgment. Without hearing both sides of the story the media was quick to condemn Deputy Calohan along with the school officials. This story even appeared in news papers in the U.K. I am confident that those in the media will give this latest development the same intense coverage as when the incident occurred.”

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