U.S. Attorney Heaphy steps down, takes defense position

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Timothy Heaphy is stepping down and switching sides in the courtroom, having accepted a position as head of “White Collar Defense and Government Investigations” for an international firm in Richmond, according to a November 25 press release announcing his departure, which will take place at the end […]

Leaked search warrant reveals DNA link in Harrington case

A search warrant first obtained by NBC29 and reported by The Daily Progress reveals that the forensic link connecting Hannah Graham’s accused abductor Jesse Matthew to the Morgan Harrington case is DNA taken from the “wooden tip” of a cigar butt found in Matthew’s wallet and from Harrington’s shirt, which was found on a bush […]

What’s happening in Charlottesville and Albemarle the week of Nov. 24?

Want to stay on top of local government in Charlottesville and Albemarle County? Here’s a look ahead to the important meetings and events coming up this week. The county’s CIP Oversight Committee meets at 2:30pm Monday, November 24 in conference room 235 of the County Office Building on McIntire Road. The Pantops Community Advisory Council meets at […]

Two years after Sage Smith’s disappearance, family wants answers over discrepancies in missing person cases

In September, days after 18-year-old UVA student Hannah Graham disappeared, the City of Charlottesville donated $10,000 to the reward fund for information in her case. This week, two years after 2011 Charlottesville High School graduate Sage Smith disappeared, city officials announced they would add $10,000 to the reward fund in her case as well. The […]

Sexual assault reported near Grounds

Police are investigating a report of a sexual assault near the UVA Corner over the weekend. According to an alert sent out by the University, Charlottesville police were dispatched to the 100 block of Chancellor Street—a one-way stretch of the residential street close to Elliewood Avenue, the fraternities along Rugby Road, and the offices of […]

Downward facing donkey: Dissecting a disastrous night for Virginia Dems

On election night 2014, we here at Odd Dominion headquarters sensed early on that Democrats were in for a very bad night. On the national stage, the major TV networks called the supposedly contested Kentucky senate race (which pitted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell against Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes) the second that polls […]

Jesse Matthew pleads not guilty in Fairfax sexual assault

Accused Hannah Graham abductor Jesse Matthew has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and attempted murder charges in a 2005 Fairfax attack, and will face an 8-day trial there March 9, according to news reports from the Daily Progress and Richmond’s NBC12. Matthew, 32, made the plea in Fairfax County Circuit Court Friday morning. He […]

State bar revokes law license of former supervisor Dumler

The Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board revoked former Albemarle supervisor Christopher Dumler’s license to practice law November 4, the latest fallout from the forcible sodomy charge lodged against him in 2012*, Katy Evans reported in The Daily Progress. Once a rising star in Albemarle’s Democratic party and the youngest to be elected supervisor, then-27-year-old Dumler […]

‘Irreparable damage’: Charlottesville registrar resigns two days after election

The Charlottesville Electoral Board asked for and received the resignation of Charlottesville registrar Sheri Iachetta today during a two-hour closed session. Iachetta was charged with six felonies in September for approving city-funded cell phones for her husband, a former employee of the registrar’s office who left in 2009, and local attorney Stephanie Commander, a former […]