On the night of November 7th or early morning of the 8th someone put a note on my daughter’s car which was parked in our driveway.  My granddaughter saw the note and brought it inside.  Although I can not print what the note said, I can say that it was extremely sexually graphic. We called the police and they came out.  Before they came out, my son talked to the suspect, who lives directly across the street in the 1800 blk of Bloomfield Drive and is in his early twenties to ask if he had put the note there.

We asked him this because my son saw the same type of paper that it was written on inside his truck. He denied it but when the police came out he admitted to them that he had in fact put the note there.  Upon talking to another neighbor, who was present when the police were here, it was discovered that he has previously placed sexually graphic notes on two other cars directed toward underage females. One of these times was caught on tape. 

If something of this nature has occurred to anybody else in the neighborhood, we would appreciate letting us or the police know.  The police said he did not break any laws doing this and they could not bring any charges against him.  But, if it can be established that this has happened more times, it is possible for charges to be brought against him.  I for one do not desire this type of individual living in our neighborhood. 

I talked to the father by phone on the same day it happened while he was out of town working. He has been back in town for over a week and has yet to even acknowledge that this happened or try to talk to us.  I still see the suspect around there at different times.  This incident has created a feeling of being unsafe for my daughter and concern for my 13 year old granddaughter, as well as for any other females in the neighborhood.  We are in the process of seeing what legal action can be taken.  Once again, if anything of this nature has occurred at your household, please, contact us or the police so that the police may follow-up.

If you have anymore information regarding this individual no matter how small, please contact the police. This individual will continue to do these perverted acts and progress to even more disturbing acts as time goes by.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LandstownCommunityCivicLeague/message/470

Apparently his  dad who is aware of his behavior is not being too much of a father either. Shame on him.

Article Courtesy - Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy 

Support Repeal of the Payday Lending Act

If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.
 (Exodus 22:25)
 
During biblical times, abusive lending practices were addressed by instituting strict standards, including banning the charge of interest to the poor (Exodus 22:25).  Likewise, in the story of Zaccheaus, Jesus commended him for promising to repay the excessive fees he had exacted from the oppressed (Luke 19:8-9).   Today, in modern times, predatory lending practices exploit low to moderate income people.  This is both a legal issue and a moral issue.   

The Problem:
The Bureau of Financial Institutions reports nearly 3 million payday loans were made to more than 387,000 borrowers in 2004, from 696 payday loan locations in Virginia.  The Virginia General Assembly passed a Bill authorizing payday lending in 2001. This legislation prohibits payday lenders from renewing, refinancing, or extending a payday loan.  It also prohibits lenders from making more than one loan at a time to a borrower.  However despite these prohibitions, many Virginia borrowers are, in effect, renewing their loans and getting more than one loan at a time:

§ Many borrowers get back-to-back loans.  The borrower pays off his loan and then immediately gets a new loan.  Often, the borrower does this repeatedly.  A report done by the Bureau of Financial Institutions indicates that the average payday loan borrower got 7 loans from each payday lender from whom he borrowed in 2003.

§ The borrower goes to a second payday lender for a loan to pay-off his first loan and eventually winds up with two, three or more outstanding loans at the same time.  A study funded by the payday industry trade group reported that payday customers use an average of 1.7 different payday lenders per year.

§ The average Virginian that borrows from a payday lender gets 12 payday loans per year.  This is an estimate based upon the report from the Bureau of Financial Institutions and the payday industry group report.  This means that the average Virginia payday loan borrower pays $840 to repay a 6-month $300 loan.

The Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending (VaPERL) is a coalition working to reduce the dangers of predatory lending in Virginia.  Members from organizations around the state include: AARP, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Richmond Better Business Bureau, Virginia Credit Union League, Virginia Organizing Project, Piedmont Housing Alliance, New River Community Action, Voices for Virginia’s Children and others.  Our research and collaboration strongly indicate the need for reform.  Explanations of four legislative recommendations follow, listed from most supported to least.

Solutions:
HB 1684 (Del. Jennifer McClellan) and HB 2159 (Del. John O’Bannon): Both of these bills repeal the Payday Lending Act.  A repeal would cause payday lenders to operate under the Consumer Finance Act which regulates small loans and caps their interest rates at 36% APR.

HB 1799 (Del. John Cosgrove): This bill establishes a maximum annual percentage rate of 36% for payday loans. 

These bills will be heard first before the House Commerce and Labor Committee.  It’s likely one of these bills will move through Committee and over to the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee where it will compete against bills that propose other restrictions on payday lending but that do not cap the interest rates.  It’s imperative to communicate to members of the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee that the only REAL reform is a cap on the interest rates charged – without a cap, these loans will remain usurious and predatory.  Please visit, call, or write to members of this Committee with this message.  Members of this Committee are Senatros Wampler, Colgan, Saslaw, Chichester, Miller, Norment, Stosch, Stolle, Potts, Edwards, Williams, Watkins, Wagner, Newman, and Rerras. 

Learn. Pray. Act. The Common Wealth Depends on Us.
www.VirginiaInterfaithCenter.org

On January 23, Melissa Lea McDevitt of Glastonbury Drive in Virginia Beach will be sentenced for identity theft of city school employees. A former employee of Flexible Benefits Administrators, Melissa McDevitt was charged with stealing the identities of Virginia Beach school employees to illegally purchase prescription drugs.
Police Photo

James City County Police would like your assistance with any information regarding the shooting of a police officer while on patrol at Pocahontas Trail. Any information no matter how small you may think it is will help. Even if you are unsure, please give the police this information and they will be able to sort it out.

Did you hear a rumor? Did something just didn’t seem right? Contact the police. If this individual is willing to shoot a police officer, he is more than capable of firing at ordinary citizens. This individual must be brought in to justice.

News Channel 3 article

Please call any of these numbers with your information
Crime Line 1-888-Lock-U-Up
Investigator Jake Rice (757) 259-5172

Wanted by the City of Newport News 

JOHN ROLAND HOGGE JR
2 Counts Forgery;
2 Counts Uttering
Male Age: 39 DOB: 6/2/1967
Height……………………….5’10”
Weight………………………..170
Hair…………………..…….Brown
Eyes………………………….Blue