The year heralded an array of news

By Scott Marshall

Published: December 31, 2008

A star football player’s college scholarship evaporated after his marijuana arrest, the culmination of a yearlong undercover investigation by a deputy posing as a senior at the high school.

County supervisors become divided over the county administrator, with two new members voting that they have no confidence in him (they lost in a 3-2 vote, and the discussions occurred behind closed doors).

The county settled a lawsuit over the death of a man after an arrest –– three years later after the death and with virtually no comment or explanation from officials during much of the case.

A toddler is struck and killed on the side of a road in Madison Heights, and the teenager behind the wheel later is convicted of improper driving –– because the law doesn’t address the circumstances of what happened –– that she was reaching for a cell phone and later said she didn’t realize what had happened.

The year brought significant news stories to Amherst County.

Perhaps the most-talked about story was the arrest of former Amherst County High School’s star quarterback Peter Rose. One of the key leaders of the back-to-back state champion Lancers, he promptly lost a football scholarship to Virginia Tech. He was charged in May with two felony counts of selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school and indicted in October. The trial was scheduled for Jan. 21.

Rose wasn’t the target of the investigation. He was alleged to have sold a half-ounce of marijuana to the deputy in the McDonald’s parking lot off U.S. 60 within 1,000 feet of Amherst Elementary School. He did it again on May 7, the deputy testified previously.

In June, Supervisors Don Kidd and Chris Adams, the two newest members of the five-member board, supported a vote of no confidence in County Administrator Rodney Taylor, according to minutes from a June 2 session.

Supervisors Leon Parrish, Ray Vandall and Vernon Wood voted against it.

Kidd and Adams said that because much of the discussion was done in a closed session, that neither would comment and deferred questions to Wood, the board’s chairman. Wood said the board was not considering actions to remove Taylor. He would not comment further. Taylor, an Amherst native and former county supervisor, was hired in April 2006.

In August, a lawsuit was settled over the June 16, 2005, death of Sanchez Taylor, 28, who died after a run-in with Amherst County sheriff’s deputies.

Deputies responding to a call of a break-in found Taylor at the back of a welding shop beside U.S. 29 and tried to arrest him, according to court documents. Deputies claimed Taylor refused to follow their orders to get on the ground. Deputies had trouble controlling him and later noticed he was having trouble breathing and was having a seizure. He died a few hours later at Lynchburg General Hospital.

Taylor’s family sued for $15 million.

A settlement was reached in August. The terms weren’t revealed until October. Taylor’s mother and two brothers split $325,000, according to court testimony. As part of the settlement, the sheriff’s office admitted no wrongdoing or liability in Taylor’s death.

Four deputies cited in the federal lawsuit were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing last August.

Also in June, a Madison Heights teenager was found guilty of improper driving in connection with the Jan. 14 death of 2-year-old Omarion Rose. Kaylie Silby was driving on Seminole Drive near Omarion’s Branch Drive home when her cell phone rang shortly before 8:30 a.m., took her eyes off the road and felt a bump. It wasn’t until Silby saw a commercial for the evening news later that day about the investigation that she realized she could have hit the child, according to trial testimony.

Judge Edwin Burnette found Silby not guilty of reckless driving, the original charge. A week later, Silby’s stepfather issued a public statement of apology to the boy’s family on her behalf.

In October, Amherst County officials denied rezoning for a residential complex in Madison Heights intended for elderly and disabled people.

The developer, Ron Mittelman, said he chose the location because it would be accessible to public transit. The proposed Lakeview Commons complex would have had 22 units.

Advocates said affordable housing for the disabled is needed. Nearby residents and business owners said they didn’t want it because it would create traffic and would lower their property values. Officials said the project was needed but should be built somewhere else.

Also in October, a jury convicted Timothy Wright Jr., 22, of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a Naola man, Justin Baumgardner, 19, in a jealous rage in May. The jury recommended 63 years, and Circuit Judge Michael Gamble handed down that sentence in December. Wright’s co-defendant, Justin Michael Davis, 26, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and got a 15-year sentence.

Other stories during the year: The Town of Amherst moved forward on a plan to create a downtown square, an idea that dates to 1944. It is envisioned as a venue and gathering spot. The Town Council also agreed to hire Lee Cobb and Roger Beeker, two retired Region 2000 officials, for marketing and consulting services to jump-start the town’s industrial park. They will be paid $500 a month. If they succeed in attracting new businesses, then their consulting firm will be paid up to $150,000 in commission.

Richard Wydner and Paul Kilgore joined Amherst Town Council in July, replacing C. Manley Rucker III and Jason Campbell.

In other stories:

Sheriff Jimmy Ayers, who has served the office since 1996, underwent cardiac bypass surgery in October and is recovering.

The slumping economy caused Ayers to implement an energy reduction plan earlier in the year that included gas and electricity saving measures.

The Board of Supervisors considered reducing bus service in Madison Heights but instead members chose to appropriate extra money to the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company to keep normal routes in place.

John Walker stepped down as superintendent of Amherst County Public Schools in June after seven years. Brian Ratliff, an assistant superintendent, took over the position.

Supervisors appointed Les Irvin and Claudia Tucker to county planning commission and William Brown to the Amherst County School Board, all replacing members whose terms expired.