NEWS BRIEFS

County resident files lawsuit against Sycamore Square

Midlothian resident H. Craig Fabian has filed a lawsuit against Sycamore Square, claiming the popular shopping center in the Village of Midlothian doesn't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court last month, names the center's owner, Colebrook Company, and its operator, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., as co-defendants.

Fabian says accessible routes aren't provided into many of Sycamore Square's stores and that access aisles are too steep. The suit also says accessible parking spaces "are not adequately dispersed" throughout the center and that there is insufficient signage to identify handicapped spaces.

Due to these deficiencies, Fabian says "his full and equal enjoyment of the shopping center was denied and curtailed," reads the suit.

Fabian is asking the court to determine if Sycamore Square is in violation of the ADA and to then order Colebrook and S.L. Nusbaum to bring the center into compliance.

Officer's family receives $2.35 million

The family of a Colonial Heights police officer will receive $2.35 million after he was killed during a police chase involving a Chesterfield officer.

Lt. James Hurst Sears was killed last August when his vehicle was struck head-on by Chesterfield Police Officer Haywood E. James II's police cruiser at the intersection of Route 1 and Lakeview Avenue while James was pursuing another driver who had sped through an accident scene. Sears was off-duty when the accident occurred and had just finished working out at a nearby gym.

James violated Chesterfield Police Department policy when he ran a red light at 80 mph while pursuing the suspect. Chase speeds reportedly reached 110 mph at times.

James was suspended for 30 working days for the infraction and returned to work in December.

Sears' family filed a wrongful death claim after the accident, but no lawsuit was ever entered.

The suspect who was being pursued during the chase, Douglas Michael Brown, was captured several days after the crash and now faces murder charges in Colonial Heights Circuit Court as a result of the fatal accident. His trial is set for May 3.

Embezzler will serve 23 months

Robert B. Wilton III was recently sentenced to 23 months in prison for embezzling more than $1.4 million from the estate of former Bon Air resident Madeline Forsee.

Wilton pleaded guilty to embezzlement in January. During his sentencing, he apologized to Forsee's family and his own.

Wilton was sentenced to 29 years in prison with all but 23 months suspended. He was also ordered to pay restitution.

The Wilton family is well-known in Henrico's West End as real estate developers.

Crash kills Colonial Heights man

A Colonial Heights man was killed on Mar. 25 in a single vehicle crash in Chesterfield County.

According to police, 23-year-old Joseph Dennis Finn Jr. was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 just north of Route 10 around 7:13 a.m. when his vehicle ran off the right shoulder and struck a guardrail. Finn was thrown from the vehicle when it overturned down an embankment. He was not wearing a safety belt, and died at the scene.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

County scores high

Fitch Ratings recently assigned an "AAA" rating to approximately $99.2 million in general obligation (GO) public improvement bonds for Chesterfield County. The bonds were scheduled for competitive sale on Mar. 29.

Simultaneously, Fitch also affirmed the "AAA" rating on the county's $380 million of outstanding GO bonds and the "AA+" rating on the county's $63 million of outstanding certificates of participation (COPs). The rating outlook is stable.

The "AAA" rating reflects the county's excellent financial position, strong economic growth, and low-to-moderate debt burden that is rapidly retired.

Fitch Ratings is a leading global rating agency that provides credit markets worldwide with independent credit opinions.