NEWS BRIEFS
More improvements for Route 360 corridor

Motorists traveling on Route 360 near the Amelia County line will have a smoother ride by the end of the summer. The Virginia Department of Transportation recently awarded a $1.9 million contract to Interstate Construction Corp. of Rockville, Va., to repave more than two miles of the eastbound side of Route 360, just east of the Amelia County/Chesterfield County line. The project also includes pavement marker upgrades.

This section of road accommodates 17,000 vehicles per day, 9 percent of which are trucks. Estimated completion is July 2008.

Wanted man arrested in Texas

Police have ended their search for Francisco Antonio Mendez-Chavez, 23, after he was arrested in Harris County, Texas, on Dec. 22. Mendez-Chavez was wanted in connection with the Dec. 9 sexual assault of a 4-year-old child.

Extradition proceedings are underway.

Winterpock school will finally open

The new Winterpock Elementary School, located in the Matoaca District, is expected to open for students in late February. An exact date should be announced later this month.

Electricity was connected Dec. 13 to the school, and it typically takes 8-12 weeks to open a facility after power is connected. Workers are testing the heating and air conditioning, checking vital electrical systems such as the fire alarm, and installing cabinetry throughout the building.

Winterpock Elementary and Elizabeth Scott Elementary, which is scheduled to open for students on Jan. 29, are part of the 2004 bond package. Since the beginning of the school year, Winterpock Elementary classes have been housed at Spring Run Elementary, and Elizabeth Scott Elementary has used space at Marguerite Christian Elementary and the Enon Annex. Students have been with their teachers and classmates since the beginning of school so their transition into the new buildings will be as smooth as possible.

Another home invasion

Police are investigating a shooting that occurred at a home in the 19600 block of Foxbrook Drive at 1:50 a.m. on Dec. 19. One man was injured during the incident and was taken to VCU Medical Center with non-lifethreatening injuries.

Police said an unknown number of suspects forced their way into the victim's home. The victim and suspects exchanged gunfire, and the victim was shot in the shoulder. The suspects then fled the home.

A woman who was home at the time of the shooting was not injured. However, she has subsequently been arrested and charged with firearm and drug-related charges in connection with this investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Chesterfield County Police Department at 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 748-0660.

Police seek robbery suspects

Police are searching for two unidentified men who robbed the Dollar General store at 7828 Midlothian Tnpk. shortly after 9 a.m. on Dec. 27.

Police said two men forced two employees to open the store's safe at gunpoint and demanded money. Both men fled in a black sport utility vehicle driven by a third man. Both suspects are black males, in their mid 30s and are between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. Both men wore dark sunglasses and knit hats. One suspect wore a woman's wig with burgundy highlights and has a mustache. The second suspect has short hair.

Anyone with information should call the police department at 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 748-0660.