Standoff ends peacefully
Charlottesville resident Brian Turner was arrested after an overnight standoff with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Charlottesville Police Department. The 42-year-old is accused of operating a multi-state prostitution ring and posting hundreds of commercial sex advertisements online.
“The FBI is currently negotiating with an individual who has barricaded themself inside of a residence in the area of the 800 block of St. Charles Avenue,” the CPD shared in a Facebook post during the standoff. “This is an isolated incident specific to that residence and does not pose any threat to school or public safety in the area.”
Turner was taken into custody on January 24 after the hours-long standoff was peacefully resolved.
According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, Turner has been charged with violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of women and girls for the purpose of prostitution. “Turner controlled all or almost all aspects of arranging commercial sex dates. … Text messages show him providing instructions and information to his victims about dates, such as how long the date was scheduled to last and how much money to charge,” the release said. “Turner also transported the adult victims to and from the hotels and often stayed in the hotel parking lot or another hotel room while the victims saw commercial sex customers.”
The FBI’s investigation into Turner began in February 2023, following reports from local law enforcement agencies.
On the trail
Patrick McNamara will appear in Charlottesville General District Court on February 6 in connection with a mid-January alleged assault that occurred on the Rivanna Trail, between Riverview Park and Free Bridge. Since his January 18 arrest, McNamara has been released on bond, and publicly asserted his innocence.
Charlottesville police responded to two reports of assault on the Rivanna Trail on January 12, with the suspect described by both victims as a tall, thin white male between 20 and 30 years old. Neither victim was physically injured, and officers were not able to locate a suspect at the scene.
McNamara has been charged in connection with only one of the incidents, and is facing a misdemeanor count of assault and battery. If convicted, the 37-year-old could serve up to 12 months in jail.
Following his court appearance on January 23, McNamara told The Daily Progress that he is “100 percent innocent,” and has proof of an alibi.
“We wouldn’t have charged somebody if we didn’t think they did it, but we have to prove that,” said CPD Chief Michael Kochis during a January 26 interview on WINA’s “Charlottesville Right Now.”
In brief
Water down
The Albemarle County Service Authority has lifted a boil water advisory, and a general call to reduce water usage, in northern parts of the county. The ACSA claims this was a necessary response to low pressures that developed in the water system after a water main broke along Route 29 south of Camelot Drive.
Big money
The University of Virginia received $1.4 million from The Jefferson Trust Board of Trustees to fund 17 new projects and programs. This follows two annual awards of 14 grants each to the university. The projects and programs benefiting from the money include “Nursing Narratives,” a new recurring editorial section in the UVA School of Nursing quarterly magazine; the UVA Cyber Range, focused on cybersecurity education, research, and promotion; the Center for Forest Urbanism, dedicated to study and policy around urban foliage conservation; and a summer internship program with the Department of African American and African Studies and the Ivy Creek Foundation.
Top recruits
UVA men’s tennis recruits are tops, according to a January 29 release by TennisRecruiting.net. Four student-athletes have signed on to the team for the 2024-25 season: Brazilian Joao Fonseca, 2023’s top-ranked male in the International Tennis Federation Junior Rankings; Rafael Jodar of Spain and Canadian Keegan Rice, ranked 11 and 32 in the ITF Junior Rankings, respectively; and Stiles Brockett of Fairfax, the number one recruit in the Mid-Atlantic and Virginia.