Residents urge road repairs and press county over unresolved police misconduct complaint during public comment

Two members of the public used the Board of Supervisors’ public comment period to raise safety and accountability concerns.

Louis Briggs, who identified himself as a resident of 1034 Hillers Road, urged the board to repair and stripe portions of Route 619 (and nearby 668/Bose Lane), saying the narrow, unlined pavement and deep ditches create a danger for motorists and school buses. “That road is dangerous. We done had three wrecks on that road since the first of the year,” Briggs said, and asked supervisors to “bring some of the wealth to our part of the county” and hold a community meeting so residents understand county plans.

Kimberly Dina of Urbana told the board she has tried since August to have the sheriff’s office investigate a police-misconduct complaint and said the sheriff declined to file or fully investigate it in writing. Dina said she resubmitted the complaint in person on Feb. 12 and that Sergeant Blanks later emailed her that the complaint was labeled "unfounded." She said the department’s internal affairs policy requires a preliminary investigation and that Sergeant Blanks, as a non-chief-deputy, lacked authority to close the matter. Dina described a related felony arrest affidavit in which she said the deputy’s notes indicated no dead dog or cat existed and said she wants the board or sheriff to set a meeting date to address the complaint.

Board members acknowledged the concerns and closed the public comment period after two speakers. Supervisors did not take immediate action during the meeting on either issue; the chair asked staff to follow up separately on road maintenance requests with VDOT and on the complaint process.