Prince George resident urges independent probe after alleged shocks, high EMF readings at nearby sports complex

Justin Goodman, who said he represents a Facebook group called "Concerned Citizens of Prince George," told the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 that he and his three children experienced a painful electric shock while attending games at the Dinwiddie Sports Complex and that a handheld tester consistently detected electromagnetic readings at distances of 100–200 feet from the transmission lines. "We get electrocuted. It's not a joke," Goodman said during the public-comment period, adding that the device continued to register high readings even in the middle of a soccer field.

Goodman said he reported the incident to facility staff and to the fire department, that a Dominion Energy representative later described the lines as transmission lines, and that a county resident told him she had been shocked at the same site the prior weekend. Goodman said his own measurements found a low-load mid-field reading near 0.78 and under the lines as high as 78.8 (readings in his testing device’s units), and he compared the figures to manufacturer guidance for household microwaves. "I'm calling on an independent investigation because clearly it's going to be biased," he told the board and asked the county to stop sending teams to the complex until it is deemed safe.

County staff did not announce an immediate action in response to Goodman’s comment during the meeting. The complaint was received by county staff, and Goodman said he shared supporting material and had emailed the county attorney. The board did not take a vote or instruct staff to suspend use of the facility during the Oct. 28 meeting.

Why this matters: Goodman described potential health and safety risks to children and attendees at a public recreation facility. The county’s decisions about inspection, testing, and facility use determine whether residents will continue to be exposed while questions about electrical fields and equipment reliability remain.

What the record shows: Goodman provided a public comment before the board; no staff report or independent test result was presented to the board at the Oct. 28 meeting, and no board motion to restrict use of the site was made that night. The county’s Fire Department and Dominion Energy were both mentioned in Goodman’s remarks; neither issued onsite findings in the meeting record. The board’s staff files and any pending county follow-up will be the appropriate place to check for test results, facility reassessments, or formal directives.