Vehicle crashes near Penn Forest Elementary School don’t affect opening day
Two vehicle-related incidents concluded hours apart on the same road near Penn Forest Elementary School early Thursday, the first day of school in Roanoke County.
At about 5:30 a.m., Roanoke County police said they responded to complaints about two men dressed in black shining flashlights into cars in the area of Wood Thrush Trail who were attempting to open the doors.
A white pickup truck identified as a possible getaway vehicle was located and police attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle sped away, and a pursuit ensued.
The chase ended on Merriman Road near Penn Forest Elementary School, when the vehicle ran off the road.
One person got out of the white truck and fled on foot. Police followed and made an arrest about half an hour later on Buck Mountain Road.
About two hours later, an SUV with two children as passengers was traveling south in the 6000 block of Merriman Road, between Church of the Holy Spirit and South County Library, a Roanoke County press release said.
At 7:52 a.m., the driver swerved and over-corrected the vehicle, which overturned, slid across the road and came to stop at a tree.
All three occupants were taken by Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department personnel to a hospital. All sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.
Public Information Officer Amy Whittaker said in an email at about 11:20 a.m. that one of the children had been released from the hospital.
“These incidents did not involve Penn Forest and did not impact the start of the school day,” county schools spokesman Chuck Lionberger said in an email.
Anybody who knows anything about the attempted auto burglaries or sees any suspicious activity in the neighborhood is encouraged to call county police at 540-562-3265.
