Washington County towns to reorganize tonight

By: Debra Mccown | TriCities.com
Published: July 07, 2008

ABINGDON, Va. -- All three towns in Washington County are holding organizational meetings at 7 tonight.
In Glade Spring, where three new members are joining the council, police say the council meeting will have heightened security after a Washington County resident made a threat of violence at Town Hall.
"We're definitely handling the meeting a little bit differently than we normally do, [with] a little more manpower and stuff like that," said Glade Spring Police Chief Matthew Mullins. "We're going to have metal detectors here."
According to a police report, Diane Johnson is accused of becoming irate repeatedly at Town Hall in the past and allegedly said in response to a town officer's presence on June 9, "You better bring more ammo to the next meeting."
According to the report, a member of the Town Council considered the comment a threat to his life, and Mullins said the threat is being taken seriously although no charges have been filed.
In Damascus, newly elected councilmen Kenneth Upchurch and Tom Hayes are taking the seats of longtime council members Maurice Parris and Marina Farmer, who were voted out. Mayor Creed Jones, beginning his third term, said during his campaign that he believed with this change of council members he would be able to fire the entire police department, beginning with Police Chief John Rouse.
In Abingdon, newly elected Councilman Jason Berry is attending his first meeting as a member of the council. Berry campaigned on a platform of helping business grow downtown, and he replaces longtime Councilman Bob Howard.

Washington County towns to reorganize tonight

Share This:

More from this channel:

Reader Comments

Deal of the Day

Most Popular

Things to Do