Washington County Sheriff’s Office moves into new building
Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier
Renovations for the new Washington County Sheriff’s Office are nearly complete. ‘This building will serve our sheriff’s office for many, many years to come,’ Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said.
ABINGDON, Va. – For Washington County sheriff’s deputies, it was a move from worn-down tile, water-damaged walls and cramped, mismatched offices to a Taj Mahal.
Or at least, as close as a rural county sheriff can get to a palatial office in a recession.
The sheriff’s office began operating out of the new digs, at 20281 Rustic Lane, off U.S. Highway 19 just north of Abingdon, on Oct. 14.
“We wanted to look like a professional sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Fred Newman said. “This building will serve our sheriff’s office for many, many years to come.”
With a three-month renovation of the old American Electric Power building of U.S. Highway 19, purchased by the county in December for $2.4 million, the
sheriff’s office is all under one roof in a location Newman said was built “almost like a fortress.”
This fortress of more than 50,000 square feet has been renovated with about $400,000 of asset-forfeiture funds – or Washington County’s share of the money generated by a federal narcotics task force on which two county detectives worked.
In other words, the taxpayers didn’t get the bill for the renovation – only for the 1970s-era building, which also now houses the county’s emergency services, information technology and general services departments.
Newman said relatively little work was needed because the layout designed for the power company was similar to what the sheriff’s office needed – and even includes a dispatch center, which will become the new home of Washington County’s 911 dispatchers this winter.
The project is a bargain, Newman said, especially considering that in official discussions several years ago the cost of building a new sheriff’s office was estimated at $6 million, excluding any land purchase. With that high of a price tag, he said, the county put the project off for the indefinite future.
Until last month’s move, sheriff’s office personnel were scattered in five buildings: an old administration building, jail, garage and an outbuilding on Park Street, and the dispatch was up on Valley Street.
Newman said the county’s law enforcement agency has grown a lot since the days when two small adjoining offices housed the sheriff and deputies, and couples were married outside the closet-sized magistrate’s office next door.
With the need for space outside its tiny century-old building, the office expanded over the years into whatever cobbled-together offices it could find: renovated jail cells, a flood-prone outbuilding, even a nearby garage.
“We piecemealed and put stuff together,” Newman said. “We just made the best we could do with what we had.”
Among those fixes: Computer equipment was set up on cinderblocks to protect it from chronic flooding in the deputies’ quarters.
“The ones who got here early got a seat and the rest of them stood up for deputies’ meetings,” Newman said. “When you wanted to get warm, you came and stood by the stove.”
The new building has central heat and air, and the deputies have a large room with tables, interview rooms and a report room, as well as a large, tech-savvy training room – and no leaky walls.
Each of the sergeants now has a private office, along with higher-ranking sheriff’s office employees.
The new garage includes a place to store and work on the department’s cars and equipment.
“You could comfortably situate every building that we had probably in this garage,” Newman said.
Among the features in the new building that weren’t available in the old: interview rooms, a training room, a dispatch center with a secure walk-up window, a weight room and showers.
“You see the typical big pot-bellied police officer, and that’s certainly not the image we need to portray,” said Newman, who has plans to mandate physical training for his deputies now that the facility is available.
Also planned is a gasoline filling station on the property and possibly, “many years down the road,” a new, expanded, modern animal shelter on the complex.
“We’ve got a nice building. … I think the building is worth every penny the county paid for it,” Newman said. “If you look at the size of the building, if you look at the money our sheriff’s office has been able to put into the building – remodeling, furniture, at no expense to the taxpayer – then it’s a good deal.”
He said the cost of building the same facility today is estimated at more than $11 million.
Now only dispatch has yet to move, a relocation planned for January or February. And even with three other county departments sharing the building, there’s still room for growth on the 8-acre campus.
“It will enhance the ability of the sheriff’s office to serve the general public,” Capt. Jack Davidson said. “It gives us better access to the public, and we are all under one roof now for the purpose of knowing what’s going on … and it kind of solidified all of the divisions together so that we could share more information quicker than what we did before.”
The sheriff’s office plans to showcase the building at a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1. The guest speaker at the event will be Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty.
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Reader Reactions
commonscents:
S T F U…....
“It ain’t over till it’s over.“
by Yogi Berra
Mannix-
You’re out of string- we all know you’ve lost and are no different than a derelict on a busy street carting around a sandwich board displaying his personal vendetta.
Give it up- it’s over…!!!
long overdue and well deserved.
Mr. Mannix—I will make a donation to the new animal shelter to get it built soon, IF they will reserve a room for you. You need somewhere private to pick your cooties and get over your sour stomach. Also, BJ—have you ever had to call 911 for an emergency? I don’t care if the police officer that shows up weighs 900 lbs or 90 lbs-as long as he is there to help me(usually by his choice) I am all for our officers having a decent work place. Don’t you want the same for yourself? GO WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF!!! I think you do a good job.
“This fortress of more than 50,000 square feet has been renovated with about $400,000 of asset-forfeiture funds – or Washington County’s share of the money generated by a federal narcotics task force on which two county detectives worked.“
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Keith Owens
K&H Arms
468 East Main Street
Suite 400A
Abingdon, VA 24210
phone: 276-451-0064
fax: 276-619-4664
Apparently, this legal gun dealer purchased over-the-counter anti-histamine and the feds, after checking the pharmacy’s logs, stopped him in Winterham and also searched his shop. There should be a search warrant available.
Apparently, they suspected he was making meth… but it was a mistake!
There was a drug bust in Winterham on 11/04/2009… someone was pulled from a car but details are hushed. ???????????
It was a Federal Task Force operation.
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“The sheriff’s office plans to showcase the building at a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1. The guest speaker at the event will be Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty.“
__________________________________
Dear Senators Warner and Webb:
I strenuously oppose the above nomination and urge you to appoint someone other than this corrupt sheriff.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Mannix, Sr.
——- Forwarded Message——
From: Pat Mannix
To: http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact ; http://webb.senate.gov/contact/
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 10:26:01 AM
Subject: Fw: “Nomination of Fred P. Newman To Be U.S. Marshal”
http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/washington_county_sheriff_seeks_position_with_u.s._marshals_service/25181/
——- Forwarded Message——
From: Pat Mannix
To: president@messages.whitehouse.gov
Cc: jfoster@bristolnews.com
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:11:18 PM
Subject: “Nomination of Fred P. Newman To Be U.S. Marshal”
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/abingdon-va/TT031IKMQIPTPDVF2
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/abingdon-va/TBQTLLLD103G0V2DQ
“Nomination of Fred P. Newman To Be U.S. Marshal”
Dear Mr. President:
I strenuously oppose the above nomination and urge you to appoint someone other than this corrupt sheriff.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Mannix, Sr.
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March 30, 2001
According to Annette Lein, Chris Hazelwood called the office and asked her to pull a file for him. He allegedly said he had been working for years to “get” Patrick Mannix and that he finally had found that he made a false statement on a gun permit application. He said he was coming by here and going to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Annette checked out the file for him, assuming that he was going to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and would bring the file back. He then returned to the office and wanted a criminal file. He was told he could not check out a criminal file but could make copies of it. According to my staff, the entire time he was making the copies, he was acting In a very unprofessional manner. He was in the office when I went to lunch.
After lunch, my staff commented on the fact that he acted in a very unprofessional manner.
After talking with my deputies, I decided to call Sheriff Newman to determine if the copies were made with regard to an official Investigation. If not, they were to be paid for. He said they were made as a port of an investigation on a possible felony charge. I told him my deputies had commented on Hazelwood’s unprofessional actions. He assured me he would take care of the matter.
Patrick Mannix then came into my office and said his cwp file could not be found. Sandy had looked everywhere for It. I told her the last time I couldn’t find it, it was In the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Sandy called the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and was told that they did not have the file. Shortly thereafter, June parks called Sandy and wanted to know if the (expletive deleted) was still over here—that Hazelwood had the file. The next thing I was told was that Hazelwood and Captain Davidson were on their way up here with the file.
Hazelwood came into the office with Melissa Sautters. I asked him by what authority he removed the file from this office. He said, “she gave it to me.” I aked him who gave it to him and he said, “Annette gave It to me, it’s for a criminal Investigation.” Annette had left early, so couldn’t question her. Apparently he made copies of all the documents from file No. CR7-86-52.
Sheriff Newman then called and requested a meeting for Monday.
I have Instructed my staff to pull all of Mr. Mannix’s file. They will be locked in the exhibit room and can only be examined In the presence of one of my deputies or me.
Author ~ Kathy P. Crane, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Washington County, Virginia
Betty-
Yes, the comments on the young man in jail for veh. homicde and the bumpkin kicking his 5 yr old got my dander up big time.
Ignorance abounds.
Good morning cs,
I’m doing better than yesterday 
I’ve read more than participated lately, I see you’re still holding down the fort lol.
Hey Betty- How are you?
BJ38, you seem to have some deep seated issues that you should probably address with a psychiatrist. Just a friendly tip for you.
I’m glad to see the sheriffs office get a new building. The department has grown, and it was past time.
bj-
Don’t know if you were ever in the office on Park- it was horribly inefficient- probably not in quite as bad condition as your mobile home- but very close. (I still call it a trailer)
New office was sorely needed- unless of course, you only saw the cells on Park St which i"m sure is a distinct possibility.
The new office is very nice and will provide improvements- they needed it !
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