This Week at a Glance
A jury in Augusta Circuit Court finds two former Nexus leaders guilty on every charge in a financial exploitation case, and the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office discloses that one of them also faces a felony charge involving a child. One month after a Staunton police officer shot and killed Montique Gaston outside the Richmond Avenue Walmart, the NAACP and neighbors walk downtown to the courthouse plaza, and the body camera footage stays with Virginia State Police. Early voting closes Saturday, and Bessie Weller Elementary opened its hallways to the public last week to show what a school sales tax would pay for.
Lead Stories
Guilty on Every Count, and a Second Case Opens Against Michael Donovan
A jury returned guilty verdicts Tuesday against Michael Donovan and Richard Moore on every charge, ending the sixth day of their trial in Augusta Circuit Court, WHSV reported. Each faced six charges: two counts apiece of obtaining money or signature by false pretense, financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, and embezzlement deemed larceny of more than $1,000. Prosecutors accused the former Nexus leaders of stealing more than $400,000 from Zachary Cruz, a young man who once lived with the couple.
Closing arguments split on a single question: where the money went. Commonwealth’s Attorney Tim Martin told jurors the couple spent Cruz’s money on themselves, that promises of a job and an apartment were never kept, and that Cruz could not grasp what happened to so large a sum. “They tricked Cruz and now they are trying to trick you,” Martin said. Defense attorney Caleb Routhier answered that Cruz was not penniless during his time with the couple, that some of the spending supported him, and that Cruz bought nonessential items of his own. The defense walked jurors through its own accounting of the spending.
An affidavit drew some of the sharpest questioning of the week. Lisa Breeden, a former Nexus HR director, testified Monday that she notarized a 2022 affidavit in which Cruz said he did not care what the couple did with his money. Martin pressed on who wrote it and noted that the wording does not match how Cruz would phrase things. Breeden said Cruz did not write the document but could not recall who did. Sentencing for both defendants is set for February 12, 2027.
The verdict was not the only court news involving Donovan. The sheriff’s office arrested him October 20, the day the trial began, on a felony charge of forcible sodomy involving a child under the age of 13, according to a second WHSV report published Wednesday. Deputies took him into custody at the Augusta County Courthouse. The sheriff’s office says the charge grows out of an investigation involving a juvenile male whom investigators allege was sexually abused over several years.
Donovan is being held without bond at Middle River Regional Jail. His preliminary hearing on that charge is set for December 16 in Augusta County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. He has not been tried on the charge, and an arrest is an allegation, not a finding.
The sheriff’s office will not identify the child. Investigators say the case remains open and more charges could follow. Sheriff Donald Smith asked anyone with information about this case or other instances of child sexual abuse to call the department at 540-245-5333.
A Month After Walmart, the Walk Goes to the Courthouse
Thursday, October 22, marked exactly one month since Montique Gaston died in the Walmart parking lot on Richmond Avenue. The Staunton NAACP, the Waynesboro NAACP and Building Bridges for the Greater Good held a walk and press conference that day, WHSV reported. Marchers carried posters, sang and chanted through downtown streets to the Augusta County Courthouse plaza.
Gaston’s family did not attend. They sent a statement for the group to share instead, and it began with one line: “He was somebody’s son. Somebody’s brother.” Nadia Ware, who leads the Staunton branch, said the organizations recognize that a State Police investigation is underway and want Gaston’s family to receive timely information and a full accounting of September 22. The NAACP says it is not demanding immediate answers. It wants the family and the community to know what becomes of the officer and what led to the shooting.
The public record has changed little since the first week. A Staunton police officer answered a 911 call at the Walmart around 7:15 p.m. on September 22, made contact with Gaston, a 39-year-old from Portsmouth, and fired during an altercation, WDBJ reported. Gaston died at the scene. The officer was not hurt and went on administrative leave, per WHSV. The officer’s body camera recorded the entire encounter, and Chief Jim Williams has said the footage stays unreleased until State Police finish their investigation. A special prosecutor reviews the case after that, 12 On Your Side reported.
City leaders met with NAACP leadership in early October and said afterward that they back the call for transparency, according to WHSV. Nobody has offered a timeline for the State Police investigation or the prosecutor’s review.
Bessie Weller Opened Its Hallways, and the Ballot Waits
Early voting at City Hall, 116 W. Beverley St., ends Saturday, October 31, with hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the city’s election calendar. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The deadline to register or apply for an absentee ballot passed October 23.
Staunton’s ballot carries a local sales tax referendum of up to 1 percent for school construction and renovation, three City Council seats with three candidates, five School Board candidates for three at-large seats, races for U.S. Senate and the 6th Congressional District, and three proposed amendments to the state constitution, Cardinal News reported.
Staunton City Schools gave voters a look at the referendum’s subject last week, opening Bessie Weller Elementary for a public tour meant to highlight the building’s needs. Augusta Free Press, which often takes an editorial position in its news coverage, reported that a division building study put Bessie Weller’s required maintenance at $13.9 million and a full renovation at $32.1 million, within $168 million of unfunded needs across the division.
WHSV profiled all five School Board candidates in a Meet the Candidates segment: Fontella Brown-Bundy, Cecilia Carpenter, Kristin Siegel, Barbara White and Jordan Zipser.
Quick Hits
Community members unveiled a memorial marker outside the old Augusta County Courthouse for Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a Staunton native killed in a shooting at Old Dominion University in March, WHSV reported. His mother, Judith Jenkins, said, “He laid down his life for his cadets.” His sister, Mimi Jenkins, recently moved back to the area and recalled racing him on bikes through Montgomery Hall Park.
Brennen Duncan started October 19 as Staunton’s public works director, WHSV reported. He spent more than a decade as the city engineer in Charlottesville, and he says he is already hitting the ground running.
Angela Mickens, a Staunton native, received Augusta County’s Future Forward Award for her work in youth advocacy, WHSV reported.
The Well Balanced Paw reopened in a larger downtown Staunton location, WHSV reported, with hopes of expanding in the new space.
Staunton Jams, the Queen City’s twice-a-year music festival, wrapped up Sunday with a finale on Beverley Street, per WHSV.
The City of Staunton conducted a housing survey on Saturday, October 24, assessing the condition of homes across designated neighborhoods.
Out & About
Friday, October 30
The Last Passenger: Ghost Stories of the Shenandoah Valley. Wayne Theatre actors and the Virginia Scenic Railway put true stories, folklore and railroad history on a moving train, with folk music, dinner and dessert, per Rocktown Now. The run takes about three hours and begins at 4 p.m. Organizers warn that some stories touch on deaths, accidents and supernatural horror. It repeats Saturday.
Trunk or Treat at Avia Baldwin Park. 21 Woodlee Rd., 4 p.m., per WQSV.
Howl-O-Ween. The Staunton Downtown Development Association hosts pet trick-or-treating on West Beverley Street at 5 p.m., per WQSV.
Trunk or Treat at Donation Station. 501 Richmond Ave., 6 p.m., per WQSV.
Friday Night Frights. Visulite Cinemas at 12 N. Augusta St. closes out its October horror lineup with themed nights and costume contests, per WQSV.
Shop and Dine Out. Beverley Street closes to cars between Lewis and Market streets from 4 p.m. Friday until 7:30 a.m. Monday, per Visit Staunton.
Saturday, October 31
Early Voting. The last day to vote early at City Hall runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Downtown Trick-or-Treating. Children collect treats from participating businesses from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; look for the black cats to find the stops, per Visit Staunton.
Trunk or Treat at Envision Studios. 829 Greenville Ave., 2 p.m., per WQSV.
Trunk or Treat at Cherryvale United Methodist. 709 Cherry Hill Dr., 5 p.m., per WQSV.
Dark Tales of Staunton, Halloween Edition. A ticketed evening of local legends starts at the city parking garage beside the former Stonewall Jackson Hotel, 32 S. New St., from 7:30 to 9 p.m., per the event listing.
Halloween Party with Bloo Lagoon. Redbeard Brewing, 120 S. Lewis St., with a costume contest, per Eventbrite.
Halloween Bash with Don’t Look Up. Marino’s Lunch, 901 N. Augusta St., $5 cover, per the event listing.
Sunday, November 1
Clocks fall back. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m..
Tuesday, November 3
Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Through Mid-November
On stage. The American Shakespeare Center has The Tempest at Blackfriars Playhouse through November 13 and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through November 14, per WQSV.
River Watch
The most recent reading available from the South River gauge at Waynesboro, USGS Station 01626000, is from October 12 at 6:15 p.m. EDT: 170 cubic feet per second at a gage height of 3.08 feet, provisional data that USGS labels subject to revision. USGS statistics for that date, built on 74 water years of record, put the median flow at 44 cubic feet per second, so the river ran well above normal. Anyone planning to wade, fish or paddle should check the live USGS dashboard the morning of the outing.
The Sneeze Index
Staunton’s air read Moderate at 5 a.m. Thursday, with an AQI of 57 and PM2.5 as the main pollutant at 12.3 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir’s live station data. IQAir advises sensitive groups to cut back on outdoor exercise. Tree and grass pollen read none, and weed pollen reads Low. IQAir’s daily forecast shows Friday near 64 and Saturday near 43, which points to cleaner air for trick-or-treating.
The Weekly Pump
Virginia’s average for regular gas stood at $4.10 a gallon on October 22, according to AAA figures reported by WSLS, down from $4.21 on October 8. Premium averaged $5.00 and diesel $6.27. A year ago, regular ran about $2.93. AAA says prices remain the highest they have ever been for this time of year, and WSLS ties the swings to ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. GasBuddy tracks the cheapest pumps around town.
Real Estate Watch
Staunton’s median sale price came in at $301,431 in September, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. That sits below August’s $314,742 and well short of the 7.5 percent annual gain Redfin reported for August. Homes sold in a median of 12 days, two days faster than last year, and 101 homes sold in September, down from 106 a year ago.
Specific sales and current listings require a local agent with MLS access; these aggregate figures lag what’s happening street to street.
Who’s Hiring
Production Operator | The Hershey Company | Stuarts Draft | $26.88 an hour
Patient Access Specialist, Full-Time | Augusta Health | Fishersville | $17.24 to $23.80 an hour
For more openings, see Indeed, the city and Staunton City Schools jobs portal, and jobs.virginia.gov.
Developing Stories
Waynesboro’s School Board began interviewing candidates to succeed Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell the week of October 19, Augusta Free Press reported. Cassell retires December 31. Augusta Free Press, which often takes an editorial position in its news coverage, reported earlier that the board’s schedule called for naming a successor by late October or early November, ahead of the November 3 election in which two board seats are contested.
Dates to hold: Donovan’s preliminary hearing on the child sexual abuse charge is December 16, and sentencing in the Nexus theft case is February 12. Staunton City Council holds work sessions from 5 to 7 p.m. on November 12 and December 10.
From The Stauntonian This Week
A sleeper car jumped the rails at the Staunton depot in 1890, a hotel basement served as a Civil War morgue, and a campus ghost named Richard walks Mary Baldwin’s grounds. Our Local History feature separates what the records show from what the tours tell, from the depot platform to Western State and the Spotts-Coffman House. Paid subscribers can read the full story, and it includes the Halloween night tour schedule.
From The Shenandoan This Week
Five Days, Five Shenandoah Ghost Stories
The Shenandoan’s scary stories series started Tuesday and runs through Halloween, one story a day from a different corner of the Valley. Each is built from archives, deeds and old newspapers, and each says plainly where a legend holds up and where it falls apart. The series is not saying what comes next.
Two installments are out so far. Initials on the Wall, Children in the Hall follows the legend that a young George Washington carved his initials into Natural Bridge and the story of a murdered family said to haunt the hotel above it, then checks both against the National Register record, which names no owner who killed his family. The Gentleman on the Front Steps takes up Abram’s Delight in Winchester, built in 1754, where carpenters reported a tall man in Quaker dress walking up the steps and vanishing, and where a Hollingsworth daughter named Mary is the ghost most often named. The Shenandoan also ran a dawn fog guide Wednesday for anyone who wants a better reason to get up early.
Note from the Editor
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