[VA] SHERIFF KNEW that Deputy Agee was on the way to kill ex-wife Jennifer - but didn't send out the alert

Too little too late for

Jennifer Louise Carter Agee

I have things to say but will wait until after people have had a chance to finish their good-byes and memorial service for Jennifer. People are praying for the families. Hearts are breaking for Jennifer and the girls.

Jennifer's funeral service: - Friday, June 3, 2011, 11 a.m. at the chapel of John M. Oakey and Son, Salem (Address: 305 Roanoke Boulevard; Phone: 540-389-5441). Interment will follow at East Hill Cemetery, Salem. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening, June 2, 2011, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Full obituaries and guest books are on both Legacy and John M. Oakey & Son.

CALL TO 911 WARNED OF MEMORIAL DAY SHOOTING IN ROANOKE

HamptonRoads.com

By Mike Gangloff, Amanda Codispoti

and Janelle Rucker

June 1, 2011

[Excerpts] Almost a half-hour before Jennifer Carter Agee was shot to death on Memorial Day, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office was warned that her sheriff's deputy ex-husband [Jonathan Agee] had an assault rifle and was driving to Salem to kill her. But Sheriff Ewell Hunt told his dispatch center not to issue a "be on the lookout" alert to other law enforcement agencies, saying he would take care of the situation himself, according to a sheriff's office radio call log. Then the sheriff called the police department in Salem, where Jennifer Agee lived and where he apparently thought Deputy Jonathan Agee was headed. "I thought I could get the fastest response by making personal contact," Hunt said Tuesday. Hunt failed to reach a Salem police supervisor. He left a message with a dispatcher asking for a return call, Salem Police Chief Jeff Dudley said. Hunt's call was returned 13 minutes later, Salem city spokesman Mike Stevens said. That was at 11:31 a.m. By then, Jennifer Agee, 30, lay dying, shot with a rifle not in Salem but in Roanoke, in the parking lot of the Sheetz convenience store on Orange Avenue.... According to a Franklin County Sheriff's Office radio log, police learned of Monday's brewing trouble with an 11:07 a.m. call from Julia Angell, a Roanoke sheriff's deputy who married Jonathan Agee after his 2005 divorce from Jennifer Agee. Angell said that Agee had left their home in Boones Mill in his patrol car with an assault rifle, saying he was going to Salem to kill his ex-wife. The radio log said that while Angell was on the phone, Agee returned to the house. "His voice was heard in the background, sounds like that he knows that she called 911," the log said. Agee left again, and dispatchers sent a text message to Hunt to tell him what was going on. At 11:15 a.m., a Franklin County officer suggested calling Roanoke County and Salem and issuing a "BOL," or "be on the lookout" alert. Hunt "advised not to call, that he will take care of it," the log said... At 11:17 a.m., Hunt told dispatch to call Agee on the radio and tell him to call the sheriff. Agee would not answer. At 11:20 a.m., the dispatcher asked a deputy to check on Angell at her home "in case he goes back to the address." "She sounds very scared," the log said. At 12:03 p.m., about a half-hour after Jennifer Agee was killed, Agee called a Rocky Mount police officer who was a friend and said he would surrender to him -- but that the friend "would have to kill him." At 12:11 p.m., with police chasing Agee in Montgomery County, Franklin County officers brought his parents, Angell and one of his daughters to the sheriff's office for protection. As Agee was pursued through Montgomery County, his patrol car was struck by a pursuing state police car driven by Sgt. Brannock near I-81's mile marker 125, according to Carpentieri. The front of Brannock's car hit the passenger side of Agee's, Carpentieri said. Brannock got out of his car and Agee began firing at him... Hunt said Tuesday that he would limit his comments because of the ongoing state police investigation of Agee and the personnel issues surrounding his employment... Hunt explained his decision not to issue a wider alert Monday by saying that he thought Agee was heading to Salem, and that the quickest way to alert other agencies would be by calling himself. Tod Burke, a Radford University professor of criminal justice and a former police officer, said that in situations such as Monday's, it's typical for police agencies to notify all surrounding jurisdictions. "The greatest delay is not the police officer responding to the crime, it's the report of the crime," Burke said... [Full article here]

COURT PAPERS OUTLINE TENSE MOMENTS BEFORE POLICE SAY DEPUTY SHOT EX-WIFE

WSLS

By Scott Leamon

June 01, 2011

[Excerpts] A search warrant on file in Franklin County circuit court states the victim in the Memorial Day shooting at Sheetz in Roanoke, Jennifer Agee, contacted deputy Jonathan Agee's current wife [Roanoke Sheriff's Deputy Julia Angell] a number of times in recent weeks, telling her of an ongoing relationship between the deputy and his ex-wife... The warrant states Investigator Jay Mason was in the room when the current wife of Deputy Agee was interviewed by police. The warrant states she told investigators that she overheard telephone conversations between deputy Agee and his ex-wife in the days before the shooting, that "were very heated in nature." Agee's current wife told investigators she had also received several text messages from Jennifer Agee, "recently advising of an ongoing relationship between Jonathan Agee and his former wife." The warrant states she called the Franklin County sheriff's office warning them she thought her husband was driving to Salem to kill Jennifer Agee at 11:06 a.m. Investigators believe Jennifer Agee was shot around 11:30 a.m. in Roanoke. Agee's current wife told investigators that she told dispatchers her husband had come home, retrieved an assault rifle from his gunsafe, and "left in his County Police vehicle." The search warrant goes on to state she "advised Franklin County dispatch that Jonathan Agee was en route to Salem to kill his former wife, Jennifer Agee"... [Full article here]

CO-WORKERS REMEMBER SALEM WOMAN GUNNED DOWN AT SHEETZ: Jenny Agee loved her children and held down two jobs

WDBJ-TV

Jean Jadhon

May 31, 2011

[Excerpts] We're learning more about the woman who was gunned down at the Sheetz gas station in Roanoke Monday. 30-year old Jennifer Agee was known by friends as Jenny. Jenny Agee was a single mother of two who held down two jobs. She was employed at Elizabeth Arden during the day and also worked at Mac and Bob's restaurant in Salem for the past two years as a server and worked to train other servers... Co-workers say Jenny Agee did not hang out after work, because she focused on her two jobs and spending time with her kids... Like many 30 year olds, Agee had a Facebook page, where she said she liked the book Twilight and a book by comedian Chelsea Handler. She also said she liked camping. Her page is also filled with photographs of her and her children... The news of her murder hasn't really sunk in to the staff at Mac and Bob's. "We're just trying to talk it out but remember her... Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family. We're going to miss her very much." [Full article here]

CO-WORKERS SAY AGEE'S KIDS WERE HER WORLD

WSET

Mark Kelly, Sally Delta

May 31, 2011 6:34 PM PST

[Excerpts] Jennifer Agee's murder has been devastating for friends and co-workers at Mac and Bob's in Salem, where she worked... Allison Giles is a host at the restaurant and worked with Agee often... "I never saw him [Jonathan Agee], I never met him," said Giles. "She kept that just alone. She kept that to herself and just didn't want to talk about it," said Giles. It still hasn't fully sunk in that Agee's gone. Some still talk about her in the present tense, and feel as though she'll be back to work soon... Co-workers say the most painful thing to think about is Agee's two daughters living without their mom. They were the center of her world, they say, and she worked multiple jobs at times to support them. [Full article here]

TROOPER WOUNDED IN FRANKLIN COUNTY DEPUTY MAYHEM RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL: Police will concentrate evidence-gathering near mile marker 125 on the northbound side of the highway, and at Exit 128.

The Roanoke Times

By Mike Gangloff

May 31, 2011

The state police sergeant wounded during Monday's pursuit of a fleeing Franklin County sheriff's deputy was released from the hospital today. Sgt. Matthew Brannock, whose 36th birthday was Monday -- the day he was shot -- was discharged from Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital after treatment for a gunshot wound, said Sgt. Rob Carpentieri, a state police spokesman... [Full article here]

EARLIER NEWS:

BREAKING NEWS: OFF-DUTY DEPUTY CHARGED WITH MURDER

The Franklin News Post

By K.A. Wagoner

Monday, May 30, 2011

[Excerpts] An off-duty sheriff's deputy has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his ex-wife at the Sheetz on Williamson Road in Roanoke Monday morning. Jonathan Ashely Agee, 32, of Boones Mill is also being investigated by the Virginia State Police for the shooting of a trooper on Interstate 81 near the Ironto exit, according to the Virginia State Police. Agee has also been charged in Franklin County with unauthorized use of a county police vehicle, and he has been suspended from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office without pay, said Sheriff Ewell Hunt. Agee drove a marked police vehicle into the Sheetz parking behind his ex-wife about 11:30 a.m., pulled out a gun and shot her, according to Roanoke City Police. Jennifer Louise Agee, 30, of Salem died at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Agee left the parking lot and headed west on Route 460, where he was spotted by State Police Sgt. Matt Brannock... When Brannock turned around to follow the car, Agee activated the police car's lights and sirens, and continued west on Route 460... The two vehicles finally stopped on the exit...Agee shot Brannock in the leg. Additional state police personnel responded to the scene and Agee was shot multiple times... Agee's injuries are considered life threatening... [Full article here]

US: ONE DEAD, TWO INJURED AFTER VIRGINIA SHERIFF'S DEPUTY GOES ON BLOODY RAMPAGE

New York Daily News, WSLS

Nina Mandell

Mon, 30 May 2011 07:31 CDT

[Excerpts] An off-duty county sheriff's deputy killed his ex-wife and shot a state trooper before he was wounded during a bloody Memorial Day rampage in Roanoke, Virginia. The chaos began when Jonathan Agee shot his former wife Jennifer at a Sheetz convenience store parking lot, WSLS 10 reported. After he drove away from the scene, police issued an alert with information about his vehicle and an advisory to be on the lookout for him. Shortly thereafter, Sgt. Matt Brannock spotted a car fitting the description and followed it... As Brannock pulled up beside Agee on the highway exit ramp, Agee began firing at the officer, hitting him and causing him to take cover. Agee continued driving and exchanged fire with two more state troopers before he was shot... Both Agee and Brannock were airlifted to a local hospital... Brannock, a 35-year-old Air Force Veteran, is expected to recover. "The focus of investigators right now is piecing together the exact sequence of events leading up to both shootings," said Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police superintendent. "This is a difficult day, needless to say, for Virginia's law enforcement community." Jennifer Agee was taken to the same hospital where she later died... [Full article here]

FRANKLIN COUNTY DEPUTY ACCUSED OF KILLING EX-WIFE, SHOOTING TROOPE

By WSLS-TV

Meagan Farley, in the field.

WSLS News Staff

May 30, 2011

[Excerpts] ...A Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy stands accused of a shooting rampage that ended with his ex-wife dead, and a Virginia State Police trooper shot... Franklin Co. Deputy Jonathan Agee, 32, of Boones Mill, followed a truck being driven by his ex-wife, Jennifer Agee, 30, of Salem, into the Williamson Road Sheetz, across from the Roanoke Civic Center. Chief Perkins said a witness told officers that Deputy Agee stepped out of his marked Franklin County patrol cruiser, took out a rifle, and fired multiple shots at Jennifer Agee, while she was outside of her pick-up truck. Perkins said Deputy Agee then got back in his patrol car, and sped off before Roanoke Police arrived. Roanoke Police then contacted State Police, and issued a "Be On The Lookout" (BOLO) alert for Deputy Agee, and his patrol cruiser... "We are shocked and saddened by today's tragic events. We ask that you keep the families of all involved in your prayers," said Sheriff Hunt... [State Police Superintendent Colonel Steven] Flaherty added that two State Police troopers who were involved in the takedown of Agee have been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with State Police policy... [Full article here]

POLICE: OFF-DUTY FRANKLIN CO. DEPUTY KILLS EX-WIFE, INJURES STATE TROOPER AFTER LONG-RANGE PURSUIT

The Roanoke Times

By Neil Harvey and Janelle Rucker |

May 30, 2011

[Excerpts] ...The Franklin County deputy, identified by state police as Jonathan Ashley Agee, 32, of Boones Mill was shot multiple times... The wounded state trooper, Sgt. Matthew Brannock, 35, was shot by Agee during the pursuit... Jonathan Agee pulled in behind his ex-wife, got out of his marked patrol vehicle and shot her several times with a rifle...An unidentified person in Jennifer Agee’s pickup truck, a child believed to be the Agees’ daughter, was unharmed... Christina Bolduc , Jennifer Agee’s aunt, said the former couple had two daughters, ages 6 and 12. The oldest daughter was with her mother at the time of the shooting, said Bolduc, of Maine, who left Roanoke on Sunday after spending the weekend with her family. She said Jennifer Agee, who lived in Salem with her mother, worked at Mac and Bob’s as a waitress and at Elizabeth Arden as a receptionist. Jennifer Agee had custody of the oldest daughter and Jonathan Agee had custody of the youngest. It was a subject of some tension, Bolduc said . “We are all still in shock,” Bolduc said. “This is not supposed to happen. We are supposed to be able to trust law enforcement”... [Read more about the case.] It also described how Ashley Hunt, employed as a clerk in the sheriff’s office during high school, accompanied Agee on stakeouts, patrols, drug buys and arrests, roundups and the processing of arrestees, despite being a minor and not a sworn investigator. The report said Agee later faced disciplinary action for the infractions... [Full article here]

WOMAN KILLED; TROOPER HURT IN SOUTHWEST VA. SHOOTINGS

The Roanoke Times

By Neil Harvey and Janelle Rucker

May 31, 2011

[Excerpts] ...In a release issued late Monday, Franklin County Sheriff Ewell Hunt said Agee has been suspended without pay and has been charged with unauthorized use of a Franklin County vehicle. Hunt declined to comment further, directing all questions to the Roanoke police, who are handling the investigation. “We are shocked and saddened by today’s tragic events,” Hunt said. The suspect is the son of Steve Agee, who retired as a sergeant with the Rocky Mount Police Department after more than 30 years of service and is a former Rocky Mount town councilman. Jonathan Agee’s law enforcement career was tinged with controversy at least once before — in 2009, a special grand jury focused on the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s employment of Hunt’s teenage daughter, Ashley. Sheriff Hunt was later cleared of a misdemeanor charge of failing to keep proper records, but the grand jury’s report found that Ashley Hunt and Jonathan Agee had a relationship that “exposed her, other employees ... and members of the general public to demonstrated risk and significantly increased exposure of the department to civil liability.” It also described how Ashley Hunt, employed as a clerk in the sheriff’s office during high school, accompanied Agee on stakeouts, patrols, drug buys and arrests, roundups and the processing of arrestees, despite being a minor and not a sworn investigator. The report said Agee later faced disciplinary action for the infractions... [Full article here]

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