A regular grand jury seated next week will consider capital murder indictments against a father and son from Sugar Grove already charged in connection with the abduction of 18-year-old Nathan Cord Combs.
Smyth County Commonwealth’s Attorney Roy Evans confirmed Tuesday that he will present the grand jury indictments charging Daniel Brice Crouse, 38, and Garrett Crouse, 18, with the capital murder of Combs. Evans said he will also present indictments charging Ricky Joseph James, 24, of Marion, with accessory to capital murder.
Evans said additional related charges will also be sought. He said further forensic confirmation is necessary to determine if the facts support Virginia’s requirements for consideration of the death penalty.
Combs’ body was found around 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Comer’s Creek area of Smyth County, according to Sheriff David Bradley.
His parents last saw him around 12 p.m. March 4.
Bradley said the Marion Police Department took a missing person report for Combs, whose address was on Catron Street in Marion, on March 7.
Bradley said a witness reported at the Marion Police Department on March 10 that “foul play may be involved” in Combs’ disappearance.
Another witness the same day reported Combs and three others were “held against their will for approximately one hour at a location off Maywood Lane” in Marion, Bradley said. “According to witnesses, the abductors left the scene and Nathan Combs has not been seen since.”
MPD contacted the sheriff’s office on March 11 for assistance with the investigation.
On Saturday morning, March 12, Bradley released a statement requesting information about Combs’ whereabouts. That statement said Combs “has attention deficit disorder and according to his father has left home before, but would always call home or return soon thereafter.”
On Saturday evening, another statement from the sheriff said Combs’ body had been found.
Interviews with witnesses and suspects resulted in abduction-related charges against five people, Bradley said.
The sheriff said Daniel Brice Crouse and Garrett Brice Crouse, of the same Sugar Grove Highway address, are each charged with four counts of abduction and four counts of conspiracy to commit abduction.
Bradley said the elder Crouse is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, four counts of abduction, and four counts of conspiracy to commit abduction.
Mindie Mae Davidson, 32, also of the Crouse home, is charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit abduction, Bradley said.
Sheriff’s investigator Chip Shuler said Davidson was “a paramour to Daniel Crouse.”
James, of Buck Lane, Marion, is charged with abduction, Bradley said.
Michael Ray Brown Jr., 37, of Spring Street, Galax, is charged with four counts of abduction and four counts of conspiracy to commit abduction, Bradley said.
The sheriff said all of the suspects are being held without bail in Southwest Virginia Jail at Abingdon.
In a conference call Tuesday, Evans and Shuler could release little additional information about the abductions or the death of Combs pending action by the grand jury. Evans did say the abductions took place “in short order in the March 4 and 5 timeframe.”
They declined to discuss the relationships among the suspects, but said Combs and the other abductees were “acquaintances.”
Shuler and Evans declined to talk about motives in the incidents and Combs’ cause of death, but Evans confirmed these were not random incidents.
Warrants for the suspects’ arrests were sought and obtained on March 12 and the arrests followed the same day, Shuler said.
Bradley said his office, the Marion Police Department and the Virginia State Police were following leads on the whereabouts of Combs, 18, when his body was found. Evans and Shuler declined to discuss what led authorities to the body.
Bradley said Combs was wanted on an outstanding warrant “issued for property damage and law enforcement had been looking for him prior to him being reported missing.”
Shuler said the offense occurred Feb. 25, and the warrant for Combs was issued March 5.
Court records showed Garrett Brice Crouse was charged April 5 for a concealed weapon violation. Evans said Marion police handled that incident, but declined to discuss it further.
More details about the charges will be available after the grand jury completes its work, which Evans expects to be late in the afternoon of March 25.
Combs’ body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke Monday for autopsy.
The ME’s office was busy following a weekend of violence in two parts of Southwest Virginia. According to Bradley, Combs’ autopsy followed the examinations of the bodies of two Buchanan County sheriff’s deputies killed Sunday in the line of duty.
Virginia State Police said Cameron Neil Justus and William Ezra Stiltner were shot and killed by a high-powered rifle as they set up a perimeter in the search for a suspect in a reported larceny in progress at a Vansant salvage yard.
The suspect had previously shot and wounded deputies Eric Dwayne Rasnake and Shane Earl Charles as they began the search for the larceny suspect. Both crawled to a nearby residence where they took cover and called for help, VSP said.
VSP Troopers later shot killed the suspect, Randy Gilbert Newberry, 52, of Vansant, when he drew a handgun on them, VSP said.
http://www.swvatoday.com/news/articl...and_jury/9545/
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