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Four attempted murders in three weeks? What’s going on out here?

“Why is this happening? I don’t know,” sheriff Jim Agnew told the Board of Supervisors last week in an update on crime in Goochland County.

And while it would be easy to blame the spike in violent crimes on county growth and the increased accessibility from the city, the fact is that most of the accused in these incidents are from Goochland.

Whatever the reason, Goochland’s recent partnership with Powhatan County on tactical operations for high risk arrests couldn’t have come at a better time. Goochland has found it necessary to call on its new partner four times in the last month, Agnew said.

First there was a youth from Henrico County wanted for murder who was arrested without incident in Goochland with the assistance of the Powhatan officers. A few days later an incident in Gum Spring required the neighboring county’s help when Goochland authorities were confronted with a domestic violence situation and heard the accused was armed and dangerous.

“He made comments that he was going to shoot the first deputy who came to arrest him,” Agnew said. Thankfully, the joint unit apprehended him without incident.The third incident involved a local man allegedly trying to kill his brother and then escaping police after being confronted at home. He shouldn’t have gotten away, but his freedom was short-lived.

Irvin “Chubby” Martin, wanted for beating a woman within an inch of her life with a golf club last week, is still being sought by authorities for attempted murder and other charges. Again, Powhatan is lending a hand.

But the bridge across the river runs both ways as the sheriff acknowledged.

“We haven’t gone across the river yet but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they call on us,” he said.

In the meantime, let’s just hope things quiet down a bit over here.

—Wesley Hester