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Human remains found in Buckingham 

The Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an odd situation on Woodson Road. The department was called out to 1374 CG Woodson Road on Saturday, Sept. 21, at about 6:30 p.m., after the county emergency operations center received a call. The caller stated they had discovered human remains on their property. Deputies responded and, with the help of the Virginia State Police, collected the remains. The remains were transported to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond and officials are still trying to identify them. 

Sentencing postponed in Cunningham case

It’s going to be at least one more week before we find out how long Joseph Frank Cunningham will serve for his role in the death of Kevin Hartless. The sentencing hearing has been postponed until Monday, Sept. 30 for the Buckingham resident. This week marks a full year since Cunningham’s arrest in the case. 

Joseph, who admits to being the one to shoot and kill Kevin Hartless, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony at the end of May, with the judge tossing out three other charges including aggravated murder during abduction and two counts of abduction. The jury recommended a 16-year sentence for Joseph. The judge can decide to lower the sentence, but not go higher than 16 years. 

Cunningham wanted to prove his wife Jennifer was having an affair with Hartless, getting evidence to help in his divorce and the custody battle for their younger child that would follow. The affair is not in question. Both sides acknowledge the relationship between Hartless and Joseph’s wife. 

On Jan. 19, 2023, the trio spotted Jennifer and Hartless at a store in Nelson County and started following them, trailing all the way to the national forest. At that point, Carver argued, Christian blocked Hartless in with his vehicle, with a plan to take a picture of the two together. A fight broke out between Hartless and Joseph. Ronnie West, the attorney for Joseph Cunningham, has told the court that during the fight, Hartless grabbed his gun and fired it toward Joseph. Joseph, in turn, grabbed Christian’s gun from the truck and shot back, killing Hartless.

Pet Walk coming up 

Piedmont Senior Resources has another event in the works for later this fall. Now that the ducks have raced, the group is asking residents to bring their dog to Wilck’s Lake for a walk. The first annual Piedmont Senior Resources Pet Work is set for Saturday, Oct. 19. That’ll run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wilck’s Lake, with proceeds going to raise money for the Pet Love Program. That program helps supply pet food, pet supplies and fund veterinary care for pets of low-income older adults in Prince Edward, as well as Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg and Nottoway counties. 

On Oct. 19, there will be food, crafts and corporate vendors, a photo booth, a 50/50 raffle drawing, a silent auction, a pet costume contest, a group pet walk and other activities for both you and your pet. Not admission to the event itself is free, but if you want to take part in either the pet walk or costume contest, the cost will be $10 per walker per animal. All pets are welcome, however they must remain leashed at all times and owners are responsible for cleanup. 

New inductees to Hall of Fame

Hampden-Sydney College paid tribute to players and coaches from the school’s past this weekend, as the 37th class for the Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted. The group was inducted on Friday night and then honored on Saturday, during halftime of the football game against Centre College. The five honorees include a pair of Football All-Americans and three year teammates, Nash Nance and Holton Walker. Both men graduated as part of the Class of 2015. The school also paid tribute to the football program’s all-time winningest coach in Marty Favret, who retired after last season. Also inducted were former Tigers Dickie Cralle and Bill Moore, two long-time benefactors of the school and football program.