UPDATE: Jacob Pope arrested, charged with arson, child endangerment, attempted malicious wounding

On By Vaseline

UPDATE: The Albemarle Police and Fire Department released the following statement at 4:06 p.m

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VA – On Thursday, May 2, 2024 at approximately 10:39 a.m., career and volunteer units from the Albemarle County Fire Department and officers from the Albemarle County Police Department responded to the 1800 block of Secretarys Road for a domestic incident. The incident caused a car to crash into a single-family home and started a fire.

The residents of the house were evacuated safely without injuries. The single-family home is considered a total loss due to the fire damage. Four adult residents and one juvenile resident of the home were displaced by the fire.

(Image: Home struck by a motor vehicle that then caught fire, courtesy of Albemarle County Police)

Officials identified a suspect in the incident as 26-year-old Jacob A. Pope, of no fixed address, who was last seen leaving the scene on foot with a baseball bat. A search for the Pope followed in the immediate vicinity. Pope was stopped in a vehicle on westbound Interstate 64 near mile marker 121 at approximately 2:47 p.m.

Pope has been charged with three crimes:

  • Attempt to commit malicious wounding (§18.2-51)
  • Child Endangerment (18.2-371.1)
  • Arson (18.2-77)

Pope is in custody awaiting a bail hearing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the ACPD at 434-296-5807. For those who wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 434-977-4000 or [email protected].

2:28 PM UPDATE: The situation is “under control” and one lane on Secretarys Rd is now open. Police vehicles have driven away, but fire brigade units remain on site.

2:00 PM UPDATE: The man police are looking for has been identified as 26-year-old Jacob Pope.

12:45 UPDATE: CORRECTION: I am trying to determine if Secretarys Road has reopened. There was scanner traffic that they wanted to reopen, but there is no confirmation that this occurred. Heavy traffic is also seen at 511Virginia GPS at Presidents Road and Blenheim Road.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A portion of Secretarys Road in south Albemarle is closed as of about 11 a.m. this morning after a domestic incident that led to a fire call and a manhunt involving a dog and drone. It all started at 10:30 this (Thursday) morning when Albemarle Police were called to a report of a man using baseball bats to break the windows of a home at 1804 Secretarys. Two women reportedly locked themselves in a bathroom and the attacker stopped. However, a short time later, fire brigade units were called to a building fire.

They are looking for the man who is reportedly bleeding profusely from an arm after fleeing into a forest.