Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 18, 1994 TAG: 9405180098
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FINCASTLE LENGTH: Medium
Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Hagan on Tuesday confirmed that a Virginia State Police probe into the death of Brian W. Andrews is continuing.
Police contend that Andrews was riding in a car driven by Charles Travis Shelor on the night he died.
Shelor, whose driver's license was suspended for three years after his second DUI conviction in December 1992, has denied he was driving the car.
Court records show that Kirk Lancaster, a passenger, told state police that Shelor was driving at high speed just past midnight on May 1 when the car ran off Virginia 606, struck several trees and overturned.
Police found about eight 12-ounce beer bottles at the scene. Shelor told police that he had been drinking so much earlier in the evening that he could hardly walk, according to court records.
Shelor, 23, further told police that Roanoke Memorial Hospital personnel told him his blood-alcohol level was 21/2 times the legal limit for intoxication when he was brought there following the accident.
State Trooper Steve Oliver has obtained a search warrant to gain access to Shelor's medical records.
While the search warrant affidavit indicates that police are looking at a possible involuntary manslaughter charge, Hagan says he is maintaining all his options, including a possible murder charge.
He defined the state police probe as a "homicide" investigation.
It is not the first time that Shelor has been at the center of a well-publicized case involving allegations of drinking and driving.
In October 1990 he was arrested on a drunken-driving charge after his car ran off the road and struck a house in the 8000 block of Willow Creek Drive in Roanoke County.
The crash battered down the bedroom wall where a 9-year-old girl had just gone to bed and sent her television flying across her room. Police estimated damage to the house at $15,000.
The girl's mother, contacted Tuesday at home, said the crash has had a prolonged impact on the girl, who couldn't sleep for a long time and sought counseling.
Shelor was ordered to pay $700 in restitution and ordered to participate in an alcohol counseling program.
According to court records, Shelor was referred to Mount Regis Center, where he was found eligible for intensive outpatient treatment as well as individual counseling.
But after he successfully completed the requirement set forth by the court in March 1992, he was arrested again five months later for drunken driving in Botetourt County.
Court records show that his blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit for intoxication. He pleaded guilty to that charge in December 1992, was fined $500 and was sentenced to six months in jail, with all but two days suspended. His driver's license was suspended for three years.
\ Shelor's record\ Previous drinking and driving offenses
Dec. 22, 1992
Convicted of driving under the influence in Botetourt County after his blood-alcohol content was found to be more than two times the legal limit for intoxication.
Sept. 12, 1991
Convicted of possessing alcohol while under the age of 21 in Botetourt County.
Dec. 3, 1990
Convicted of driving under the influence in Roanoke County after crashing into a house near a bedroom containing a child.
Sept. 18, 1990
Involved in a wreck in Roanoke County resulting in property damage.
Sept. 7, 1990
Convicted in Roanoke General District Court of speeding.
April 25, 1990
Convicted in Roanoke County General District Court of speeding.
Jan. 21, 1990
Involved in an accident in Roanoke County resulting in an injury.
by CNB