Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office

08/17/2026

SCHOOL IS IN SESSION — SLOW DOWN AND STAY ALERT

We’re a few days in, and the first full week of school is here. That means more students at bus stops, more buses on the roads, and more families settling into new routines.

Watch for school buses and flashing lights.
Be alert for students walking and crossing streets.
Expect a little extra traffic and give yourself more time.

Most importantly — slow down.

A few extra minutes of patience can make all the difference.

Thank you for helping us keep our students, staff, bus drivers, and families safe.

08/12/2026

BACK TO SCHOOL — SAFETY FIRST!

As Fluvanna County students head back to school, the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind everyone that keeping our students safe is a community effort.

Please remember to:
🟡 Slow down and expect delays, especially during the first few weeks of school.
🚌 **STOP for school buses** when the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended.
👀 Stay alert for children at bus stops, crosswalks, and in school zones.
🚸 Give students plenty of space and time to cross safely.
🚗 Be patient and follow school drop-off and pick-up procedures.
💙 Show a little extra patience and kindness as everyone settles into a new routine.

Drivers, parents, students, school staff, and law enforcement all play a part in making the school year safe and successful.

From all of us at the **Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office**, we wish our students, teachers, staff, and families a safe and GREAT school year! ✏️🍎

Slow down. Stay alert. Keep our kids safe!

08/08/2026

🎒📚 Come see us at the Back to School Bash! 🚔

The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office is set up and ready to see you at today’s Fluvanna County Public Schools Back to School Bash!
There’s plenty of fun for the whole family, so stop by our tent, say hello, and grab some goodies while you’re here!!!

📍 Fluvanna County High School

⏰ We’ll be here until 3 PM!
We hope to see you soon! 👋🚔

08/05/2026

07/29/2026

As a reminder, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will begin the planned closure of Route 600 (South Boston Road) tomorrow evening, July 30. The closure between just south of Lake Monticello Road and River Ridge Drive marks the start of VDOT's intersection improvement project at the intersection of South Boston Road and Lake Monticello Road.

According to VDOT, the closure is expected to remain in place through April 2027. Posted regional and local detours will be in effect throughout the construction.

The Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office reminds motorists that the Lake Monticello community, including Jefferson Drive, is not a designated detour route. Access through the Lake Monticello gates will remain limited to property owners with valid barcode access and registered guests only. Please do not attempt to use the community as a shortcut around the closure.

For project updates, detour information, or construction questions, please contact VDOT or visit the VDOT Culpeper District News Releases page: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/about/districts/

Please plan ahead, follow the posted detour routes, be courteous to your fellow motorists, and allow additional travel time.

07/27/2026

BE ON THE LOOKOUT – ENDANGERED MISSING ELDERLY WOMAN

The Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in locating Shirley, an elderly woman who walked away from her residence this afternoon.

She was last seen on security camera at approximately 1:43 p.m. leaving her property on foot in the area of Shores Road and Cunningham Road in the southern end of Fluvanna County. A white female seen wearing a light blue shirt, blue jeans, and blue sneakers.

Because of her age, there is concern that Shirley may be confused or disoriented and may not know how to find her way home.
If you live in the area, please take a few moments to check your property, including garages, sheds, barns, or other outbuildings where someone may seek shelter. We also ask that you review any home security or doorbell camera footage that may have captured her.

If you have seen Shirley or have any information that could assist deputies in locating her, please contact the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office immediately at (434) 589-8211.

Please share this post to help us bring Shirley home safely.

***Update*** ***Still Missing*** ***Update***

Please see attached photo of Shirley in the outfit she was last seen wearing earlier today.

***Update*** ***Still Missing*** ***Update***

The missing person incident is still active and ongoing in the area of Shores Road.

Fire, Rescue, Law Enforcement and Search Teams will continue working through the night on foot and on UTV’s. Please continue to monitor areas on your property that a person could become entangled or trapped, or where they may take shelter.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

***Update*** ***Update***

***Community Message***

The search for 87-year-old Shirley Smyers remains active. Law-enforcement, fire and rescue personnel, and multiple K-9 teams continue to conduct a coordinated and methodical search in the area where Shirley was last seen. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is also coordinating additional resources and specialized search assets from across the Commonwealth to support this ongoing effort.

If you live on Shores Road or in the immediate surrounding area, we ask that you please take a few moments to thoroughly check your property, including garages, sheds, barns, crawl spaces, and any other outbuildings where someone may have sought shelter. If you have home security cameras or doorbell cameras, please review your footage for any sign of Shirley or her direction of travel.

We are incredibly grateful for the community's concern and willingness to help. At this time, however, we ask that the public not self-deploy into the search area. Trained search teams are working from established search plans, and unknown individuals entering the area can unintentionally interfere with those efforts. In particular, K-9 teams rely on undisturbed scent, and unnecessary foot traffic can compromise their ability to accurately track Shirley's movements. Unauthorized drones can also interfere with both ground and aerial search operations.

The best way to assist at this time is to remain vigilant, check your own property, review any available security camera footage, and report any information—no matter how small it may seem—to the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office.

If you have information regarding Shirley's whereabouts, please contact the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office immediately at (434) 589-8211.

We sincerely appreciate the tremendous support from our community and the many local, regional, and state public safety partners assisting in this search. Please continue to share this post. Every additional set of eyes increases the likelihood of bringing Shirley home safely

***Update*** ***Update***

***Community Message***

7/28/2026 -1645 Hours

The Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office would like to thank everyone who assisted during the search for Shirley Smyers.

The search efforts have now concluded, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from our community over the past 24 hours.

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the members of Fluvanna County Fire & Rescue, our volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for coordinating resources and specialized search assets from across the Commonwealth, our neighboring law enforcement and fire & rescue agencies, K-9 teams, and the many responders who worked tirelessly throughout this operation.

We also want to thank the local businesses, The Light Academy, and community members who provided food, water, and other support to our personnel during the search. Your generosity and kindness were greatly appreciated.

Finally, thank you to everyone who shared our posts, checked their property, reviewed security camera footage, and provided information to personnel. The support from this community was truly extraordinary and reflects the very best of Fluvanna County.

On behalf of the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office, thank you to everyone who played a role in this search.

07/23/2026

Congratulations to our own Communications Director, Michael Grandstaff, on being named Region 3 Member-at-Large for the Emergency Communications Leadership Alliance of Virginia (ECLAV)!

Michael's appointment is a well-deserved recognition of his outstanding leadership, professionalism, and dedication to the emergency communications profession. We are incredibly fortunate to have him as part of the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office family, and while we believe that he may be impossible to replace, we're proud to share his expertise with emergency communications leaders across the Commonwealth.

Congratulations, Michael, on this outstanding achievement!

Meet the Board of Directors!

Region 3 Member at Large, Michael Grandstaff!

Director Grandstaff began his career at the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office in September of 2008 as a Communications Officer. He progressed through the ranks in the Communications Center serving as CTO and Communications Supervisor prior to being promoted to Director in 2016. He now oversees the Communications and Technology Division and the County Public Safety Radio System. Grandstaff is a founding member and the current leader of the agencies Tactical Dispatch Team.

Grandstaff holds an associate degree from PVCC in Information Technology and is certified by the Department of Criminal Justice as a Communications Officer and General Instructor. He is certified by APCO as a Communications Center Manager and in Disaster Operations in the Communications Center. Grandstaff is also a volunteer fire officer in a neighboring jurisdiction where he holds multiple VDFP certifications including FFI&II, Fire Officer I&II, and Fire Instructor I&II just to name a few. He is currently certified as an EMT-B by VDH and holds many FEMA ICS certifications including ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800, and as a COM-L (Communications Unit Leader).

Grandstaff has lived in the Scottsville area all his life and is very active in the community. In his time off he enjoys spending time with family. He and his wife Julie spend lots of time doing home improvement projects and enjoy traveling.

07/15/2026

Please see the VDOT link below for information regarding upcoming road work outside of Lake Monticello. This work will begin July 30, 2026. Please notice the yellow and green detours highlighted on the map below as well. Drive safe!

https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/news-events/news/culpeper-district/portion-of-south-boston-road-to-close-beginning-july-30-in-fluvanna.php

07/11/2026

Following a three-day jury trial, Brando Clifton Carter and Bryan Lee Watkins were convicted of multiple felony offenses stemming from the August 28, 2025, targeted violent attack in Fluvanna County.

We thank the Fluvanna County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, our regional law enforcement partners, and our community members for their commitment to justice.

Read the full press release below.