Big Rose Hill police raid results in small possession charge, Esmont elders speak

"This one road supported itself," said Karl Bolden, who grew up in Esmont along Porters Road in the 1960s. "I didn't see poor people here. If somebody needed help, somebody helped."

From CBS19 coverage of Rose Hill 3A Regional Drug and Gang Task Force raid on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the 3A Regional Drug and Gang Task Force, which combines the resources of the Virginia State Police, the DEA, and local law enforcement raided a house in the city’s Rose Hill neighborhood, complete with an armored vehicle and officers in tactical gear, and arrested Shena Marie Bowers, a 55-year old woman with a history of drug possession charges who avoided a three-year sentence in 2020 by accepting treatment and supervision though the city's Drug Court Program. According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Daily Progress, Bowers was arrested for having "a small baggie of a white powder substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.” Apparently, the 3A Task Force believed they were going to find evidence of a larger-scale drug distribution operation. It’s unclear why that didn’t end up being the case.

Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis immediately characterized the…