Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 24, 1994                   TAG: 9407260013
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN VIRGINIA

PETERSBURG - Kenneth Leftwich plans to keep his seat on City Council for now, despite an indictment last week for insurance embezzlement, an accusation he blamed in part on politics.

``Politics is a dirty business,'' Leftwich said Friday. He declined to elaborate, saying his attorneys had advised him not to comment. ``I wish I could tell you more,'' he said.

A Petersburg Circuit Court grand jury on Thursday indicted Leftwich, 44, on one count of embezzlement and two counts each of forgery and passing forged material.

Authorities allege the councilman took nearly $45,000 from Equitable Variable Life Insurance Co. in 1989. The money was reportedly missing from a policyholder's account entrusted to Leftwich.

Mayor Rosalyn Dance said the alleged incident occurred before Leftwich's 1992 election to council and did not involve the city.

``He's got some issues to deal with,'' she said. ``I wish him well and hope people will allow the justice system to take its own natural course.''

Even if convicted, Leftwich is allowed to keep his seat on council until he exhausts all appeals.

He is free on $5,000 bond and is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday.

Police said Leftwich, a former account executive for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia, has been unemployed for several months. He is paid $6,500 a year for serving on council.

- Associated Press

Garbageman finds body in city dump

NEWPORT NEWS - A garbageman found a body in the city dump when he spotted a pair of hands in a pile of debris, police said.

The body of Jimmy Williams, 43, of Newport News was apparently in a large trash bin that was unloaded into a commercial trash truck early Friday, said police spokesman Bill Roth.

A city sanitation worker found the body shortly after a BFI truck dumped its compacted load about 7 a.m., Roth said. The BFI truck was one of three that had dumped their loads immediately after the landfill opened for the day.

Hampered by dozens of squawking sea gulls hovering over the site, police spent nearly three hours recovering the body.

Police declined to comment on the condition of the body, which was sent to the medical examiner in Norfolk for an autopsy. The cause of death has not been determined.

- Associated Press

RF&P Corp. plans house development

STAFFORD - RF&P Corp. is planning a 445-acre development in Stafford County that would include nearly 1,000 homes and town houses.

The Richmond-based developer calls the project Walnut Farms. The development would be near the Leeland Road rail station, a stop for the Virginia Railway Express, which carries commuters to Northern Virginia and Washington.

RF&P Corp., which developed Crystal City and Potomac Yard, wants to build 694 single-family homes and 297 town houses or apartments in about 20 neighborhoods.

The developer's plan, filed Friday, includes five acres that would be designated for retail uses and commercial offices. The proposed Walnut Farms site is zoned for light industrial uses.

The plan for Walnut Farms includes a 20-acre natural park, a lake, nature trails and picnic areas. A separate athletic complex also is planned.

In an effort to balance the economic impact on the county, RF&P Corp. has proposed to market and develop off-site projects aimed at producing $10 million in new commercial development for Stafford.

- Associated Press