Michael Copley

Thinking he’d been duped, customer allegedly ransacked local business
A Chester man has been charged with destruction of property after police say he took out his frustration on a business he thought had cheated him.

Matthew Wayne Mayo was arrested Sept. 2, charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony and destruction of property exceeding $1,000.

Detective Jason Tackett of the Powhatan Sheriff’s Office said Mayo allegedly broke into Avalon Auto Sales after the car dealership mishandled the transferal of vehicle tags on a car purchase Mayo made in early September. 

Mayo reportedly tried to contact Avalon Auto Sales after he was stopped for having the wrong tags on his new vehicle, but the business had evacuated the building. Unable contact management, Mayo drove from his home in Chester to the Powhatan car dealership.

Frustrated by the slight, Mayo allegedly ransacked the building, one actually owned by a third party.

Tackett said the front windows were knocked out and a neighbor reported seeing objects fly out of the windows just before a heavyset man exited the building and left on a motorcycle.
That same morning a woman had called the Powhatan Sheriff’s dispatcher and asked for information on Avalon Auto Sales. She said a family member had gone there earlier in the day.
“The dispatcher put it all together,” said Tackett. “It made our job a lot easier.”

With the dispatcher’s leg work, deputies found the motorcycle and Mayo at the residence in Chester.

He has admitted to being at Avalon Auto Sales the morning of the break in but denied any involvement.

Szenasy murder case continued to December
Randolph Szenasy, 54, was in Powhatan General District Court Oct 7, charged with the murder of Earl David McCoy, 48.
McCoy was Szenasy’s brother-in-law. 
The case was continued until Dec. 5.