NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A man accused in the dragging death of Newport News Police Officer Katherine “Katie” Thyne claims that he's “deeply regretful” for what happened.
But he also said his family has endured “malicious" verbal attacks since the officer was killed in Newport News last month.
Vernon E. Green II provided a written statement to the Daily Press. He told the newspaper last week that he was “deeply regretful, sympathetic and remorseful." But he did not elaborate on the deadly incident or explain why police say that he drove off while two officers were ordering him from his car during an arrest.
According to the department, at 6:47 p.m., on January 23, Thyne conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1400 block of 16th Street.
At some point during the encounter, the driver accelerated, dragging Thyne. The vehicle fled the scene and crashed nearby in the area of 16th Street and Walnut Avenue.
The driver, Vernon Green, was taken into custody after the crash. The vehicle's front-seat passenger Ivy Runnels, was also arrested.
On February 7, Runnels was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. Her next court date is set for February 29.
