NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Police say they arrested a woman on charges in connection with the body of a man found near railroad tracks in Newport News earlier this month.
On Nov. 11, Newport News Police responded to the 6000 block of Jefferson Avenue in reference to locating a “possible fugitive.” When officers arrived, they made contact with a woman identified as 39-year-old Alison Smallegan, of Newport News, sitting in the lobby.
Smallegan was taken into custody in reference to outstanding warrants stemming from a Nov. 5 incident involving a deceased person in the 500 block of Export Circle.
During that incident, officers responded to Export Circle in reference to an unconscious or unresponsive man lying near the railroad tracks.
Medics arrived and pronounced the subject deceased at the scene. He was later identified as 47-year-old James Burden Jr. of Newport News. Police say the man’s phone was also stolen. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Police say that after placing Smallegan in custody, a search before the arrest revealed a “glass stem with suspected cocaine residue inside her purse.” Police took the item into evidence.
Smallegan was arrested on outstanding warrants for grand larceny, obtaining money by false pretenses, dispose of a dead body on private property, and concealing of the dead body related to the Nov. 5 incident.
