Former Teen Venture Executive Director charged in Tazewell County

TAZEWELL, VA (WVNS) — The former Executive Director of the Teen Venture in Richlands was charged with multiple crimes in Tazewell County.

Ann Marie Burks, the former Executive Director of the Teen Venture in the Richlands area of Tazewell County, was charged with two counts of Distribution of a Schedule I/II Narcotic, two Forgery, one count of Conspiracy, one count of Receiving Money/Property by False Pretenses, and one count of Misdemeanor Receiving Money/Property by False Pretenses.

Burks was charged after members of the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office and the Tazewell County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office spent hundreds of hours on an investigation.

This has been a very important case for the Richlands Community. There is still work to be done and Mrs. Burks is innocent until proven guilty in court. We are very confident of these charges and will vigorously prosecute them.

Jessica Gunter | Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney

Our agency was asked by Chief Ron Holt of Richlands Police Department to take the lead on this investigation as his agency may have had a conflict. We jumped into this and have aggressively followed every lead traveling to Tennessee and various banking institutions to ensure we presented the best case possible. There have been countless hours put in to investigating this case and we couldn’t be prouder of the work our Detectives have put in on this case.

Major Harold Heatley | Chief Deputy of the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office

Burks was arrested on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Chesterfield County by the Chesterfield County Police Department. She was held without bond at the Chesterfield County Jail, and will be given a future arraignment date

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