UPDATED 2:42 pm: Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves has been indicted on 22 federal charges, including conspiracy and money laundering, some of which are linked to a cockfighting operation. (MORE)

ORIGINAL POST: A spokesman with the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia has confirmed that Sheriff Daniel W. Presgraves was arrested today by federal agents and is being held in Charlottesville. A press conference is scheduled for 2:00 pm in Charlottesville.

Background from the official website of the Sheriff, pagesheriff.com:

BIOGRAPHY:

Sheriff Presgraves is a lifelong resident of Page County. He graduated from Luray High School in 1980. He began his career in law enforcement with the Luray Police Department in 1983 as a patrolman. After working for the Luray Police Department  for about two and a half years, he obtained a position as a Special Agent with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC) Board, where he worked for fourteen and a half years before being elected Sheriff of Page County..

The position as a Special Agent with the Virginia ABC Board afforded many great opportunities to Sheriff Presgraves. While working for the agency, he received over 1,000 hours of training on a vast number of issues relating to law enforcement. He also served on a number of task forces aimed at reducing and preventing the trafficking of illegal drugs into and throughout Virginia.

While employment with the Virginia ABC Board provided great educational and career opportunities in law enforcement, it also gave Sheriff Presgraves another great opportunity. Working throughout our great Commonwealth, he was able to observe a great number of other law enforcement agencies and interact with law enforcement professionals across the state. The information that he was able to gather through observation and interaction led him to develop ideas of how to improve the services provided to citizens of Page County by its Sheriff’s Office.

Since taking office on January 1, 2000, Sheriff Presgraves has used and built upon the knowledge and ideas he gained in his prior years of experience. Most importantly, he believes that the true key to a safe community lies in developing partnerships between law enforcement and other community agencies and citizens. This strong belief provides the basic framework for the model that the Page County Sheriff’s Office strives to follow. It was also instrumental in developing the motto of the office:

“Making a Difference Together”

Honors the site lists for Sheriff Presgraves:

2003

* Appointed to Alcohol Safety Action Program Policy Board

* Appointed to Old Dominion Criminal Justice Board

* Nominated for National Sheriff of the Year Award by Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore

* Elected Chairman of the Board of Directors, Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Center

2004

* Honored by Luray VFW Post 621 at Loyalty Day celebration for Dedication and Commitment to Page County

2005

* Elected by peers to serve on the Virginia Sheriffs Association Board of Directors

* Elected President of Luray Rotary Club

2006

* Named Page County Citizen of the Year

* Received College Medallion of Recognition Award from Lord Fairfax Community College

* Presented Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging Outstanding Service Award

* Elected Treasurer of the Virginia Sheriff’s Association

* Luray Rotary Club – Paul Harris Fellow recipient