The search for a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who went missing last week continued Tuesday, but authorities said they do not believe he is in immediate danger.
Jonathan “Johnny” Roop was last seen Friday at his apartment complex in the Merrimack area of Montgomery County.
loop
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
Roop's phone rang in Christiansburg around 4:30 p.m., and his parents were waiting for him at their home in Abingdon just before 5 p.m., but he never showed up.
20-year-old Virginia Tech student missing
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday afternoon that investigators “continue to follow up on all leads,” according to a press release.
“However, based on preliminary investigation, it is believed he left the Montgomery County area on his own on Friday afternoon,” the release continued.
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Police believe Roop may have traveled toward southwestern Virginia or Tennessee. Video surveillance footage from local businesses and financial institutions captured the incident on a loop in the Christiansburg area, last seen around 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Jonathan “Johnny” Roop was seen on video surveillance wearing a black hoodie and tan baseball cap at a business and financial institution in Christiansburg on Friday afternoon.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
After interviewing Roop's friends and family, investigators believed his actions Friday were “not consistent with his normal pattern of behavior,” the news release continued. But police believe he was alone.
“There is no information available that would lead us to believe that he is in immediate danger,” the release states. “However, as Mr. Roop appears to be deviating from his normal behavior, we would like to reach out to him and confirm that he is indeed okay.”
Friday, Loop was driving a black 2018 Toyota Camry with Virginia license plate number TXW6643. The car has a Virginia Tech flag sticker on the back window.
Jonthan “Johnny” Roop was last seen Friday driving a black 2018 Toyota Camry with Virginia license plate number TXW6643. The car has a Virginia Tech flag sticker on the back window.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
Roop is 6 feet 3 inches tall and has blonde hair and hazel eyes. His weight is between 230 and 240 pounds.
If you have any information or saw a vehicle in the loop, please contact the County Sheriff's Office by calling 540-382-4343.
From the Archives: Old Virginia State Penitentiary
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July 1990: A cell on death row at a state prison.
P. Kevin Morley
July 1990: Life in a Cage – Prisoners' artwork hangs in the empty cells in Wing A, which was emptied by prisoners in April.
P. Kevin Morley
September 11, 1990 (cutline): Prisoners miss organized sports in the walled prison playground.
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January 11, 1990 (Cutline): Cells that held 1,200 prisoners last January now hold fewer than 600.
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January 11, 1990 (Cutline): Garbage bags hang outside the cells where prisoners spend 22 and a half hours each day.
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The southeast side of Section B has the largest inmate population and is where inmates still live. Building B faces Belvidere Street.
P. Kevin Morley
November 1, 1956 (cutline): The prison gates close and the prisoners step out into the world. The 43-year-old had just spent 21 years in prison.
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June 11, 1991: Virginia State Penitentiary
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September 19, 1958: Virginia Penitentiary Chapel
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July 1990: A steel cell without a bunk in the now empty A building.
P. Kevin Morley
The cells in the original prison, which was destroyed in 1928, were cold and damp.
Valentine
January 1960: Inmates prepare meals for 1,600 other people in a large kitchen on the first floor. They also learn trades that will help them get a job after leaving the hospital.
times dispatch
A state prison cell built in 1800 and demolished in 1928.
Valentine
August 1991: Archaeologists discover an old key while excavating the former state prison. The Ethyl Institute funded the excavation. The original building was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, who also drew the blueprints for the U.S. Capitol.
Jay Paul
November 1990: Cell
bob brown
October 1, 1948: Aerial view of the Virginia State Penitentiary.
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July 17, 1955 (cutline): The truck from which the prisoners escaped (center) was parked between two prison buses.
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January 17, 1955: Virginia State Penitentiary
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September 30, 1958 (Cutline): The Wall Where Prisoners Escaped — State Prison Warden Howard Lang points to the spot where two prisoners fell from the prison wall yesterday. Lang was guarding the men in the workroom on top of the wall. The arrow points to the security box where he was when it happened.
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July 17, 1936 (cutline): One man killed, six injured during prison break — This is the vision of a staff artist during a prison break that took place late yesterday afternoon at the state prison. Eight prisoners captured two guards, a trustee, and a truck in the prison yard, broke the road to freedom, and drove toward the gates. Guard CH Smith (arrow) stopped it with a shot from above.
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February 1975: Paintings by members of the state prison's Academy Art Club will be on display for three months beginning today in the offices of the State Commission on Arts and Humanities. The committee, located on the 12th floor of the Old State Building on Capitol Square, recently awarded a $1,000 grant to a club made up of prison inmates.
Carl Lin
July 1974: Director Ron Greenfield (right) works on the script for “Zoo Story'' with Robert Hettinger and Ray Woodhouse. These are part of the prison's theater program.
bob jones
February 1973: Making license plates is one of the prisoners' jobs.
Amir Pishdad
