CrimeTimes fast becoming hottest read on the street

Its popularity begs a question.

“The biggest reaction we get is ‘Where can they buy one?’” said Shenandoah’s CrimeTimes publisher Brad McMurray.

The weekly publication featuring the names and mug shots of people recently arrested and booked into jails throughout the region first hit Fauquier stores this summer.

McMurray didn’t say how many outlets now carry it, but the latest edition, which costs $1, was readily available at Nick’s Deli on West Shirley Avenue in Warrenton late last week.

By Tuesday, the stack of copies was completely gone, however.

The tabloid-style publication is a hot item at local bars where patrons peruse issues looking for people they know.

While that speaks volumes, the clerk at the little shop said he couldn’t comment on the publication’s popularity.

McMurray has no such qualms.

Based on demand, he said the family-operated publishing group plans on “carrying as much as Virginia as possible.”

“Currently, we are working on distribution in the D.C. metro and Richmond areas,” he said.

There are also plans to expand outside of Virginia, but McMurray takes the fifth when asked for specifics.

“My lips are sealed as to where,” he said.

Ironically, an out-of-state publication called “Just Busted” prompted McMurray’s family to launch a similar publication here.

Brad McMurray and his father helped his cousin and uncle open up their territory which spans an area “from Wyth County to Lynchburg.”

McMurray and his father started their own operation after that. CrimeTimes now covers 30 counties.

“We get the information by making the Freedom of Information Act requests from each agency and paying a variable fee for the information,” said McMurray.

The last October edition includes the names and mug shots of 24 people arrested or booked into the Fauquier County Adult Detention Center Oct. 10-16.

There are also mug shots from the Northwestern Regional Jail in Winchester, Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office and Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

The publication also includes regional crime statistics, lists “wanted sex offenders,” and other “most wanted” suspects from various jurisdictions.

Each page carries the disclaimer noting that all of those included are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

In a recent edition, an additional disclaimer appears on the bottom of page 12.

“The mission of this publication is to get into the hands of citizens information that can increase public awareness, education, law enforcement safety and support,” it states. “We have no intention of making fun of people or putting them in embarrassing categories.”