SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A senior at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk found an insect inside a frozen, pre-packaged strawberry fruit cup that she had purchased at the school, and she said others told her they had also found insects in their fruit cups.

And while 10 On Your Side was not able to confirm the type of insect found in the fruit cup, the student said it was a nasty sight.

“I opened it, and I started eating," the student said. "I wasn't even looking down at my food as I was eating, but [when] I go to look down. I saw it in there, and I wasn't sure if it was there at first, but I realized it definitely was."

Suffolk Public Schools told 10 On Your Side in a statement that the product is a USDA prepackaged frozen strawberry cup, and it was delivered to the school Tuesday. 

In the picture you can see the small insect in her fruit cup. The student said her first thought was disbelief. 

“As I was leaving the class, a girl stopped me, and she showed me a screenshot of a maggot in another one, and she told me, 'I wouldn't eat those because there are maggots in this,'” said the senior. 

Her fruit cup only had one insect in it, but she told 10 On Your Side that was not the case for other classmates. 

“Today I actually found out before my lunchtime that one of the hall monitors was telling me how a boy had ate his almost down to the bottom," the student said. "And then when he lifted it up, it was a whole bunch on the bottom, and they were alive."

Suffolk Public Schools notified USDA representatives and pulled all the items. It said the manufacturer and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will be investigating the matter. 

Her father said it is gross, and concerning, for his daughter. 

“More than anything, it impacts her psychologically because it will make you not want to eat anything," the student's father said. "She told me she wasn't going to eat today; she did not have an appetite at all."

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) -- It's a little bit of a fixer upper, but it's getting there! The new Fire Station 11 in Suffolk is getting closer to completion.

The Suffolk Department of Fire & Rescue posted on social media an update to the buildings progress.

So far, the installation of the apparatus bay doors has begun, concrete has been poured and the drywall is finished. The ceiling grid is also finished and being painted and light fixtures are now installed. Lastly, the low voltage wiring is being installed and the pipe bollards are being set.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) —Todd Reid with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) said the new bell-to-bell cell phone ban is changing the culture in schools across the state.

Virginia Department of Education releases cell phone-free policy

"Kids are paying attention again. They're engaging each other in the cafeteria. The hallways are busy, conversations are going on," said Senior Communications Advisor, Todd Reid.

In Hampton Roads, Chief of Schools for Suffolk Public Schools, Dr. Stenette Byrd III, said he's proud of their students with how well they've adjusted to the new requirement.

"A couple of warnings during the first day. But we've had no major issues specifically at this point in the year," said Byrd. "We've had only 11 office referrals related to cell phone and cell phone use."

Byrd said they haven't suspended any children outside of the school -- and he doesn't believe it'll get to that point.

However, 10 On Your Side spoke to Zenna Nock, whose child attends Arcadia High School in Accomack County. She said officials with her school district took it too far.

Parents like cell phone ban, with reservations

"We didn't think it was going to be as extreme as it was," Nock said. "But they're not even allowed to have their phones during lunch. My daughter, she got in trouble the first time, and I got a phone call home and they sent her home. She had one day with us, and the second time she got in trouble, it was a three-day suspension," Nock explained.

Nock said her daughter had to make up the hours from those absences.

When asked about whether of not she was worried about this being on transcripts for college, Nock told 10 On Your Side's Aesia Toliver that she doesn't want colleges to get the wrong impression of her daughter.

"That's exactly my point, because she had never gotten in trouble before," Nock said. "I never had any worries. But she's going to start applying to colleges soon and I don't want them to see her record and think she's a repeat of repeated, you know, behavior student."

Byrd said it hasn't stopped their students from using technology in class.

"Some parents were just accustomed to texting their students during class time," Byrd said. "So, we say you still have access. It's just a different kind. In the high school students have Chromebooks."

Reid stated the lack of scrolling on social media has led students to admitting it's made a big difference in their mental health.

"I just get so tired dealing with it and always worrying about, you know, am I putting my best self out there and essentially competing with everybody else and paying attention to everybody else," Reid said. "That's been that's been really interesting to hear students self-reflect on that."

VDOE said it will work with its partner agencies to review the guidance's impact at the end of the 2024-2025 school-year and make any adjustments from there.

10 On Your Side contacted all of the school districts in Hampton Roads and only Suffolk Public Schools responded or would provide someone to interview.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY)-- A person has died after being struck by a train in Suffolk early Friday morning.

According to police, Suffolk Emergency Communications Center received the call from the train operator at 3:18 a.m. for the report of a person being hit by a train in the 200 block of South Saratoga Street.

Members of Suffolk Fire & Rescue attempted life-saving measures, but the pedestrian died at the scene.

Photos from the scene show a heavy police presence in the area.

Pedestrian struck by train on South Saratoga Street (WAVY photo)

Pedestrian struck by train on South Saratoga Street (WAVY photo)

Pedestrian struck by train on South Saratoga Street (WAVY photo)

Pedestrian struck by train on South Saratoga Street (WAVY photo)

A neighbor in the area told 10 On Your Side that the city needs to reevaluate safety in the area.

"It hurts me to my heart for somebody to leave this earth from being hurt from the train," the neighbor said. "It happens a lot in this city now and some of these buildings, even though we have to watch out for trains. There's a lot of buildings up on this area, in the downtown city of Suffolk. That is actually blind spots when traffic is coming across."

Multiple railroad crossings in the area of S. Saratoga Street and Hall Avenue were shut down due to this crash. All roadways in the area have since been reopened.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Suffolk Police Department or the Suffolk Crime Line.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A body was found in Suffolk on Friday afternoon that matched the description of a motorcyclist involved in a police pursuit.

On Thursday, Jan. 30, a Virginia State trooper attempted to stop a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle for speeding at approximately 6:30 p.m. The motorcyclist refused to pull over and a traffic pursuit was initiated.

The motorcyclist fled eastbound on Route 10 at a high rate of speed, passing vehicles on a double solid line. The trooper lost sight of the motorcyclist near Kings Fork Road around 6:35 p.m. and ended the pursuit.

At approximately 6:45 p.m., the driver of a 2018 Ford Explorer advised police she observed a motorcyclist in her lane of travel, eluding police. The motorcyclist sideswiped her vehicle on Goodwin Boulevard and was believed to have continued on Route 10.

The driver of the Ford explorer was uninjured.

The trooper along with Suffolk police canvased the area for the fleeing motorist.

On Friday, Jan. 31, Suffolk police notified state police that a body had been found at 4120 Goodwin Boulevard at approximately 12:40 p.m. The body matched the description of the motorcyclist who fled Thursday evening. The unidentified body was found approximately 25 feet from the roadway and down a 40-foot ravine covered in brush.

A WAVY viewer provided these images he said were of the motorcycle being pulled out of the ravine.

Police continue to investigate.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Six dead horses were found, and 22 more horses showed signs of neglect following an investigation in Suffolk, police said Tuesday, with residents saying they've shared their concerns about them numerous times.

Suffolk Police’s Animal Control Division launched an investigation Sunday following allegations of animal neglect in the 1200 block of Buckhorn Drive, and multiple search warrants were obtained and executed at the property and other nearby locations, all of them owned by the same people, according to police.

Previously: Horse in Suffolk photographed with ribs showing has been euthanized, officials say

During their investigation, officers found several horses on the property, including the 22 suspected of neglect and six other horses that were dead and in varying states of decomposition. Police said the dead horses have been taken to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for necropsy.

On Wednesday, more than five horses were still on the property on Buckhorn Drive, many with their ribs showing and covered in mud. 

“I guess whoever owned them thought it was OK for the horses to live like this," said one woman who has reported the property multiple times and asked to remain anonymous. "I mean, right out in public for everybody to see, so thank God there’s something being done now."

While 10 On Your Side was at the property, multiple people driving by stopped to say they had reported the property many times, with one viewer saying she called the barn more than 10 times over the years. One person gave us a thumbs up, and another said she was glad change was coming. 

“I reported to the Suffolk Humane Society twice," the woman said. "I reported how these horses were living in deplorable conditions."

There is hope for the future of these horses.

Suffolk Animal Control was at the property Wednesday with hay, and a nonprofit is ready to help. Circle A Home for Horses rehabilitates horses in Virginia Beach, and its executive director said she is ready to hook up the trailer and go get them. 

“So we have empty stalls, and I've already told the person who's sort of organizing it, and the animal control chief knows that we're ready to take some of their severe cases," said Alicia Mahar, Circle A Home for Horses founder and executive director. "We just have to hook up and head out that way."

Suffolk Police are working with the state veterinarian and an independent licensed veterinarian to assess and treat all the horses on the property, and the Suffolk General District Court has ordered that the remaining 22 horses be impounded.

Police said the transportation of the horses began on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and that the horses are being relocated to several undisclosed rescue organizations and shelters throughout Virginia.

10 On Your Side reached out to Suffolk Police about a timeline and was told it is an active and ongoing investigation. The city of Suffolk confirmed that no one has been charged at this time. 

The Suffolk Animal Control Division, in coordination with the city’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, is leading the investigation.