Bear herded away from Ashland homes

A bear seen wandering around Ashland was herded by town police officers toward an unpopulated area on the northern edge of town yesterday afternoon, Lt. James Shelhorse said.

It was last seen headed north crossing Archie Cannon Drive near John M. Gandy Elementary School, Shelhorse said.

Earlier yesterday, Maurice J. Kiely, assistant director of campus safety at Randolph-Macon College, e-mailed the campus community about a "medium-sized black bear" that was seen in the vicinity of the campus.

The Ashland Police Department, Hanover County Sheriff's Office and Hanover Animal Control "are in the area and are actively searching for the animal in order to attempt to relocate it," he wrote.

It was last seen behind the Copley Science Center, he said.

Anne Marie Lauranzon, R-MC director of marketing and communications, said she was in a car when she saw the bear yesterday along Archie Cannon Drive near campus.

On Thursday night, Ashland police asked residents to stay inside because a bear had been spotted in a residential section of downtown near the railroad tracks.

Yesterday about 11 a.m., a bear was seen again in the same area, and it ran along England Street past the Ashland Police Department and moved through several yards and over fences, Shelhorse said.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .