Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Injuries described as non-life-threatening at fire in office park. Two taken to hospital, one taken to burn center.
Firefighters were called out to a Lorton business park at 10440 Furnace Road for a fire reported at about 11 a.m. today, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. Three reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the fire, said Dan Schmidt, spokesman for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. The injuries were minor. Two were sent to the hospital and one person was sent to a burn unit. The fire was reported after an air-handling system malfunctioned in the building, fire officials said. “The sprinklers in the building activated and we responded to make sure the fire was out,” Schmidt said. The fire was extinguished, but firefighters remained on scene to do some ventilation in the area. The building is part of a larger …
38.674924
-77.240354
10440 Furnace Rd, Lorton, VA
/articles/three-injured-in-lorton-fire
/locations/7032647
Sunday, May 13, 2012
A cocaine ring, school security cameras and more in the news this week across Fairfax County.
Here’s a look at some of the top Patch stories of the past week from across southern Fairfax County and a look at what’s coming up: Cocaine Ring More than two dozen people from Northern Virginia were arrested in connection with a Honduran cocaine ring. According to case documents, those charged — largely Honduran immigrants who have lived in Northern Virginia for the past seven years — hired couriers to smuggle cocaine to the United States, usually through wooden shoes or picture frames. In other crime news, police arrested Gloria Alfreda McMillan and charged her with a felony hit and run that resulted in the death of 21-year-old Shelinda Delores Arrington earlier in May on Harrison Lane in the Groveton area. School Security Cameras The …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Group allegedly smuggled cocaine into Northern Virginia, wired money to South America
Two Springfield residents have been arrested as allegedly participants in a cocaine ring that smuggled the drug into Northern Virginia, distributed it across the East Coast and then wired more than $1 million back to suppliers in Honduras over several years. Twenty-eight people were charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine in connection with the case, officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations announced Wednesday. The charge carries a minimum mandatory of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Peter Carr said. Joel Lopez, 41, and Gloria Elena Olivia Castro, 25, both of Springfield, Va., were arrested by law …
Judge says Fairfax officer had no reason to pull Babbitt over
A Fairfax City judge dismissed charges against the former Federal Aviation Administration chief Thursday, according to The Washington Post. The Post reports: Fairfax City General District Court Judge Ian O’Flaherty dropped the case after watching video of the Fairfax City traffic stop. In it, former FAA chief Randy Babbitt made a left hand turn off of southbound Lee Highway. "In the process, Babbitt crossed double yellow lines and a northbound lane, but he did not drive on the wrong side of the road as Fairfax City Officer Mike Morris alleged in the criminal complaint." The judge also considered a breathalyzer reading of .007, just under the state's legal limit. He did not consider later breathalyzer results that put Babbitt over the legal…
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Kits mistaken for kittens, SUV assault, Super Moon and more.
Here’s a look at some of the top Patch stories of the past week from across southern Fairfax County and a look at what’s coming up: Those Aren’t Kittens… A Fort Hunt family rescued what they thought were very young kittens from under their backyard shed. When they brought them to a local park on a nice spring day a few weeks later, a park ranger spotted them—and said they weren’t kittens. Find out what they were in the story here. Crime This past week had a lot of police-related news across southern Fairfax County: Monday, a passenger in a taxi from Prince William County overtook the driver, stole the vehicle and crashed it in Lorton. On Friday, 21-year-old Shelinda Arrington was killed in what police believe may have been an assault …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Ashlie Mae O'Brien was reported missing on Friday, April 27.
UPDATE: The 12 year-old girl who was missing from the Mount Vernon area last Friday is with a family member, according to a news release issued this afternoon by the Fairfax County Police Department. "Police have determined that Ashlie O’Brien is in the custody of a family member," the release notes. "The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been placed at this time." Police note there are a "serious set of complex, confidential custodial issues involved in this case." --- Police are looking for a 12-year-old girl who was reported missing Friday, April 27, in the Mount Vernon area. Ashlie Mae O’Brien told her guardians she was going to see a friend when she left the 8000 block of Oak Leaf Drive around 4 p.m. She never arrived at …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Police chief says drones will monitor traffic.
Unmanned aerial drones could soon be flying over Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County Police Department Chief David Rohrer, WTOP reports. "Drones will certainly have a purpose and a reason to be in this region in the next coming years," Rohrer said Monday on WTOP. Rohrer was appearing on the station's "Ask the Chief" show. Rohrer said the drones could be used to monitor traffic conditions and backups on area roadways. The Federal Aviation Administration recently released a list of organizations that are authorized to use drones. In Virginia, some government agencies based in the state and Virginia Tech have received drone certificates, though the list does not include information about where the drones are flying. In February, …
38.78171
-77.14782
Fairfax County Police Department - Franconia District Station
6121 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA
/articles/drones-could-be-coming-to-fairfax-county
1733337
/locations/6913696
Incident occurred early Monday morning.
The driver of a stolen Prince William County taxicab was arrested early Monday morning after a police chase that ended in a crash in the area of Ox Road and Palmer Drive. The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. and the suspect allegedly crashed into another driver and caused minor injuries. The suspect, Margarito Avalar Escobar, 29, hailed a cab in Woodbridge. Prince William County Police Public Information Officer Jonathan Perok said the cab was stopped at a traffic light in the area of Prince William Parkway and York Drive when Escobar allegedly assaulted the cab driver. Escobar, from Chantilly, allegedly ordered the driver ouf of the taxi and got into the driver's seat and drove away, Perok said. "Police were able to use the cab’s …
38.71452
-77.26397
Ox Rd & Palmer Dr, Lorton, VA
/articles/man-steals-prince-william-cab-crashes-after-police-chase-in-lorton-e1c84c8e
/locations/6906547
Friday, April 27, 2012
Officers will help parents check the security and stability of their infant, toddler and child car safety seats.
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department will provide free child safety seat inspections in Fairfax this Saturday. Officers will help parents make certain that child safety seats fit properly into vehicle seats and that children fit properly into their safety seats. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their children. According to a release from the sheriff’s department, Virginia law dictates that all children up to 8 years of age must ride in a child restraint device. This includes booster seats. Furthermore, rear-facing infant safety seats must be put in a vehicle’s back seat. It can only be placed in the front seat if a vehicle does not have a back seat, and if the front passenger seat is without an airbag or has had its airbag…
38.845938
-77.310369
10550 Page Ave, Fairfax, VA
/articles/free-car-safety-seat-inspections-from-sheriff-s-department-saturday
/locations/6890038
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Justin Strom has been charged with seven counts of sex trafficking of a child and is an alleged member of the Underground Gangster Crips.
Lorton resident Justin Strom has been indicted by a federal grand jury in a case involving a local gang and the recruitment of high school girls for prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Strom, 26, has been charged with: “conspiracy, seven counts of sex trafficking of a child, and two counts of transporting a minor across state lines for purposes of engaging in commercial sex acts,” according to a press release. Court records state that Strom and members of the conspiracy allegedly advertised their victims through online sites including Craigslist.org and Backpage.com. Conspirators also allegedly provided “in-call” service to clients, allowing clients to use the basement of a townhome …
Beth Lawton
3:24 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Sorry we weren't able to get out there! I'm glad it was so successful. You (or any community member!) can post an announcement on our site with photos at any time, and we love getting contributions from the community. Just click on 'announcements' above and then on 'click an announcement' to the right. Thanks! more ›