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Police & Fire

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Franconia District Commander: No Groper Incident in Springfield Since Community Meeting

Captain Jim Baumstark spoke with members of the Citizen Advisory Committee at their monthly meeting Wednesday evening.

At Wednesday's Citizen Advisory Committee meeting, Captain Jim Baumstark — commander for the Franconia District Police Station — said there have been no reports of serial groper incidents in the greater Springfield area since the community meeting in March. Baumstark said this does not include the incident that happened in Kingstowne in late March, which he emphasized once again is unlike the serial groper's M.O. in the Springfield incidents. Police are still actively looking for the suspect in the 24 incidents reported since early September. Multiple patrol units are still focusing on the areas where incidents have occurred in Springfield. Baumstark said they are also still investigating the cases of a possible copycat in Lorton. For …

Monday, May 13, 2013

Lorton Arrests: Assaulting a Family Member, Driving Without a License and Failing to Appear in Court

Here's the weekly arrest report.

A 20-year-old Lortoner living in the 8100 block of American Holly Road was arrested for assaulting a family member and obstruction of justice with threats of force on May 3, 2013.                                                                                            The following list of arrests in the Lorton and Fairfax Station-areas has been provided by the Fairfax County Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction:  Look at the clock. It's time to follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Weird News: Sinkholes, Mouse Droppings, Police Chases, Hating Mother's Day and Loving Kate Middleton

It's time for this week's roundup of the region's wackiest news.

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that something weird isn't happening in at least one of them. Here's a look back at some weird goings on over the past week. Weird Virginia/DC usually runs on Patch sites every Saturday.  Everyone knows that Northern Virginia and DC traffic is notoriously bad. Add a sinkhole to the mix, and you've got problems. That's what happened in Reston this week when motorists on Lawyers Road near Steeplechase were detoured, as a 10-foot sinkhole showed itself. Fairfax Water and road crews patched the spot by the evening rush hour, and thankfully no one was injured by the giant hole in the road. We realize everybody hates traffic, but somebody out there also hates Mother's …

Lela Tucker

2:18 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I used to work in a lot of different restaurants/bars (chinese, american, biergarten, etc.) Trust me, you've eaten A LOT worse.   more ›

Friday, May 10, 2013

Update: No One Charged in Monday Morning Incident in Lorton

Two suspects ran from police at a traffic stop, one was caught.

The driver who was arrested in Lorton on the early morning of Monday, May 6, was held briefly but was not charged. The identity of the driver and a description of a second suspect who eluded police was also not released.  "The case is ongoing and anything I say at this point could compromise the investigation," wrote Fairfax County Police spokesman officer Bud Walker in an email to Patch. "The only thing I can say is that there is no public safety threat to that neighborhood and residents have no need to be concerned." Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!  At around 1:10 a.m., Fairfax County Police pulled a car over in the area of Silverbrook and Lorton Roads and the driver and passenger parked, got out of the car and fled from police on …

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Frank Stecco Among Fallen Officers to be Honored Thursday

Six Fairfax County Police officers will be recognized for their service.

Second Lieutenant Frank Stecco, who drowned in a training accident at Lorton's Pohick Bay Regional Park in 2008, will be honored along with five other fallen Fairfax County Police officers on Thursday. The Fairfax County Police Department will conduct a memorial service at the Public Safety Rose Garden (in the rear of the Massey Building at 4100 Chain Bridge Road) at noon.  Stecco, 42, was a 19-year veteran of the force and was assigned to the Youth Services Division. He died participating in a helicopter water rescue training accident on Oct. 25, 2008. He played the role of the victim in the exercise and wore only a dry suit. Stecco did not resurface and after an extensive search was found 100 feet away. He was survived by his wife and …

Monday, May 6, 2013

UPDATE: Suspect At-Large After Eluding Police in Lorton Monday Morning

Two suspects were pulled over, both fled and one got away.

Update: The driver who was arrested in Lorton on the early morning of Monday, May 6, was held briefly but was not charged. The identity of the driver and a description of a second suspect who eluded police was also not released.  "The case is ongoing and anything I say at this point could compromise the investigation," wrote Fairfax County Police spokesman officer Bud Walker in an email to Patch. "The only thing I can say is that there is no public safety threat to that neighborhood and residents have no need to be concerned." The incident shut down a the Gunston Corner condominiums, and residents were told to stay in their homes while K-9 officers and a helicopter searched for the suspects.  --- One man is in custody and another at-large …

Crash Froelich

3:53 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

If they're going to buzz the neighborhood with a chopper, why not use a PA system/bullhorn to advise residents of the reason for the activity?   more ›

Sub Shop Explosion Update: Horace Thompson Court Date Pushed to July 31

Thompson faces charges for arson and assault.

The preliminary court date for Horace Thompson, the 25-year-old suspect in the February explosion at the Sub Shop restaurant in Lorton, has been continued to July 31. Thompson has been declared by Fairfax County Police as an "associate" of Sub Shop owner Lawrence Reese. Reese and Thompson were both injured by the blast, which came from inside the sandwich shop, located at 9504 Richmond Hwy., at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6.  Thompson, whose hands and face were burned, is charged with arson of an occupied building and assault. Investigators determined that the explosion was caused by gasoline and occurred inside the shop near a bathroom.  No one else has been charged in connection with the case, although Reese later claimed that …

Alleged Strangulation, Malicious Bodily Injury and Assault in Fairfax Station and Lorton

Here's the weekly arrest list

A 23-year-old Lorton man living in the 9900 block of East Dr. was arrested for misdemeanor assault and strangulation resulting in bodily injury, on April 26.  The following list of arrests in the Lorton and Fairfax Station-areas has been provided by the Fairfax County Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction:  Look at the clock. It's time to follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

dorothy

10:30 am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013

unfortunately I am unable to sign into the patch to make comments - what I would like is advanced notice to local events - the Gunston Kite was shown the day of event, today the Senior Citizen DE clutter is shown today - previous Gunston (this weekend) did not show until after event - the Eagle Festival was not shown until just before event - advanced notice would give citizen a better chance to …   more ›

Friday, May 3, 2013

Fairfax County Man, a Former Reagan Official, Arrested on Child Porn Charges

The Washington Post reported Friday that the Clifton resident, a former undersecretary of the Navy, was arrested on charges of possessing and reproducing child pornography.

Clifton resident James Daniel Howard, known as J. Daniel Howard, has been arrested on charges of child pornography, according to a story in Friday's Washington Post. He was charged with two counts of possessing child pornography and two counts of reproducing child pornography. WJLA reports that Howard, 69, was arrested Jan. 15 and that he allegedly committed the crimes Aug. 25 and Aug. 27. The Fairfax County resident is a former undersecretary of the Navy and official in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, as deputy press secretary for foreign affairs. He also held positions with the Foreign Service and State Department, the newspaper reported. Howard once ordered sexual harassment training after what he described as disgraceful…

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Police Identify Victim in Tuesday Morning I-95 Motorcycle Crash

Tractor trailer that hit Dumfries man "hit and run," with no witnesses so far.

Virginia State Police say that the motorcyclist killed in an early-morning crash in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 was a man from Dumfries. Police say that the motorcyclist, Timothy E. Halpin, 68, was riding a 2001 BMW 1200 Tuesday morning on rain-slick roads at about 4:30 a.m. when he apparently lost control of the motorcycle, sliding into the left shoulder. The motorcycle then slid into the center northbound lane where he was struck by a tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer failed to stop at the scene. Halpin died at the scene, police said. Witnesses were not able to provide a description of the tractor-trailer. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call Virginia State Police at 703-803-0026. The incident …

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