arrest

Crime Report: Road Rage Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, two drivers pulled to the side of the South Carlin Springs Road, near Kenmore Middle School, in an apparent case of road rage. A slap ensued.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY 03/08/11, 200 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. On March 8 at 5:30 pm, the drivers of two vehicles were involved in aggressive driving behavior. Both drivers pulled to the side of the road and an unknown male slapped a woman in the face. The suspect is described as a middle-aged white male with dark blond hair driving a dark colored SUV.

Also in this week’s crime report, a Herndon man was arrested and charged with stealing GPS devices.

POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY-ARREST 03/03/11, 6700 block of Lee Highway. On March 3 at 4:30 am, police stopped a subject in possession of several stolen GPS devices. Anthony Ellison, 25, of Herndon, was charged with two counts of Felony Larceny with Intent to Sell.

The rest of report, after the jump.

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Publicity May Have Prompted Rape Suspect to Turn Himself In

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police and other law enforcement agencies had been looking for a rape suspect Ronald P. Berton but it wasn’t until his mug shot was splashed across TV screens and computer monitors that the 36-year-old decided to turn himself in.

It’s not known for sure whether media attention helped convince Berton to surrender to police Sunday night — two days after police handed his photo over to local news organizations — but it certainly didn’t hurt.

“The media coverage around Berton’s warrant assisted with his arrest,” Arlington County police said in a statement. “This is an excellent example of citizens, the media, and law enforcement working together towards a safer community.”

Crime Report: Apple Store Caper

By ARLnow.com

The Apple Store in Clarendon, with its pricey electronics on display for all to touch and try out, is no stranger to thefts and attempted thefts. Last week things got a little more interesting when one of the suspects allegedly tried to flee from police on foot.

POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY-ARREST 01/12/11, 2700 block of Clarendon Boulevard. On January 12 at 3:30 pm, four men were observed stealing from an electronics store. Police responded and one suspect was apprehended after a short foot pursuit. The three remaining suspects were stopped at the store. Antoine Nicholson, 21, of Washington D.C., was charged with Possession of Stolen Property with Intent to Sell. He was held on a $1,500 bond. Wayne Goodwin, 20, of Washington D.C., was charged with Petit Larceny and Possession of Stolen Property. He was also held on a $1,500 bond.

The rest of the Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

McDonnell Gives State of the Commonwealth Address — Speaking to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly last night, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) urged state lawmakers to put aside their partisan differences to help solves the state’s challenges, particularly roads and transportation. He also spoke of job creation and the rapid rise of college tuition. The speech was so polished that one state delegate from our area tweeted that he thinks McDonnell “is running for president.” Despite the overall bipartisan tone, McDonnell took the time to lavish praise on Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s pending lawsuit against the Democrat-backed federal health care reform bill. [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post]

Arlington Cop Helps Nab Jersey Bank Robbery Suspect — While driving on westbound I-66 early Tuesday morning, an alert Arlington police officer got a hit on a vehicle belonging to a suspected bank robber out of New Jersey. The officer stayed with the car as it exited the county. Backup — in the form of Fairfax County and Virginia State Police — eventually caught up and helped arrest the suspect after he pulled off the highway in Fairfax. [Bergen Record]

Hynes to Speak About Helicopter Noise — County Board Vice-chairman Mary Hynes will discuss helicopter noise before the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments today. Noise from helicopters is a persistent source of resident complaints in Arlington. Hynes is expected to talk about what’s being done to mitigate the noise. [WTOP]

County Releases Revised EFC Area Plan — The county has released the latest version of its controversial plan to urbanize the area around the East Falls Church Metro station. [TBD]

Two Arrested After Attempted Robbery in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Two juveniles are in police custody after a daylight attempted robbery just blocks from the Clarendon Metro, according to police radio traffic.

A call came in around noon for an attempted robbery involving a suspect who displayed a knife. Police responded to the intersection of Washington Boulevard and North Johnson Street, about two blocks away from the Clarendon Metro.

Initial reports suggest two teenage suspects, a boy and a girl, have been taken into custody.

The robbery victim was not hurt.

Crime Report: Towing and Parking Assaults

By ARLnow.com

Parking can be a frustrating thing. If parking is sparse, finding that one parking spot can turn into a competition. And if you park in the wrong spot, getting towed is certainly not very fun.

Should you should find yourself in such a situation, however, you should remain calm. Otherwise, if you lose your cool, you could wind up in handcuffs.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 12/31/10, 4000 block of N. 5th Street. On December 31 at 5 pm, a man assaulted a tow truck driver and broke a glass window at the towing property. Steven McClinchey, 48, of Arlington, was charged with Assault and Battery and Destruction of Property.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 01/02/11, 3700 block of Columbia Pike. On January 2 at 4 pm, a man assaulted a woman regarding an argument over a parking space. Barahona Marquez, 40, of Arlington, was charged with Assault and battery. He was released on a summons.

The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Grand Theft Golf Cart in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) This police blotter item is just too good to save for Wednesday’s weekly crime report. A 22-year-old man is accused of stealing a golf cart from a local mall and driving it on the interstate… while drunk.

GRAND LARCENY AUTO-ARREST, 1/3/2011, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard On December 30 at 5 am, an officer pulled over a subject driving a golf cart on the interstate. The driver was intoxicated and the golf cart had been stolen from a mall. Everths Moran-Reyes, 22, of Fredericksburg, was charged with Driving Under the Influence, Grand Larceny of an Automobile and Driving While Suspended. He was held on a $15,000 bond.

An officer pulled the golf cart over as it was getting passed by tractor trailers on westbound I-66. The cart belonged to the security department at Ballston Common Mall, we’re told. Police say they’re still trying to figure out how the man managed to steal it (allegedly).

One interesting fact in all this is that you can apparently be charged with driving under the influence while driving a golf cart.

Cigarette-Smoking Duo Keeping Clarendon Classy on NYE

By ARLnow.com

Via YouTube user NovaPJ comes the following video, which purports to show the aftermath of some sort of New Year’s Eve incident at Mister Days in Clarendon.

Officers in the video are shown talking with two young, cigarette-smoking men who seem upset about something that happened in the bar.

The cops apparently weren’t giving the men whatever resolution they were seeking. Instead, one officer encouraged them to “go home and sober up.” That led to the following exchange at 1:40 in the video.

Smoking Guys (starting to walk away): F— you. You did a hell of a job, D.C.’s finest. F—ing cops.

Female Officer: Have a good night.

Smoking Guys: Go to hell. F— you. Go f— yourself. C–t! You stupid bitches!

It’s at that point that one of the pair threw his lit cigarette at the officers. Needless to say, the dynamic duo walked about half a block before having the cuffs slapped on ’em.

See a longer version of the video here. Obviously, you won’t want to play it at work with the sound up.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Area Bars Ring In New Year’s With Ringing Cash Registers — Initial reports from the field suggest Arlington bars and restaurants did big business on New Year’s Eve. In particular, two Irish bars brought in plenty of green. Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse was crowded, he hear. Another tipster tells us that the cavernous Columbia Pike watering hole P. Brennan’s — which charged a $5 cover for an evening that included a champagne toast and live music — was so busy that it apparently ran out of glasses. Said our Pike partier: “Congrats to them… higher cover next year?”

HGTV Couple Moves to South Arlington — A recent episode of HGTV’s House Hunters featured a couple who ended up moving from a condo in the District to a house in the Shirlington Crest development, reports Shirlington Village Blog.

Arlington Man Arrested in N.C. Over Hair Gel Purchase — A 23-year-old Arlington man has been arrested in Burlington, N.C. and accused of trying to buy goods with counterfeit $100 bills. The man bought hair gel and conditioner at one store and was attempting to buy hand lotion at another store when he was arrested, police said. A local newspaper that reported the arrest listed an Arlington address for the man that, as far as we can tell, does not exist. More from the Greensboro News-Record.

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Crime Report: Holiday Edition

By ARLnow.com

Crime didn’t completely take a holiday over the weekend, but it certainly was at lower-than-usual levels.

Here are the two Grinchiest moments in Arlington, with both occurring on Christmas Eve.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING 12/25/10, 4300 block of Lee Highway. On December 25 at 3 am, a man was at a party when another man stabbed him in the arm. The suspect is described as a 25 year-old white Hispanic male, 5’6″ and 200 lbs.

ASSAULT ON POLICE-ARREST 12/24/10, 2000 block of S. Jefferson Davis Highway. On December 24 at 10:15 pm, police responded to a hotel for an intoxicated male. The man was wanted out of Fairfax County on two warrants. When officers attempted to place him in custody, he assaulted on, and fled on foot. He was located and arrested. Dejuan Butler, 28, of Faulkner, MD, was charged with Assault and battery on Law Enforcement. He was held without bond.

Then, on Monday, a suspect allegedly put his hand under a woman’s skirt as she was riding up the escalator at the Clarendon Metro.

SEXUAL BATTERY 12/27/10, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. On December 27 at 3:10 pm, a woman was on the metro escalator when she realized a suspect slid his hand and cell phone under her skirt. She yelled and he left the station. The suspect is described as a white Hispanic male in his early 30’s, 4’10” with short black hair. He was wearing white sneakers, khaki pants, a light-colored sweatshirt and a denim jacket.

We initially heard that the woman snapped a cell phone photo of the suspect, which could be very helpful in catching the guy. So far, however, we haven’t been able to confirm that with police.

The rest of the Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Morning Poll: License Plate Readers

By ARLnow.com

Those cameras mounted on the back of some Arlington police cruisers are actually quite effective at catching criminals, it turns out.

Arlington Police make at least one arrest per day thanks to the cameras, which snap photos of passing license plates and compare them to a database of stolen cars and wanted subjects. According to an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, the cameras can process up to 100,000 license plates per hour.

“It’s quick and efficient,” Arlington police Capt. Kevin Reardon told the Times.

Not everybody supports the cameras, however. Privacy watchdogs have raised questions about whether the technology can be abused or used to keep tabs on innocent people.

What do you think?


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