domestic violence

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

September rose (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Man Struck By Car on Columbia Pike — A man suffered critical injuries after being struck by a car at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Four Mile Run Drive early Friday morning. Rainy weather may have been a factor in the crash, police said. [WJLA]

APS Stop Arm Camera Program Resumes — Updated at 11:15 a.m. — Arlington Public Schools has restarted its School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program as of today, a school spokesman has confirmed. The program uses cameras to fine motorists who drive by school buses while the stop sign is extended. The program began last year but was suspended due to legal issues, which have since been resolved. [Arlington Public Schools]

Juror Questionnaires Now Overdue — If you received a jury duty questionnaire from Arlington County and have not yet returned it, you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law. The questionnaires are now overdue; those who have still not sent them in can be summoned to court to complete the form in person. [Arlington County]

Local Church Hold ‘Blue Mass’ — The Catholic Diocese of Arlington and Bishop Paul Loverde held a “blue mass” Friday night to honor local police officers and to recognize fallen officers. A number of Arlington County Police officers were among those in attendance. [NBC Washington]

Domestic Violence Awareness Month — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Arlington. The Arlington County Police Department has partnered with local nonprofit Doorways for Women and Families to place a purple ribbon on ACPD cruisers “in support of the efforts to reduce the incidence and severity of domestic violence in our community.” [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Future Target store in Rosslyn

Another Jury Duty Scam — Scammers are once against targeting Arlington residents with phony phone calls about jury duty. At least 15 cases were reported in September of residents receiving calls from someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer and demanding a “good faith” payment over the phone for failing to appear for jury duty. The calls are fraudulent and police are investigating. [Arlington County]

Deaf Inmate’s Lawsuit Against Arlington — A deaf Ethiopian immigrant says the six weeks he spent in the Arlington County jail was torturous. Abreham Zemedagegehu has a limited ability to read or write English, and as a result missed meals and went without needed pain medication during his stay. A lawsuit against the county, filed pro bono by the law firm Akin Gump, says the jail should have had a sign language interpreter. [Washington Post]

Arlington Wages on the Rise — Wages for those who work in Arlington rose 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015, higher than the national average of 2.1 percent. Arlington has the 10th highest wages among the largest 342 counties in the U.S. [InsideNova]

New Process Proposed for New Schools — The county’s Community Facilities Study Committee has made recommendations for a new “siting process” for new and expanded schools and county facilities. “The siting process is intended to improve upon current practices and function as a project management tool to make siting decisions efficiently, effectively and with ample community input,” according to a press release. [Arlington County, Arlington Public Schools]

Lots of Debates for County Board Candidates — The four Arlington County Board candidates are scheduled to participate in 14 debates in various parts of the county by the time election day rolls around in November. [Washington Post]

Va. State Police Cruisers Hacked — Computer security experts were able to hack into Virginia State Police vehicles, preventing the cars from starting or moving. The hacks were done as a security measure, as part of a state initiative to prevent future hacks of Virginia’s fleet of police cruisers and official vehicles. [Dark Reading]

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month — Today is Oct. 1, the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “The Arlington County Police Department has partnered with Doorways for Women and Families, our community advocate, to bring attention to this worthy cause,” according to a press release. During October, many ACPD vehicles will display a purple ribbon donated by Doorways. Last year, Arlington police were called to 2,086 incidents of domestic violence, resulting in 196 arrests. [Arlington County]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rainy walk near campaign signs in October

Tree Predicts Cold Winter — Local folklore holds that the seeds of the American Persimmon tree can predict how harsh the coming winter will be. According to Arlington County naturalist Alonso Abugattas, the seeds are predicting an especially cold winter. [Arlington County]

‘Purple Out Day’ in Arlington — Today is Arlington’s second annual Purple Out Day, which encourages residents to wear purple to promote domestic violence awareness. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. [Arlington County]

Security Stepped Up at Tomb — The military increased security at the Tomb of the Unknowns yesterday following the fatal shooting at the Canadian war memorial in Ottawa. [WJLA]

Lane Closures on GW Parkway — Between 9:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. today, a northbound and a southbound lane of the GW Parkway will be closed in the area of the Yellow Line Metro bridge, for underside inspection of the bridge.

Donnellan Wins Leadership Award — Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan has been recognized with a Visionary Leadership Award. The award, from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, “recognizes top government officials for their outstanding contributions to metropolitan Washington and their home jurisdictions.” [MWCOG]

Arlington Arby’s Sells Smaller Smalls — The Arby’s restaurant at Ballston Common Mall — and elsewhere, apparently — sells small fountain beverages that are labeled on the outside as “22 oz.” but which actually hold only 21 ounces of liquid. [Consumerist]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Student bike stand at Washington-Lee High School (photo courtesy @mikematyas)

ACPD Promotes Domestic Violence Awareness — Arlington County Police cruisers are displaying purple ribbon magnets in October to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month. [Twitter]

Closed Ballston Restaurant Expanding in Maryland — Red Parrot Asian Bistro, which closed in Ballston last year, now has locations in Hanover and Ellicott City, Md., with a third set to open in Baltimore. Owner Wendy Cheng says Ballston and another closed location, in Baltimore, were shuttered “due to location and performance issues.” SER, the winner of the Ballston Restaurant Challenge, is set to open in Red Parrot’s former storefront this winter. [Baltimore Sun]

Arlington High Schools in Playoff Hunt — With just over half the season left to play, all three Arlington public high school football teams are on pace for playoff berths. [InsideNova]

Wakefield QB Transferred from Yorktown — Wakefield High School’s football team, a perennial also-ran, is in contention this year at least partially thanks to the play of quarterback Riley Wilson. Wilson transferred from Yorktown, a perennial playoff contender, for the chance to start as quarterback. [Washington Post]

Photo courtesy @mikematyas

Crime Report: Domestic Dispute

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a man is wanted on felony charges after allegedly beating his wife. The incident took place in the Forest Glen neighborhood of south Arlington.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 04/01/13, 5600 block of S. 7th Street. At 9:30 am on April 1, a man struck his wife several times during a domestic dispute. The victim was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for non-life-threatening injuries that she sustained during the altercation. A warrant has been issued for the suspect on charges of felony malicious bodily injury and felony violation of a protective order.

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

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Moran Applauds Passage of Violence Against Women Act

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is applauding today’s House of Representatives passage of the Violence Against Women Act.

This original bill expired in 2011. The latest version includes specific protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people, as well as Native Americans and immigrants.

The bill, which first passed the Senate, passed the house by a vote of 286-138. It not heads to President Obama’s desk.

Today’s passage of the Violence Against Women Act will ensure that our nation’s mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends continue to receive federal resources that help keep them safe from harm. I was proud to cosponsor this bill and vote for its passage today.

Violence is an all-too-common reality in the United States. Nearly one in four women are the victims of rape or abuse by a partner during adulthood. With the programs established through the Violence Against Women Act, no man or woman should be afraid to report domestic or dating violence.

VAWA works. Since it was first enacted in 1994, reporting of domestic violence has increased by as much as 51 percent, while the number of individuals killed by an intimate partner has decreased 34 percent for women and 57 percent for men.

While I applaud the passage of VAWA, its reauthorization took far too long. This bill passed in the Senate last May, but Republican House leadership refused to bring it to the floor. Instead, they wasted valuable time on an alternative version that deliberately omitted protections for certain vulnerable, underserved populations, allowing VAWA programs to expire at the end of the year. Today, their version of the bill failed on the floor while the Senate version was enacted.

The bill that now heads to the President’s desk includes important reforms to ensure LGBT, Native American, and immigrant women receive the protections they deserve.

Rep. Moran’s son, Patrick, pleaded guilty last year to assaulting his girlfriend outside a D.C. bar. Despite the plea, Patrick Moran’s girlfriend later said that the incident was “an accident that has been blown out of proportion.”

Moran’s Son Pleads Guilty to Beating Up Girlfriend

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Patrick Moran, the son of Rep. Jim Moran, has pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend outside a bar in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood.

The Washington City Paper reports that the incident happened early on the morning of Dec. 1, outside The Getaway at 3400 14th Street NW. Moran was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence. The incident happened a little more than a month following the release of a video showing Moran discussing how to commit voter fraud.

According to the City Paper, a D.C. police report indicates Patrick Moran and his girlfriend were fighting outside the bar when Moran allegedly slammed the woman’s head against the bar’s metal trash can cage. A police report cited by the paper said the woman was “bleeding heavily from her nose” and her “nose and right eye were extremely swollen.”

Moran was charged with felony domestic violence assault, but today he pleaded guilty to the downgraded charge of simple assault, which is a misdemeanor. He has been sentenced to probation.

“Patrick and Kelly are both good kids and I hope their privacy will be respected,” Rep. Moran said in a brief statement. “They look forward to putting this embarrassing situation behind them.”

At 2:30 p.m., Rep. Moran’s office issued a second statement, condemning domestic violence but calling the Dec. 1 incident an “accident.”

The Congressman strongly condemns domestic violence. As was stated in court by both his son Patrick and his girlfriend Kelly, the situation was an accident. They were the only two people involved in the scene. In that sense, their statements are the only ones that matter. They are both very embarrassed by the situation, which involved drinking, and they are looking to move past it, and ask for their privacy to be respected.

Kelly Hofmann, who identifies herself as the victim of the incident, released a statement late this afternoon.

This was an accident that has been blown out of proportion. The statements in the police report are inaccurate. Pat and I were arguing, one of my high heels gave out, and I fell into the side of a trashcan. On impact, I fractured my nose. False conclusions were made as a result. I hope our privacy will be respected.

Kelly Hofmann

A source close to Rep. Moran tells ARLnow.com said that Hofmann did not press charges and testified in Patrick’s defense today, adding that she suffered from no broken bones and is back at work.

Hofmann’s account is contrary to the police report, which states that a Metropolitan Police officer and a D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration agent observed Moran “grab [Hofmann] by the back of her head with his hand and slam her head into the metal trash can cage in front of the nightclub.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Mental Evaluation for Fire Bomb Suspect — Lawyers for Leon Traille, Jr., the man accused of trying to fire bomb the Ballston Common Mall food court last week, have asked the federal judge in the case to grant a mental health evaluation. Traille is charged with arson and faces 5 to 20 years in prison if convicted. [Washington Post]

Disturbance at Arlington Screening of ‘Hating Breitbart’ — A liberal activist is accused of disrupting the Friday night showing of the documentary Hating Breitbart at the Regal theater at Ballston Common Mall. Moviegoers say the activist, Ryan Clayton, shouted at the screen and laughed loudly at inappropriate times during the film about the late conservative media icon. [The Hollywood Reporter]

D.C. Sniper’s Ex-Wife Talks at Ft. Myer — Mildred T. Muhammad, the ex-wife of executed D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad, spoke earlier this month at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Muhammad, who was abused by her ex-husband, was the guest speaker at the base’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month observance. [U.S. Army]

New ‘Car Free Diet’ Video — Arlington County Commuter Services has commissioned a new series of videos for its ‘Car Free Diet’ campaign. The theme of the videos is “What’s Your One?” — and they make the case for walking, biking or taking public transit instead of driving. The videos will play on Arlington TV, the county’s cable channel, and prior to movie previews a the Regal Ballston Common and the AMC Loews Shirlington theaters. Disclosure: ACCS is an ARLnow.com advertiser. [YouTube]

Flickr pool photo by ddimick

Crime Report: Woman Escapes Boyfriend’s Zip Tie

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington man has been charged with abduction and domestic assault and battery after police say he tried to tie his girlfriend’s hands behind her back during a fight.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ABDUCTION, 06/15/12, 300 block of S. Adams Street. At 2 pm on June 15, a female victim and her boyfriend got into a physical altercation. During the fight, the suspect held the victim down on the bed and attempted to tie her hands behind her back with zip ties. The victim was able to bite the suspect on the arm and he left the room. Jeffrey Teagno, 24, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with abduction and domestic assault and battery. He was held without bond.

The suspect, Jeffrey Teagno, is listed by Virginia State Police as a registered sex offender for possession of child pornography in 2009.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

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Crime Report: Domestic Violence Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, two men are accused of particularly vicious instances of domestic violence. Both alleged crimes took place yesterday (Tuesday) while in public.

At 11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, a man is accused of holding down a woman and threatening her in Crystal City, before a Good Samaritan intervened.

ABDUCTION/ASSAULT & BATTERY, 03/13/12, 2600 block of Jefferson Davis Highway. On March 13 at 11:50 am, a male subject and a known female victim were involved in a verbal argument. When the female attempted to flee the scene on foot, the male subject knocked her to the ground and threatened her while holding her around the neck to the ground. A witness came to assistance of the victim, recovered a knife from the subject and police arrived a short time later. James Curtis, 43, of Washington, DC, was charged with domestic assault and battery and abduction. Curtis was held without bail.

Later that day, a man was accused of breaking a car window and trying to pull a woman through the broken window, before she was able to drive away and lead him on a car chase that ended at a fire station.

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 03/13/12, 1900 block of S. Walter Reed Drive. At approximately 8:10 pm on March 13, a victim was involved in a verbal argument with a known subject when the subject punched her vehicle window out and attempted to pull her from the vehicle. The victim was able to drive away but the subject followed her, striking her vehicle several times with his vehicle. The victim was able to stop at a local fire station and the suspect fled. Officers apprehended him a short distance away. Michael Hallmon, 50, of Arlington, was charged with attempted malicious wounding, felony hit and run, domestic assault, driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to a breath test and possession of marijuana. He is being held without bond.

As always, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. The rest of this week’s crime report, including the motivation behind Friday’s Buckingham shooting, after the jump.

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Doorways Celebrates New Dating Protection Law

By ARLnow.com

Arlington-based women’s shelter Doorways for Women and Families is celebrating a new state law that went into effect on Friday.

Until the legislature acted earlier this year, Virginia was one of only six states that did not offer protective orders — a legal means of preventing contact with abusive partners — to men and women in dating situations. Now, as of July 1, the state allows individuals who are not married and not living with their partner to obtain a protective order.

Yesterday, Doorways issued the following press release about the new law.

Women ages 16 to 24 are at the greatest risk of experiencing an abusive relationship. Yet for the vast majority of those women — specifically those in dating relationships — the legal system offered little defense. That is because protective orders, a civil order issued by a judge to protect one person from another’s threatening behavior, were previously only available to those in a “domestic” situation — married, living together or having a child together.

July 1st marks a historic day for the protection of those previously unprotected as a bill passed in the Virginia legislature goes into effect, allowing survivors of dating abuse to be eligible for protective orders against their abusers. Until the beginning of this month, Virginia was one of only six states that did not afford this legal protection to dating partners. Doorways for Women and Families, one of Arlington’s leading providers of services to women and families experiencing homelessness and abuse, encourages all in our community to spread the word that help is now available to survivors of dating abuse.

“This is a huge step forward in protecting our community from intimate partner violence” explained Caroline Jones, Executive Director of Doorways. “ Given the incidence of violence in younger relationships, Doorways has been actively partnering with schools, universities and community partners to bring greater education and prevention strategies to our youth. The toll of violence in relationships is far too great to become complacent in our efforts.”

[ … ] With the implementation of the new protective order law, a whole new segment of the population should know that there is help available. One in five teens in a serious relationship has experienced physical abuse with an estimated 33% of high school students having been a survivor of dating abuse.

Doorways encourages any survivor of dating abuse to call their 24-Domestic Violence Hotline at 703-237-0881 to find the help they need to be safe. Any survivor seeking a protective order can speak with Doorways’ Court Advocate by calling 703-244-5165 and be guided through the legal process.

“We want everyone to know that they are not alone in the pathway to safety,” Jones concluded.

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