police | ARLnow.com

Jay Farr to Serve as Acting Police Chief

Published February 18, 2015 at 4:25PM

Arlington Deputy Police Chief Jay Farr will serve as Acting Police Chief starting next month, following the retirement of Chief Doug Scott, according to a memo obtained by ARLnow.com.

Scott announced last month that he would retire effective March 20, after serving as Arlington’s police chief for 12 years. In a memo to police department employees sent Friday, County Manager Barbara Donnellan said Farr will fill in as chief while the county looks for a permanent replacement.

“I know many of you may also be wondering about leadership in the interim, and I am pleased to announce that I am appointing Deputy Police Chief Jay Farr as Acting Police Chief effective March 20, 2015 while we conduct our search,” Donnellan write. “Please continue to support him as you have Chief Scott. This time of transition is an opportunity for us to pull together and continue to work for the good of the community.”

“Thank you for your dedicated work in keeping our citizens safe; you provide a vital service for Arlington County,” Donnellan continued. “I will continue to keep you updated on the police chief recruitment as we continue this process together.”

Farr has served on the Arlington County police force since 1990, according to his LinkedIn page. Prior to working in Arlington, Farr was an NCIS special agent, a Falls Church police officer and a member of the Marine Corps’ presidential helicopter squadron. He is an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University’s Dept. of Criminology, Law and Society.

Farr spent several months away from the police department between 2013 and 2014, serving as an interim deputy county manager after Deputy County Manager Marsha Allgeier stepped down.

In the memo, Donnellan noted that the county will be “launching a nationwide recruitment for a new police chief in the next few days, and will be looking at both internal and external candidates.”

Photo via George Mason University

Late-Night Rumble Outside Whitlow’s Broken Up by Police

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 13, 2015 at 4:30PM

A brawl involving more than a dozen people broke out in the street outside Whitlow’s on Wilson in Clarendon early this morning.

About a dozen squad cars arrived to the 2800 block of Wilson Blvd at about 1:15 a.m. today to more than a dozen people in the street fighting with each other, ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

Police tried to disperse the crowd and “urged everyone to get into cabs and leave,” Sternbeck said, but witnessed one person urinating in the bushes. Before police could apprehend him, he jumped in a cab where his friends were waiting, and the taxi drove off.

Police caught up with the taxi, Sternbeck said, when a female occupant got out and started cursing at officers. She was arrested and charged with drunk in public.

“We tried to send people on their way, but ultimately they got mouthy,” Sternbeck said. “We were trying to do the right thing.”

No injuries were reported from the brawl, and no other arrests were made, Sternbeck said.

Crime Report: Peeper Sent to the Slammer

By ARLnow.com

Published February 12, 2015 at 10:15AM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:07PM

A drunk middle-aged man was arrested early Sunday morning for peeping into a woman’s apartment, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The incident happened on the 4000 block of 5th Street N., near Ballston. Police say the man was peering into the bedroom window of a woman’s ground floor apartment.

From the crime report:

PEEPING, 150208012, 4000 block of N. 5th Street. At 1:29 am on February 8, a suspect was seen looking through a bedroom window of a ground floor apartment at a female victim. Police arrived and took the subject into custody outside of the apartment. Cesar Augusto Muz-Moya, 53, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with peeping and drunk in public. He was held without bond.

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

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Man Arrested for Attacking Woman in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Published February 11, 2015 at 8:00AM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 2:52PM

(Updated at 2:50 p.m. on 12/23/21) An apartment concierge helped stop a registered sex offender from attacking a woman Tuesday morning, according to police.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. at the new 19Nineteen apartments, on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd in the Courthouse area.

Police say a man grabbed a woman as she came to the front door of the building to see if her Uber driver had arrived. He allegedly threw the woman to the ground, at which time the building concierge tackled the man and held him until police arrived.

“The victim did not sustain physical injury but was clearly shaken when interviewed by our detectives,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Washington resident Jerome [Redacted], 32, was charged with abduction with the intent to defile. He was held without bond.

Video: More Car Break-Ins in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published February 10, 2015 at 12:40PM

Nearly 20 cars were broken into in the Rosslyn area over the weekend.

According to police, the front passenger side window was smashed and items were stolen from at least 14 cars in a parking garage on the 1600 block of Clarendon Blvd. The break-ins happened early Saturday morning.

Early Sunday morning, another five cars were broken into around the 2200 block of N. Scott Street. “Numerous items” were stolen.

These break-ins followed a series of 17 car break-ins in Rosslyn during the prior weekend, in which passenger side windows were also smashed.

Police told NBC 4 (above) that the break-ins may be related but so far they haven’t been able to catch the suspect or suspects on surveillance camera. The thieves are looking for small items of value that can be easily concealed, so one way to protect yourself is to remove any such items from your car when leaving it parked overnight.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 5, 2015 at 9:30AM

Scammers Threatening to Kill Wives, Kids of Doctors — Scammers are calling Arlington doctors and pretending to hold one of the doctor’s family members hostage. The scam usually includes a woman screaming on the other end, pretending to be the doctor’s wife or daughter, and the supposed hostage taker making threats to kill her. So far this week at least two Arlington doctors have received the call. [MyFoxDC]

Hit-and-Run Driver May Have Been Intoxicated — Police are investigating whether the woman who ran over a man in a Columbia Pike parking lot may have been drunk and/or on prescription medication at the time of the incident. [NBC Washington – WARNING: Auto-play video]

Arlington’s Bike Path Snow Removal — With its new policy of clearing bike trails and bike lanes of snow, Arlington County is now “becoming a national leader in snow clearing,” said one county official. [Washington Post]

Dems to Hold Primary — The Arlington County Democratic Committee last night voted to hold a primary for the upcoming County Board race. The primary will be held June 9, and the first day for candidate filing is March 9. A School Board caucus, meanwhile, will be held May 14 and 16.

D.C. Streetcar System in Jeopardy — The D.C. Council is considering scaling back or ending the city’s streetcar program. The long-delayed, problem-plagued H Street NE line still does not have an opening date scheduled. [NBC Washington -WARNING: Auto-play video]

Flickr pool photo by Chris

Crime Report: Woman Bound, Robbed in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2015 at 1:45PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:07PM

A woman was bound and robbed after leaving her apartment in Buckingham last week, according to the latest weekly Arlington County crime report.

Police say the woman had just left her N. George Mason Drive apartment Thursday afternoon when a masked man forced her back into the apartment, bound her hands and stole her money and cell phone. After the man fled the scene, the woman managed to escape, hail a cab and go to a friend’s house, from which she called police.

From the crime report:

ROBBERY BY FORCE, 150129025, 100 block of N. George Mason Drive. At 2:17 pm on January 29, as a female victim was exiting her apartment she was allegedly confronted by a masked subject. The subject directed back into the apartment, bound her hands together and robbed her of cash and cell phone. Once the suspect fled, the victim ran outside and sought assistance from a cab driver. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5’5″ – 5’7″ tall and 190 lbs. He was wearing a black jacket and mask.

Also last week, someone smashed the windows of at least 17 cars in a Rosslyn parking garage, stealing “numerous items” from inside.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 150201014, 1900 block of N. Lynn Street. Between 11 pm on January 31 and 8:30 am on February 1, an unknown subject(s) entered a parking garage and broke into and/or damaged at least seventeen vehicles by smashing a window. Numerous items of value were stolen. There is no suspect(s) description.

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

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2015 at 9:00AM

Arlington’s Population Rises — The latest population estimate for Arlington is 229,302, an increase of 21,675 residents in just four years. [InsideNova]

ACPD Detective Profiled — ABC 7 recently profiled Arlington police Sgt. Angela Comer as part of its Working Woman segment. The detective, who has been with ACPD for 17 years, decided to follow her father’s footsteps into law enforcement, leaving an early career in banking and business. [WJLA]

New Police Badges — The Arlington County Police Department has a new badge, in honor of its 75th anniversary this year. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Teen Groped While Walking Home from School

By ARLnow.com

Published February 3, 2015 at 12:00PM | Updated February 3, 2015 at 2:36PM

Police are looking for a man who grabbed the behind of a teen who was walking home from school Monday afternoon.

The incident happened around 4:15 p.m. on the 4100 block of Four Mile Run Drive. Police say a 17-year-old girl was walking home from Wakefield High School when a man ran up to her and grabbed her buttocks.

“The suspect fled on foot and is described as a Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 5’11” tall and 140 lbs,” according to a crime report item. “He was wearing a blue beanie, long sleeve gray t-shirt with blue sleeves and jeans.”

Arlington County Police are encouraging students to be aware of their surroundings while walking home. The victim in this case was wearing headphones at the time of the assault.

“If you’re going to be wearing headphones, take one of the earbuds out,” suggested a police spokesman.

Metro Contractor Arrested for Stealing Copper in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published February 2, 2015 at 11:10AM

A Maryland man who worked for a Metro maintenance contractor has been arrested and charged with stealing items from a Rosslyn construction site.

Police say 42-year-old Daniel Groseclose of Edgewater, Md. was employed by Kone, a company that does elevator and escalator repair work for Metro, when the thefts were discovered. He’s accused of stealing copper that was located on a construction site near the Rosslyn Metro station. The copper was owned by the electrical contractor M.C. Dean.

Metro Transit Police announced Groseclose’s arrest Friday afternoon.

“It is alleged that on at least two occasions last fall, Groseclose stole sections of copper wire and tubing from the site,” Transit Police said in a press release. “Kone was cooperative with the investigation, and has advised Metro that they have since dismissed Groseclose as an employee.”

“Groselose was arrested by Anne Arundel County Police on MTPD’s arrest warrant in Virginia,” the release continued. “He is expected to face two counts of grand larceny once extradited to Arlington County.”

Water Main Break Creates Sinkhole on Williamsburg Blvd

By ARLnow.com

Published February 2, 2015 at 10:05AM | Updated February 2, 2015 at 11:01AM

(Updated at 11:00 a.m.) A sizable sinkhole has formed on Williamsburg Blvd due to a water main break.

The sinkhole is located in a crosswalk, in a southbound lane of Williamsburg Blvd just off of Sycamore Street and the Williamsburg Circle.

A photo tweeted by Arlington County Police shows a small geyser of water inside a deep crater in the roadway.

“We usually recommend using a crosswalk…but maybe not this one at Williamsburg & Sycamore Street,” the police department said via Twitter.

Drivers should expect limited access to Williamsburg Blvd near the sinkhole and a lengthy repair process, according to Arlington County. A second possible sinkhole was also reported this morning, near road work at Washington Blvd and N. Ohio Street.

Photo via ACPD