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Shutdown Changes 10-Miler Route, Puts Marathon in Jeopardy

By ARLnow.com

Army 10 Miler (courtesy photo)

Update at 2:15 p.m. on October 17 — Because Congress came to an agreement last night that re-opened the government, both the Army Ten-Miler and the Marine Corps Marathon will proceed as originally planned.

The route of the Army 10-Miler race has been changed and the Marine Corps Marathon is in jeopardy due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, ARLnow.com has learned.

The 10-Miler, which is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 20, starts and finishes near the Pentagon in Arlington. Originally slated to cross the Memorial Bridge into D.C., the course has been altered so that the race will cover more distance in Arlington, thus avoiding National Park Service territory impacted by the shutdown.

Runners will now double back on Route 110, heading southbound before crossing the 14th Street HOV bridge into D.C., according Lt. Dave Green, of the Arlington County Police Department Special Operations Section, which coordinates road closures for large events.

Shaunteh Kelly, media relations coordinator for the race, could not immediately confirm the route changes when reached by ARLnow.com.

Marine Corps Marathon scenes (photo by Wolfkann)The situation is more dire for the Marine Corps Marathon, which is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 27. The race may be postponed or canceled if Congress doesn’t act to reopen the government by the end of the week, we’re told exclusively.

“I don’t want to put people in panic mode, but if as of Friday evening the government is still closed, it’s probably not going to happen,” Lt. Green said of the race.

Green said police agencies are still “plowing ahead” on the assumption that the government shutdown will be lifted in time.

“As of right now all participating jurisdictions are moving forward as if it is going to take place,” he said.

Tami Faram, spokeswoman for the marathon, said that organizers were still planning for the race to go on. As reported by Runner’s World, Marine Corps Marathon staff is paid with non-appropriated funds, and thus not subject to furloughs.

“From our standpoint… we’re continuing to plan for Sunday, October 27,” said Faram.

“We’re waiting with everyone else,” she said of the shutdown. “We just don’t have a crystal ball.”

Faram would not confirm whether a cancellation or postponement is possible should the government remain shut down. She did note, however, that 60 percent of the race is run on National Park Service property.

According to Green, too much of the 26.2 mile race is on federal property to make changes in the route feasible. That includes the marathon’s iconic finish, at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn.

The marathon has never been canceled in its 37 year history. The race was run last year despite Hurricane Sandy barreling down on the East Coast. The storm hit Washington after the race finished.

Should any changes be made regarding the race, Faram said, information will be posted on the Marine Corps Marathon website and Facebook page.

Update at 8:55 p.m. — The Marine Corps Marathon released a statement tonight via Facebook.

Dear Runners,

Since the government shutdown occurred, the Marine Corps Marathon continues its coordination with hopes of a conclusion in time to host the event without impact. Without a resolution to the government shutdown this week, the MCM as planned is in jeopardy of being cancelled.

While still considering and exploring all possible options, the MCM has targeted this Saturday, October 19 as the date to officially notify runners of the status of the event. It is sincerely the hope of everyone associated with the organization of this event that MCM participants can run as planned.

Flickr photo (bottom) by Wolfkann

UPDATED: Pipe Bomb Scare in Arlington Heights

By ARLnow.com
Arlington Heights bomb threat
Arlington Heights bomb threat
Arlington Heights bomb threat
Arlington Heights bomb threat
Arlington Heights bomb threat
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(Updated on 10/14/13) Arlington police and the county’s bomb squad responded a possible pipe bomb in the Arlington Heights neighborhood Sunday afternoon.

Just before 3:00 p.m., an off-duty police officer was asked for directions by a driver in a vehicle with New York tags. The officer noticed drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and called in backup, according to a fire department official.

The car was stopped and the driver detained on the 100 block of S. Highland Street. Officers then noticed a pipe with two caps on each end in the back of the stopped vehicle, the official said. Believing that the device could be a pipe bomb, the street was shut down between Arlington Blvd and 2nd Street S. and the bomb squad was called in.

A robot was used to inspect the device, and a technician in heavy protective gear attempted to defuse it. After a second technician inspected the vehicle, the bomb squad performed a controlled detonation. The robot was dispatched again, after which it was determined the pipe was empty. The driver of the car was interviewed and now faces a drug charge.

Residents in the area were asked to shelter in place in their homes during the incident.

Crime Report: Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Roommate

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 12/23/21)An Arlington man has been accused of sexually assaulting his roommate.

The alleged incident happened just before midnight on Monday, on the 4500 block of Four Mile Run Drive.

Police say a 24-year-old woman woke up to find her roommate, 31-year-old Allister [Redacted], over her. She tried to fight him off but he still managed to sexually assault her, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

SEXUAL ASSAULT, 10/07/13, 4500 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. At 11:50 pm on October 7, a female victim was sexually assaulted by a roommate. The subject entered the victim’s bedroom while she slept, pinned her down and sexually assaulted her. Allister [Redacted], 31, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with animate object penetration. He is being held without bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Crime Report: ‘Obscene Sexual Display’ Near Shirlington

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Last Friday afternoon, a man was spotted masturbating in a van near Shirlington while watching women walking by.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report.

OBSCENE SEXUAL DISPLAY, 09/27/13, 2600 block of S. Arlington Mill Drive. On September 27 at 3pm, a victim reported a male subject masturbating in a vehicle, while looking at females who were walking past. The subject is a heavyset black male. The vehicle was described as a blue Toyota minivan with Maryland plates.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Police Looking for Shoe Section Masturbator

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsArlington County investigators are using video surveillance footage to try to track down a man who was seen masturbating in a clothing store.

The incident happened Monday afternoon in Pentagon City, reportedly at the Nordstrom Rack store (1201 S. Hayes Street) across from the mall. Police say a black male in his 30s was spotted masturbating in the shoe section of the store. He fled the scene before police arrived.

From the Arlington crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 09/30/13, 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. A male subject was observed masturbating in the shoe section of a retail store. The subject is described as a black male in his late 30s, approximately 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 150 pounds. The subject has short black hair and was wearing a black and red jacket with the word ‘Coogi’ on the back in red writing and red sneakers at the time of the incident. Further investigation is being conducted.

Police: Women Pepper Sprayed Employees During CVS Robbery

By ARLnow.com
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Arlington County Police are looking for two women suspected of stealing cosmetics from a CVS store and pepper spraying two employees who tried to stop them.

The alleged robbery took place at 3:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, at the CVS Pharmacy at 256 N. Glebe Road in Buckingham. This afternoon, police released surveillance images from the store in an effort to solicit the public’s help in identifying the suspects.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Burglary/Larceny Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating two suspects involved in a larceny and assault incident at a CVS Pharmacy store.

The suspects entered the CVS Pharmacy, located in the 200 block of N. Glebe Road, at 3:30 a.m. on September 23, 2013. Suspect one was captured on surveillance video placing numerous cosmetic items in two handbags. Suspect two was serving as a lookout in the aisle. After securing the items, suspect one proceeds to the self checkout and pretends to pay for the items. When she attempts to exit the store, an employee confronts her and she discharges pepper spray in his face. A second employee attempts to intervene and she is also pepper sprayed. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown type vehicle.

Suspect one is described as a black female in her 20’s, approximately 6’0” tall and 180 lbs. She was wearing green pants, a white t-shirt and tan flats at the time of the incident. Suspect two is described as a black female with a thin build. She was wearing a blue jean jacket and black yoga style pants.

If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of these individuals, please contact Detective James Stone of the Arlington County Police Department’s Burglary/Larceny Unit at 703.228.4245 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Police: Courthouse Arm Rubber Has Struck Three Times

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police carA man who broke into a Courthouse apartment and rubbed a sleeping woman’s arm had struck twice before in the same apartment building, ARLnow.com has learned.

On Sunday, Sept. 15, six days before the arm-rubbing incident, police say the same suspect broke into two apartments and stared at women while they slept. Both break-ins took place between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., and ended with the suspect — who was wearing a yellow polo shirt and khakis — fleeing the apartment after the women woke up, according to police.

In the first instance, the man said “oops, wrong room,” after the woman, who was sleeping in a bed with her boyfriend, awoke. In the second instance, the suspect fled after the victim woke up, saw the man staring and her and began screaming.

The second victim, who did not want her name used in this article, contacted ARLnow.com and shared her story.

“Around 4:45 a.m. [on] Sept 15, I woke up to find a man standing at the foot of my bed staring at me,” she wrote. “He did not say anything to me. I screamed from my bed (as where he was standing was blocking my bedroom door) for about 30-45 seconds… before he slowly backed out of my bedroom and ran out of my apartment.”

“I did not hear him open the door to my apartment, so I waited about about 45 seconds and ran out of my apartment, into the lobby and called 911,” the woman continued. “The police came right away and searched my apartment, but the intruder had left.”

Six days later, the man broke into another apartment and began rubbing a sleeping woman’s arm, before she woke up and he fled the scene. During that incident, the man was wearing a red polo shirt and blue jeans.

The break-ins all took place at the Meridian apartment complex at 1401 N. Taft Street.

The suspect is described as a 5’10” to 6′ white or Asian male, between the ages of 20 and 25. In each of the three cases, police say, the victims were white women in their 20s who live with roommates.

It’s unclear how the man is choosing his victims, or how he has managed to gain entry to the apartments. Apartment doors in the building lock automatically, though it’s possible that the victims’ doors were accidentally left partially open. Today, building management posted a flyer online encouraging residents to lock the dead bolt on their doors.

Police are working the case in hopes of finding the suspect before he possibly escalates his crime.

“We’re actively investigating and working with the victims,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “It’s a good reminder to make sure people are locking their doors at night, and if they are a victim of a crime, contact police immediately.”

Sternbeck noted that the suspect description fits that of many residents of the apartment complex, making the investigation more difficult.

Crime Report: Drunk Man Crashes Car Into Fire Station

By Ethan Rothstein

A Falls Church man crashed his car into Arlington’s Fire Station No. 9 earlier this week.

Yancy Carrera, 33, drove into the corner of the fire house at 4:05 a.m. Sunday morning, according to police. He was arrested charged with DUI and felony destruction of property.

A fire department official said no one was injured in the crash, which caused only cosmetic damage to the building. So far, there is no estimate on the cost of the repairs.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

FELONY DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY, 09/22/13, 1900 block of S. Walter Reed Drive.  At 4:05 am, an intoxicated subject drove his vehicle into the corner of Fire Station #9. Yancy Carrera, 35, of Falls Church, VA, was arrested and charged with DUI and felony destruction of property. He was held with no bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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Man Breaks into Courthouse Apartment, Rubs Sleeping Woman’s Arm

By Ethan Rothstein
File photo

A Courthouse woman awoke early Saturday morning to an unknown intruder rubbing her arm, according to Arlington County (Va.) Police.

The man fled the woman’s apartment without taking anything, according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The suspect’s description does not match the alleged Virginia Square face-caresser from earlier this month.

From the crime report:

BURGLARY WITH INTENT TO DEFILE, 09/23/13, 1400 block of N. Taft Street. At 4:05 am on September 21, an unknown subject entered a female victim’s residence while she slept. The victim woke up to the suspect rubbing her arm. The suspect fled the scene and was wearing a red polo shirt and blue jeans at the time of the incident.

ACPD to Conduct DUI Checkpoint Tonight

By ARLnow.com
File photo

The Arlington County Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint tonight (Friday).

The department does not reveal the location of the checkpoint in advance. From an ACPD press release:

On Friday, September 20, 2013, the Arlington County Police Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint with assistance from the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. This enforcement effort, called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is in support of U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) National crackdown program on drunk driving that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers. Any driver suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be directed to a safe area off the roadway for further observation and possible testing for intoxication.

The maximum penalty in Virginia for the first conviction for driving under the influence is 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine and a 12-month suspension of driving privileges.

Crime Report: Rosslyn Robbery Foiled By Lack of Cash

By ARLnow.com

Two men tried to rob a fast food restaurant in Rosslyn last Thursday night.

According to police, the armed men demanded cash, but fled the scene after they were told that the restaurant had no money. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 09/12/13, 1700 block of N. Lynn Street. At 10:46 pm on September 12, two subjects attempted to rob a fast food establishment at gunpoint after hours as employees were cleaning. The subjects fled the scene on foot when they were told there was no money. The suspects were described as black males, wearing all black clothing and masks.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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