police

Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Rape, Abduction of Daughter

By Katie Pyzyk

Rodolfo Hernandez-Suazo(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) An Arlington man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the January 2012 abduction and rape of his adult daughter.

Circuit Court Judge Louise M. DiMatteo imposed the jury’s sentencing for 54-year-old Rodolfo Hernandez-Suazo — which included 50 years for rape, 25 years for abduction with intent to defile and 5 years for incest — but ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

Hernandez-Suazo lured his then 22-year-old daughter to a south Arlington hotel room last year, claiming he was going to complete some maintenance work there. Once both were at the hotel, Hernandez-Suazo forced sex on his daughter.

Prosecutors say Hernandez-Suazo then told the daughter to take a shower, but she did not end up doing so. As a result, after she reported the crime to police several hours later,  investigators from the Arlington County Police Department Special Victims Unit were able to retrieve DNA evidence from her.

Hernandez-Suazo had been estranged from his daughter since leaving El Salvador about 20 years ago. They were reunited in 2009, when the daughter came to the United States to live with her mother, but she broke off contact after Hernandez-Suazo touched her inappropriately. He then re-initiated contact last year, leading to the incident in the hotel room.

“The victim held the understandable but misguided belief that she and the defendant could at last have a normal father-daughter relationship. Unfortunately he turned out to be a predator, not a parent,” said Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Lisa Tingle. “Her courage in coming forward should give others similar strength knowing that our community treats these offenses with the utmost seriousness.”

Police Seek Victims of Accused Rapist

By ARLnow.com

Joshua Franklin (photo courtesy ACPD)Arlington County Police are seeking more potential victims of a man accused of raping a prostitute in Crystal City.

Woodbridge resident Joshua Terrell Franklin, 24 was charged last week with the December 2012 rape of a prostitute in a Crystal City hotel room.

“The suspect, in response to an online advertisement, hired a woman to perform sexual acts,” police said in a press release. “Shortly after arriving at the victim’s hotel room, the suspect forced the victim to perform sexual acts at gunpoint. ”

Franklin has been charged with Rape, Robbery and Forcible Sodomy in connection with that incident. He is currently awaiting trial in Fairfax County for a similar crime, the alleged sexual assault of two women in a Springfield hotel room in January.

Police believe Franklin might have assaulted other women, and are asking for additional victims to come forward.

“Information revealed in the investigation indicates that there are potentially other victims or persons with information regarding this subject,” police said. “Anyone who has information about this suspect is asked to call Detective Angela Comer at 703.228.4243 or email [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).”

This is the third time in three years that a man has been accused of sexually assaulting prostitutes in Crystal City hotel rooms.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Police Seek Theft Suspects

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 1:45 p.m. on 12/23/21) 

Update on 4/11/13 — Hamid and Frederick have been arrested, police say.

The Arlington County Police Department has released photos of six theft suspects in the hopes of getting new information on their whereabouts.

The police department is asking for the public’s help in locating the men, who are accused of various thefts around Arlington. Among the suspects:

A police spokesman says the department is trying to be more proactive about asking for the public’s help when trying to locate suspects.

Photos courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Crime Report: Failed Police Impersonation

By ARLnow.com

A man who was pulled over by police in Clarendon on Saturday night allegedly thought it would help his case if it was known that he was a police officer.

The only problem? He wasn’t a police officer at all, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The 38-year-old Sterling man turned out to be a medical assistant, the crime report says. He was charged with impersonating a police officer.

IMPERSONATING A POLICE OFFICER, 04/06/13, 1000 block of N. Irving Street. At 10:38 pm on April 6, a subject claimed he was a police officer and displayed a badge during a traffic stop. Further questioning revealed he was a medical assistant in a doctor’s office. Hussein Al-Rehaief, 38, of Sterling, VA, was charged with impersonating a police officer and failure to obey a highway sign. He was released on a summons.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Police: Man Throws Meat Cleaver in Maternity Ward

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2 p.m. on 12/23/21) An Arlington man has been arrested and charged with throwing a meat cleaver in the maternity ward of Virginia Hospital Center.

Police say the man, 34-year-old Kareem [Redacted], came to the hospital to deliver a message to a mother who had just given birth. The message: the baby’s father couldn’t make it because he was in jail.

[Redacted] was unable to perform his messenger duty, however, because the group of family members gathered in the mother’s hospital room wouldn’t let him in, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. A verbal altercation ensued. [Redacted] then allegedly pulled a meat cleaver from his waistband and started chopping at the door.

Eventually, Sternbeck said, [Redacted] was able to crack the door open and throw the meat cleaver into the room, in the direction of the room’s occupants. Nobody was struck by the knife, but [Redacted] was later detained by security, arrested by police, and charged with 5 counts of attempted malicious wounding.

There were five people in the room at the time, Sternbeck said. No word on whether the baby was in the room. From the daily crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 04/05/13, 1700 block of N. George Mason Drive. At 5:34 pm on April 5, a suspect pulled a meat cleaver from his waistband after a verbal altercation escalated inside Virginia Hospital Center. The suspect struck a room door several times with the knife before throwing the weapon inside the room in the direction of the occupants. Hospital security detained the suspect until arrival of police. Kareem [Redacted], 34, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with 5 counts of attempted malicious wounding and carrying a concealed weapon. He was held without bond.

Four Arrested After Stabbing Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)Four men were arrested after a stabbing near Ballston early Saturday morning.

A large fight was reported in the area of N. Glebe Road and Henderson Road just past midnight. Police arrived on scene and took three suspects into custody. One additional suspect tried to flee the scene and was apprehended a short distance away, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police then found a man who had been stabbed, who had fled from the scene earlier but collapsed in front of Union Jack’s (671 N. Glebe Road). The man was stabbed seven times in the torso, upper body, groin and thigh area, Sternbeck said. Staff from the restaurant came out with towels to try to put pressure on his wounds.

The 32-year-old victim was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries. Sternbeck said the man was combative and uncooperative with officers.

The four suspects who were taken into custody were all charged with malicious wounding in connection with the stabbing. Police identified the suspects as 23-year-old David Bhatti of Arlington, 24-year-old Heber Amaya-Gallo of Arlington, 20-year-old Gustavo Lopez of Annandale, and 23-year-old Naveed Mughal of Arlington.

Both Amaya-Gallo and Lopez have recent arrest records in Arlington. Amaya-Gallo has been previously arrested for malicious wounding and assault on a police officer, and Lopez has been arrested for grand theft auto and fleeing from police.

All four suspects are being held without bond.

ACPD Warns of Distracted Driving Danger

By ARLnow.com

Serious pedestrian accident at Glebe Road and N. Carlin Springs Road (file photo)The Arlington County Police Department is warning local drivers to put the cell phone down and stay alert while driving.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the police department has issued a press release (after the jump) highlighting the need to pay attention while at the wheel, especially as more pedestrians and bicyclists hit the streets during the warmer weather months.

The press release also mentions impending state legislation that makes texting while driving a primary offense. Currently, a driver can only be charged for texting if pulled over for another violation — and the penalty is a piddly $20 fine for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses. The new legislation would allow police to pull over a motorist only for texting, and would significantly increase the penalty.

The bill originally called for fines of $500 and $250, but an amendment approved by the state Senate this week cuts that in half. The bill is now awaiting Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature. If signed, the law will take effect July 1.

ACPD says it is prepared to enforce the texting law.

“Once the law is in effect we will incorporate it into our nationally recognized traffic and pedestrian safety programs,” said department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “In terms of training, all Arlington County Police officers receive annual in-service training regarding new laws and legislative changes. The proposed Virginia texting law will be included in that training.”

File photo

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Road Closures for Crystal City 5K Friday

By ARLnow.com

Today and every Friday in April, roads in Crystal City will close for the annual Crystal City 5K Fridays race series.

The race will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on April 5 (today), 12, 19 and 26. In a press release, Arlington County Police said they will close the following lanes and streets from about 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.

  • NB lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 15th Street
  • NB lanes of Crystal Drive between 26th Street and Route 1
  • NB lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and Glebe Road
  • 33rd Street between Potomac Avenue and Crystal Drive
  • S. Ball Street between 33rd Street and 35th Street
  • SB lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and 33rd Street (crossing permitted when deemed safe)

Crystal City 5K Friday (photo via Crystal City BID)The police department noted that southbound Crystal Drive will remain open, and roads north of 15th Street previously impacted by the race will not be affected.

VRE riders are asked to add 5-10 minutes of on-foot travel time to get to the Crystal City station, and those who park in Crystal City parking garages are being warned that they may not be able to get our of their garage during the race.

Street parking along the route, particularly on Crystal Drive and Potomac Avenue, will be restricted. Temporary ‘No Parking’ signs should now be posted.

Photo via Facebook/Crystal City BID. Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Landing over Rosslyn by BrianMKA

USS Arlington To Be Commissioned — The USS Arlington will be commissioned in Norfolk on Saturday. Fundraising for a 9/11 tribute room on the ship is continuing, as supporters have only raised $362,000 of the hope-for $500,000. [Washington Post, Patch]

Police Seek Wallet Thief — Arlington County Police are looking for a man who stole a victim’s wallet while at a bar/restaurant in Ballston. The man then used the victim’s credit cards at a store on the 200 block of S. Glebe Road. [Arlington County]

Fundraiser for Prisoner Assistance Org — A fundraiser was held Thursday for Offender Aid and Restoration, a group that “works in Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church with support programs for those in jail and prison, and assistance when they return to life outside a cell.” [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

ACPD Warns of Utility Scam

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department is warning of a scam that’s targeting local residents.

Fraudsters are calling Arlington residents, claiming to be representatives of a utility company, and demanding money for supposed unpaid bills. From a police press release:

Since the beginning of March, over two dozen Arlington County residents have become victims of a utility scam. Victims in these cases have received phone calls from individuals posing as utility company employees. The caller states that the victim has failed to pay utility bills and has an outstanding balance, threatening to shut off the utility services if a payment is not made immediately. Arlington County cases alone have resulted in losses ranging from $200-$1,000.

If you receive a call of this nature, make sure to verify that it is actually your utility company. Residents can do this by directly calling the number on your latest bill or by finding the number on the utility company’s main website. Never use the phone number provided to you from the caller to verify their credibility.

After making a verification call, if you find that you were a victim of a scam or were a target, please file an online police report… or call the non emergency police line at 703.558.2222.

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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