police

Police Arrest Man for Deadly Hit and Run on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A Maryland man has been arrested and charged in a fatal hit and run on Route 50.

Police say 42-year-old Marc D. Hicks of Oxon Hill, Md. was driving the truck that struck and killed Zorigoo Munkhbayar as he was walking down Route 50 near Rhodes Street in the early morning of Sept. 16. Hicks did not stay at the scene of the accident, according to police.

Munkhbayar, an Arlington resident and Yorktown High School graduate, was later found laying in the roadway by a passerby, who called 911. The 23-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Arlington County Police detectives were led to Hicks by evidence from the striking vehicle left at the scene. Hicks had been driving a truck for a Northern Virginia-based delivery company at the time of the accident, according to police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. The company — which was not named — did not have knowledge of the crime and was “very helpful with the investigation,” Nosal said.

Hicks is currently being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Center.

“Police ask that anyone who may have additional details about this collision, contact Detective Paul Marseilles at (703) 228-4237,” police said in a press release. “Detective Marseilles can also be reached via e-mail at [email protected].”

Arlington Man Arrested on Gun Charge After FBI Raid

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) An Arlington resident has been arrested in connection with last night’s FBI raid in Cherrydale and last week’s discovery of buried weapons near I-66.

Rodney M. Gunsauley, 61, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He’s currently being held without bond at the Arlington County jail, police say. Gunsauley was previously convicted of a fraud-related charge in 2000 2001, according to public records.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department, along with the FBI, Washington Field Office, is investigating an incident where several weapons were found hidden near Patrick Henry Drive and I-66 on October 12, 2011.

A search warrant was executed on a residence in the 4000 block of N. 17th Street last night as part of the investigation. Rodney Gunsauley, 61, of Arlington, was charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

FBI Agents Execute Search Warrant in Cherrydale

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:55 p.m. — Police have announced that an arrest has been made in connection with the FBI raid. As a result, we’ve removed a now-irrelevant reference to the owner of the group house that was raided.

About a dozen FBI agents executed a search warrant on a house in Cherrydale last night.

FBI Washington Field Office spokeswoman Lindsay Godwin confirmed the operation but was unable to provide any additional details, citing an on-going investigation. Agents, many wearing FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force jackets, could be seen carrying boxes of evidence out of the house late last night. One agent was wearing an “FBI Bomb Tech” jacket.

A neighbor said the house, located on the 4000 block of 17th Street N., was a group home, divided into several apartments. He said he hasn’t noticed anything suspicious about any of its residents.

Agents appeared to be focused on the home’s basement area. They could also be seen searching the yard with flashlights.

FBI agents were assisted by Arlington County Police and the Arlington County Bomb Squad. The county’s bomb squad truck helped to provide light at the scene. It’s unclear if bomb squad members were utilized for any other part of the operation. Godwin said the scene posed no danger to the public.

In a somewhat unusual move, police officers stopped at least two individuals who were taking photos of the scene and demanded their name, address and date of birth.

The search warrant comes one week after an FBI Evidence Response Team conducted a search of a site near I-66 and Patrick Henry Drive, following the discovery of gun parts buried in the ground in a wooded area.

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Crime Report: Mickey Mouse Edition

By ARLnow.com

It’s not every day that someone wearing Mickey Mouse clothing is a) out past midnight in Clarendon, b) in her 20s, and c) punching someone in the face. So the following item from this week’s Arlington County crime report is a bit unique.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 10/15/11, 1100 block of N. Highland Street. On October 15 at 12:10 am, a woman punched another woman in the face. The suspect is and Asian female in her late 20’s, 5’4″ and 130 lbs. She was wearing red and white scrubs with a “Mickey Mouse” design.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Examiner: It’s All Zimmerman’s Fault— In an editorial, the Washington Examiner encourages drivers stuck on I-66 to “call or tweet Arlington Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman” to complain, since “he’s one of the most vocal opponents of widening I-66 inside the Beltway.” Regarding local opposition to adding a third lane to I-66, the paper concludes: “This whole scenario is beyond short-sighted and incompetent. This is insane.” [Washington Examiner]

Flat Fare Could Cost Arlington Metro Riders — Arlington transit riders take, on average, the shortest trips of any local residents on the Metrorail system. As a result, county officials warn that Arlington riders will pay more if Metro ever switches to a flat fare system — as has been proposed as a way to simplify the agency’s fare system. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington’s First Female K-9 — The Arlington County Police Department recently received its first female police dog. Roxy, a Belgian Malinois, graduated from an intense, 15-week K-9 patrol school in June. Roxy and handler Cpl. Thorpe Lichtenberg are one of Arlington’s nine K-9 teams. [Examiner]

Exchange Students Arrive — Arlington fifth graders will be waiting at the airport today to greet 44 sixth graders from Aachen, Germany, as they arrive with their parents for “a whirlwind week in the D.C. area.” The German students will stay with the families of fifth graders who attend Nottingham, Tuckahoe and Arlington Traditional elementary schools. In addition to attending classes, they will visit memorials and museums, go on hikes and attend sporting events. Aachen is Arlington’s sister city, and the exchange is being organized by the Arlington Sister Cities Association.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Arlington Cops Honored for Solving Rape Case

By ARLnow.com

Two Arlington County police officers are being honored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for their role in the arrest of Jorge Torrez.

Torrez, a former Marine, was convicted of rape and abduction after two February 2010 incidents in Arlington. He’s also charged with murder in the 2009 death of a Naval Petty Officer.

Here’s the press release from the Arlington County Police Department:

The Arlington County Police Department is pleased to announce the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Highway Safety Committee has selected two Arlington County officers as the grand prize winners of the 2011 Looking Beyond the License Plate award. The 3M Traffic Safety Systems Division has partnered with the IACP Highway Safety Committee for 13 years to recognize police officers who use license plates to solve serious, non-traffic related crimes.

On February 27, 2010, around 4 a.m., police responded to the 600 block of North Wakefield Street for a call about an abduction. Two young women were walking to a residence when a man confronted them with a handgun. The suspect forced them inside the house where he restrained them. The suspect then forced one of the victims to leave the house with him and she was forced into the suspect’s vehicle. Four hours later, the victim was found seeking help and medical treatment in a neighboring jurisdiction. She was suffering from serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital.

During the investigation of these crimes, Corporal Timothy Clifford and Officer Andrew Nucelli recalled seeing, and running the license plate, of a vehicle that matched the description of the SUV used in these crimes. That information lead to the owner of the SUV, Jorge Torrez. This police work was instrumental in the identification and subsequent arrest of the suspect.

Jorge Torrez was not only convicted of 14 charges including Abduction with the Intent to Defile, Forcible Sodomy, Robbery, and Rape, he was later charged with the death of a Naval Petty Officer and linked by DNA to the a double homicide of two young girls in Illinois that occurred in 2005.

Corporal Clifford and Officer Nucelli will each be honored at a banquet at the IACP Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, next week.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Board Approves Penrose Square Public Plaza — The Arlington County Board last night formally approved a $2 million public plaza at the Penrose Square apartment complex on Columbia Pike. “This flexible, vibrant public square is an important part of the community vision for Columbia Pike… a place for people to relax, gather and host events,” said Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman. The plaza is expected to open next fall. [Arlington County]

Board Green Lights Boeing HQ — After more than 3 hours of discussion, the County Board — somewhat reluctantly — approved a plan by aircraft maker Boeing to build a new, 450,000 square foot regional headquarters on a plot of land between Crystal City and the future Long Bridge Park. ARLnow.com will have a full recap up later today.

Moran Fired Up About Occupy Wall Street — Arlington’s congressman, Democratic Rep. Jim Moran, is fired up about the Occupy Wall Street protest movement. “Good for them!” he said emphatically at a Falls Church Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “This is what democracy is about.” Moran also decried the level of partisanship on Capitol Hill. “There used to be 353 centrists in the House in the 1980s.. Now there are zero,” he said. [Falls Church News-Press]

Dulles Signs on Route 50? — Why are there still signs to Dulles Airport on Route 50? “I suspect these signs date from before I-66 was built, since no one would take Route 50 to get to Dulles with I-66 available,” writes blogger and environmental consultant Steve Offutt. [Commuter Page Blog]

Police Service Counter Cuts Hours — The Arlington County Police Department service counter at 1425 N. Courthouse Road is reducing its hours. Starting Monday, Oct. 31, the counter will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends, and will be closed on county holidays. “They studied it for a number of months and they just weren’t getting enough traffic to justify the staffing,” police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal said of the cut-back. [Arlington County Police Department]

Men Arrested, Accused of Stealing Used Cooking Oil

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police have arrested two men in connection with a string of biofuel thefts.

Police say the thefts started in March 2011. Used cooking oil that was awaiting collection was stolen from at least four restaurants, police say.

“The waste cooking oil from restaurants is converted into clean burning biodiesel fuel,” police sad in a statement. “Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum diesel that can be used in any diesel engine. Typically these oil thieves steal from restaurants and no one notices until the normal collection company arrives to pick up the product.”

“Theft has become a major issue in the restaurant cooking oil collections industry, due to the increase of its value from the evolving biodiesel market,” the statement continued. “Police departments in the region are becoming more involved to remedy this problem.”

Police say they arrested 36-year-old Fa De Zheng of Oxon Hill, Md. and 38-year-old Ming Gang Lu of New York City on Friday, Oct. 7, as they were attempting to siphon oil from a deposit at Ballston Common Mall. The pair is charged with Grand Larceny, Grand Larceny with the Intent to Sell, Possession of Burglarious Tools and Destruction of Property.

Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Det. Paul Marseilles at 703-228-4237 or email [email protected].

BREAKING NEWS — ACPD Officer Hurt in Motorcycle Wreck

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) An Arlington police motorcycle officer has been hurt in a crash on Route 50.

The accident happened near the intersection with Garfield Street, around 1:00 p.m. Initial reports suggest that only vehicle — the motorcycle — was involved.

The officer was said to be conscious but “in a lot of pain.” He has been rushed to a local hospital via ambulance.

Currently, the westbound lanes and one eastbound lane of Route 50 get by the accident scene. Cones are being set up and investigators are taking photos of the motorcycle, which is laying on its side.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More on Possible Shirlington Walmart — Three months after ARLnow.com reported exclusively that Walmart was eying a site for a possible store in Shirlington, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman is acknowledging that the county is aware of Walmart’s interest in Shirlington. This weekend the County Board is expected to discuss changing the zoning ordinance in order to prevent “big box” stores like Walmart from being constructed without Board approval. When the ordinance change was first advertised, the word “Walmart” was never mentioned. [WTOP]

Fire Station Open Houses This Weekend — Arlington’s 10 fire stations will each be conducting an open house between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The kid-friendly event is organized as part of Fire Prevention Week 2011. [Arlington County]

Turnaround at AWLA — There’s a turnaround underway at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which had been criticized for its relatively high euthanasia rate for dogs and cats. The shelter’s euthanasia rate during fiscal year 2011 was down 60 percent compared to the year before. The “positive outcome” rate for sheltered dogs rose to 91 percent from 80 percent one year prior. [Sun Gazette]

F.C., Arlington Police Investigate Burglaries — Arlington and Falls Church police are investigating a series of ten residential burglaries since the beginning of fall. The burglaries have occurred in the City of Falls Church and in Arlington’s East Falls Church neighborhood. Stolen items include laptops, iPods, guns, passports, bank checks and jewelry. [Falls Church News-Press]

Crime Report: Dirty Cab Drivers Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were two incidents of male cab drivers trying to get fresh with their female passengers.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 10/07/11, 800 block of N. Randolph Street. On October 7 at 3 am, a cab driver touched a woman on her arms and legs, as well at attempted to kiss her without her consent. He is described as a white Middle-Eastern male in his 40’s, 5’7″ with a heavy build. He was wearing a white and blue plaid button-up shirt.

SEXUAL BATTERY, 10/10/11, 5000 block of Carlin Springs Road. On October 8 at 11:40 pm, a woman moved to the front seat in a cab because the cab driver asked for better directions. The driver then touched her breasts. The woman fled when they reached her destination. The suspect is described as a slightly overweight Indian male in his mid to late 20’s, with dark hair and a full beard.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
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