police

Waverly Hills Man Accused of Running International Drug Ring

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) An Arlington man has been arrested and accused of running an international drug ring.

Federal prosecutors say Yonis M. Ishak of Arlington was the leader of a criminal conspiracy that imported millions of grams of the illegal African drug Khat into the United States from England, Holland and Canada. Public records show that Ishak lived in an apartment on the 2000 block of N. Vermont Street in Waverly Hills.

Authorities say Ishak, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, used couriers and the postal system to distribute nearly 10,000 pounds of Khat to at least 15 states, including California, Washington, Tennessee, New York and the D.C. metro area. Ishak was arrested yesterday along with 17 alleged co-conspirators. Ten of the individuals arrested were from Northern Virginia, although Ishak was the only one from Arlington.

Khat leaves contain the drug cathinone, an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant. The leaves are chewed by users, a common practice in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The charge of conspiring to distribute the drug carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. See more information on the case here.

Crime Report: Exposure Arrests

By ARLnow.com

Two men were arrested on exposure charges in this week’s Arlington County crime report.

EXPOSURE-ARREST, 05/11/11, 1700 block of S. 14th Street. On May 11 at 5 pm, police received a call regarding a disorderly intoxicated subject. When they located the suspect, he repeatedly exposed himself to the officers through a glass door. Samuel Crews, 27, of Arlington, was charged with Indecent Exposure. He was held on a $2,500 bond.

EXPOSURE-ARREST,05/14/11, 1800 block of Wilson Boulevard. On May 14 at 1:30 pm, a man was seen exposing himself while driving a vehicle. Terry Von Hurtt, 57, of Woodbridge, was charged with Masturbating in Public. He was held on a $1,000 bond.

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

(more…)

Crash on Bridge Leaves Car Hanging

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:40 p.m. — Part of the front of the car was hanging over northbound lanes of Route 110, which were closed while a wrecking crew worked to hook the car up to a tow truck. The car has since been hauled away and all lanes have reopened. Damage is visible on the north side of the bridge.

A car is reported to have two wheels hanging over Route 110 after a single-vehicle crash on a bridge.

The accident happened on southbound Washington Boulevard, just past the Pentagon. According to police radio traffic, the car smashed partially through the barrier on the side of the bridge, which runs over Route 110. All southbound lanes of Washington Boulevard were closed while the driver of the car was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

Emergency responders on scene have requested that the structural integrity of the bridge be checked.

Police Seek Office Theft Suspect

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) Two years ago, Kenneth Earl Tolliver’s face was showing up on local newscasts after he was accused of robbing a 99-year-old woman in her Silver Spring, Md. home. At the time he was also wanted for two other burglary cases involving older residents, as well as other crimes. Now, according to police, he’s a “person of interest” in a series of office thefts.

Tolliver is being sought for questioning by Arlington police after several office burglaries in Rosslyn and Crystal City. Cops say that someone matching Tolliver’s description poses as a maintenance worker or mold inspector, then enters unsecured or “under-secured” offices and takes cash from wallets, purses and petty cash boxes.

According to a letter sent to property managers:

In all cases the suspect has been described as a black male, approximately 5’10”, 160 lbs, 45-55 years of age, with a sunken or long face and has ALWAYS worn a construction or medical style dust mask partially covering his face. The suspect’s MO is that he usually brings with him a notepad or other prop and tells workers that he is inspecting the ceiling tiles for mold or other HVAC issues.

Preliminary investigation into this series has revealed that there are at least 10 additional incidents in the region including Prince William, Fairfax, Alexandria, Falls Church, Vienna and Leesburg. Please be alert and contact the police immediately should you encounter this individual.

Police are encouraging workers in secure offices to not hold doors open for strangers and to check with building management should they encounter an unexpected repair person.

At the moment, Tolliver is not wanted for any crime in Arlington. He is, however, wanted for grand larceny out of Prince William County, according to police.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Search for Suspects Near Shirlington — While you were (probably) sleeping, Arlington police were trying to track down two suspects who fled on foot near Shirlington. Just before 1:30 a.m., an officer spotted a car that had been reported stolen out of Prince George’s County, Md. traveling on I-395. Due to department regulations, they did not pursue the car after it refused to stop. A short time later, the car was found crashed into the Four Mile Run creek bed at Shirlington Road. Police K-9 units and the U.S. Park Police helicopter were brought in to search for the suspects. As of 2:30 a.m., they were still on the loose.

Four Mile Run Trail Detour — The Four Mile Run trail will be detoured near 3rd and Harrison Streets in Glencarlyn Park due to storm/sewer system relining in the area. [Bike Arlington]

Woman Celebrates 30 Years at Retirement Community — Helen Crossley first moved into Arlington’s Culpepper Garden retirement community in 1981. Now at age 102, she’s being honored for her 30 year tenure at the facility. [Sun Gazette]

Forum Changes — We listened to your suggestions and made some changes to our discussion forums overnight. Unfortunately, the changes resulted in the deletion of some posts. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Westover Decision Delayed Until Tuesday — The County Board voted on Saturday to delay a decision on live entertainment for the Westover Market’s beer garden until Tuesday, giving county staff three days to come up with permit conditions that would be more acceptable to concerned neighbors. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Police Seek Tips in 1997 Cold Case — ACPD’s cold case unit is asking for the public’s help in solving the case of 17-year-old Vu Huynh, who was murdered outside Hi-Cue Billiards on Columbia Pike in March 1997. [Washington Examiner]

Arlington to Issue Bonds — The County Board has approved the sale of up to $207 million in bonds, to fund projects like the Arlington Mill Community Center, Long Bridge Park, the new Yorktown and Wakefield high schools and the Water Pollution Control Plant. The bonds will go on sale next month, and will be available to individual investors. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Law Enforcement Cyclists Kick Off Police Week in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Hundreds of federal and local law enforcement officers completed a 240-mile memorial bicycle ride in Pentagon City today.

The officers, accompanied by dozens of police cars and motorcycles from law enforcement agencies across the country, completed the annual Road to Hope bike ride on Eads Street, in front of the DEA building. A crowd of DEA employees and the agency’s Black and Gold Pipes and Drums Corps greeted the riders, who were clad in matching red, white and blue bike gear.

The ride, sponsored by the group Law Enforcement United, honors “the service and sacrifice of all law enforcement officers that have died in the line of duty.” After the stop in front of the DEA building, around 3:00 p.m., the cyclists headed to the Pentagon to pay their respects at the Pentagon Memorial.

The event marks the beginning of National Police Week in the D.C. area. See more photos after the jump.

(more…)

Crime Report: Dirty Old Man Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, cops busted a man who they say was exposing himself in view of children.

INDECENT LIBERTIES-ARREST, 05/10/11, 5200 block of S. 7th Road. On May 10 at 8 pm, a witness called police about a man exposing himself in view of children. Police located the suspect near Tyrol Hill Park. Thomas Boushier, 63, of Arlington, was charged with Indecent Liberties with Children. He was held without bond.

The rest of this week’s crime report, including a robbery we reported on earlier, after the jump.

(more…)

Arlington Honors Fallen Officers

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office held its annual observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day this morning.

Drummers, bagpipers and a bugler helped to mark the solemn occasion at the Arlington County Justice Center Plaza om Courthouse. Courthouse Road was shut down for the ceremony, which started at 8:00 a.m. Through speeches, the law enforcement community remembered the six Arlington County officers who have died in the line of duty.

Later in the day, Whole Foods and Applegate Farms grilled a free lunch on the plaza for law enforcement officers and employees.

National Police Week, an annual law enforcement gathering held in the D.C. area, officially begins on Friday.

Police Identify Bicycle Accident Victim

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police have released the identity of the bicyclist who was killed in South Arlington over the weekend.

The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred on [Sunday] in the 4000 block of Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 2:56 p.m. on May 8, 2011, police responded for a bicyclist that collided with a vehicle.

Fitzgerald Pollard, 44, of Arlington, was riding his bicycle south on South Walter Reed Drive, turned right onto the access road of Four Mile Run Drive and crossed into oncoming traffic. Mr. Pollard then struck an occupied vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

The Arlington County Police asking that any witnesses of the accident contact the Department at 703 558-2222, or Detective Don Fortunato at 703 228-4197.

UPDATED: Widespread Power Outage in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Power has been restored after a widespread outage in Arlington, Dominion says.

Power was restored just after 1:50 p.m., according to Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. She said the outage, which lasted 38 minutes, was caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment at the company’s Clarendon power substation.

Nearly 8,000 Dominion customers in Arlington lost power at the height of the outage, Anderson said.

Several traffic lights went dark in the Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston areas around 1:15 p.m. Police directed traffic at the busy intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Quincy Street — near the Arlington Central Library — during the outage.

There were also several reports of people who were stuck in elevators that stopped when then the power went out.

View More Stories