police

Arlington Police Locate Missing Elderly Man Using LoJack

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police are touting their use of LoJack technology to locate an Alzheimer’s patient who wandered away from his home yesterday.

It’s the first such use of the county’s new Project Life Saver – LoJack Safety Net system. The system’s implementation was first announced last summer.

More information about Project Life Saver is available here.

The police department just issued the following press release.

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Arlington County Police Department is pleased to announce the successful use of Project Life Saver – LoJack Safety Net to locate an elderly man last night.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., police were called to the 1500 block of North Danville Street for an elderly man missing for over six hours. An 85 year-old man, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, walked away from his home around 11 am. His family just enrolled him in the Project Lifesaver Program three days ago. Once police officers arrived, they activated the tracking system and the victim was located within fifteen minutes. This time period is especially important in frigid temperatures.

Project Life Saver – LoJack Safety Net is designed to track and rescue those with cognitive conditions who tend to wander. This service answers a critical need for protecting people at risk of wandering, including those with Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome and dementia. Eleven Arlington County Police Officers are certified as Electronic Search Specialists and Electronic Search Instructors through Project Lifesaver International.

Clients enrolled in the service will wear a wrist-watch sized radio transmitter on their wrist or ankle. The transmitter constantly emits a Radio Frequency signal, which can be tracked regardless of where the person has wandered – even into a densely wooded area, a marsh, a concrete structure such as a garage, or a building constructed with steel. When a loved one goes missing, caregivers notify locally trained agencies and they are dispatched to the wanderer’s area.

This service is available immediately. Families and caregivers can enroll their loved ones by contacting Project Life Saver – LoJack Safety Net at 877-434-6384.

Crime Report: Colonial Village Grabbings

By ARLnow.com

A man grabbed two women inappropriately at an apartment complex in the Colonial Village area early Saturday morning.

SEXUAL BATTERY 01/29/11, 1800 block of N. Scott Street. On January 29 at 1 am, a woman exited an elevator and an unknown man grabbed her buttocks. When she rebuked him, he pushed her. She screamed and the suspect fled. He is described as an African American male in his 20’s, 6′ and 180 lbs with a goatee. He was wearing dark clothing. This call is similar to the below.

SEXUAL BATTERY 01/29/11, 1800 block of N. Scott Street. On January 29 at 1:30 am, a woman was walking while talking on her cell phone. When she paused to look for her keys, an unknown man grabbed her chest. The victim told the friend on the phone to call the police and the suspect fled. He is described as an African American male in his 20’s wearing dark clothing.

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

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Suspect Pleads ‘No Contest’ to Langston-Brown Tire Slashings

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) A 22-year-old man has been arrested and has pleaded no contest to two tire slashing sprees in the Langston-Brown area.

Cameron Scott Fraley, of no fixed address, was arrested on Dec. 19, 2010, four days after allegedly slashing the tires on more than 30 cars near Glebe Elementary School and Virginia Hospital Center.

Fraley was charged with misdemeanor destruction of property for the December tire-slashing spree. He was charged with another count of destruction of property for another tire-slashing spree in the same neighborhood in October, when 15-20 vehicles were hit.

Fraley pleaded no contest to both charges, and was sentenced to 200 days in jail with all but 40 days suspended, according to court records. He was also assessed $356 in court costs.

The tire slashings came at a time when Fraley was facing a felony charge for possession of oxycodone. According to court records, Fraley was indicted by a grand jury on the oxycodone charge on Oct. 18. The first tire slashing was discovered early on the morning of Oct. 20.

The second tire slashing was discovered on Dec. 15, the same morning Fraley entered a plea. A pre-sentence hearing on Fraley’s oxycodone charge is scheduled for Feb. 18.

Police Inspections of Food Trucks Continue in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

It’s like an initiation rite for new food trucks in Arlington.

For several weeks, the newbies are subjected to a barrage of visits from police officers, who themselves are responding to complaints from local businesses. Most of the complaints are made when the trucks are in Rosslyn or Crystal City. In almost every case, an officer responds, checks the truck’s license and leaves after verifying the truck is licensed and not illegally parked.

We started paying attention to this trend in October, when the BBQ Bandidos truck was the target of police visits (see photo, left). In December, we felt compelled to write about the Bada Bing truck’s travails as it was inspected at least eight times.

Now, the Big Cheese truck is becoming a frequent destination for license-checking officers.

On Friday, while the truck was parked on North Lynn Street in Rosslyn, police were called to check its license.

“Showed him my permit and he was on his way. I love Arlington,” truck owner Patrick Rathbone tweeted at the time. Today, while the truck was serving customers in Crystal City, another call for police.

“The police checked my permits then moved but the yellow jacket [Crystal City Shops] security guys are lurking,” Rathbone wrote.

According to Arlington Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal, police must respond whenever they receive a complaint.

“Dispatchers are required to send officers out,” Nosal said. “We cannot pick and choose what calls we go to.”

Nosal also noted that the detective in charge of issuing vending licenses will often respond to specific complaints and will make random checks of food trucks he does not recognize.

UPDATED: Woman Found Dead in Front of Ballston Common Mall

By ARLnow.com

A woman, believed to be homeless, was found dead in front of Ballston Common Mall this morning, Arlington Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal confirms.

The deceased woman was found on the stairs outside Macy’s, in the alleyway between the mall and a Chipotle restaurant. Police are on the scene investigating.

Update at 4:40 p.m. — Police have released the following statement about the incident.

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating the death of a woman discovered this morning.

At approximately 9:49 a.m., police and medic units were called to the 4300 block of Wilson Boulevard for an unresponsive person. Upon arrival, it was apparent that the person was deceased. The victim is an adult female, who was possibly homeless. The investigation is on going, and more details will be released when available.

Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Alan Lowrey at (703) 228-4199.

Arlington Police Seek Rosslyn Bank Robbery Suspects

By ARLnow.com

Police have released surveillance images of the two masked men who robbed a BB&T bank in Rosslyn yesterday afternoon, just two hours before the snow started falling.

Police say a portion of the money was recovered thanks to a dye pack, which exploded as the men fled the scene.

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Arlington County Police Department’s Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s help to identify two men who robbed an Arlington bank this afternoon.

Two suspects entered a BB&T bank in the 1900 block of Fort Myer Drive at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 26, 2011. One suspect demanded money, while the other suspect displayed a handgun. Once the suspects received currency, they fled from the bank.

Both suspects were African American men of average height and weight, wearing all dark clothing. They also wore items covering their faces. Shortly after the robbery, a portion of money was recovered, and the red dye pack had apparently been set off.

Anyone who has information about this robbery or the identity of the suspects is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Donald Fortunato at (703) 228-4197.

Gone in 90 Seconds in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) How quickly do you think your car would get stolen if you left it directly outside a 24-hour store, on the side of a busy Clarendon street, with the keys still in the door?

Try 90 seconds, according to a woman whose Mitsubishi Eclipse was stolen from outside the 7-Eleven at 3000 Washington Boulevard.

The woman, who we will call “Lucy,” said she and a companion were “in a big rush” when they ran into the store, leaving the keys hanging from the driver’s side door.

“Stupid move on our part, but it was freezing and we ran in for literally 90 seconds,” Lucy wrote in an email. “We were running late and it was a dumb mistake.”

Lucy came out of the store, saw that the car was gone and called the police. The police took a report, but have so far not been able to locate the stolen car.

“[The] good news is we’re fully insured and no one was hurt,” Lucy wrote. “Some valuables in the car, but all replaceable. No sighting by anyone on who stole the car as it probably just looked like an owner since they had the keys.”

Despite being the victim of a crime, Lucy has been able to find humor in the situation. She described her stolen two-door Mitsubishi as “a total s–t car” and noted that “we’re not upset about it… it’s actually sort of funny.”

Lucy added that she hopes others will learn from her dumb mistake.

“We just let our guard down living in the bubble of safe Arlington and want to send out a warning for others,” she wrote. “We’re city folk and only recently joined the more suburban scene (and love it). But, this was a reminder to not be idiots since crime can happen anywhere.”

Publicity May Have Prompted Rape Suspect to Turn Himself In

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police and other law enforcement agencies had been looking for a rape suspect Ronald P. Berton but it wasn’t until his mug shot was splashed across TV screens and computer monitors that the 36-year-old decided to turn himself in.

It’s not known for sure whether media attention helped convince Berton to surrender to police Sunday night — two days after police handed his photo over to local news organizations — but it certainly didn’t hurt.

“The media coverage around Berton’s warrant assisted with his arrest,” Arlington County police said in a statement. “This is an excellent example of citizens, the media, and law enforcement working together towards a safer community.”

Arlington Police Seek Rape Suspect

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:20 p.m. on 1/24/11 — Suspect Ronald P. Berton turned himself in to police last night, confirms police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

Earlier: Arlington Police have named a suspect in a sexual assault case from September.

The incident occurred on Sept. 26 on the 2500 block of 20th Road North.

Police say Berton, 36, walked into an apartment through an unlocked front door and found a woman sleeping. He sexually assaulted the woman, stole items from the apartment and then fled the area, according to police.

Investigators have used DNA evidence to link Berton with a similar crime that occurred in 2008.

Police say a woman was sleeping when Berton entered her Colonial Village apartment on the morning of Sept. 10, 2008. According to investigators, Berton threatened the woman with a knife and then exposed himself to her. He left without taking anything or hurting the victim, police said.

A police press release at the time included a composite sketch that resembles a photo of Berton provided by police this afternoon.

Berton is described as 5’11” and 170 lbs. He’s wanted for rape and several other charges.

Anyone who spots Berton is asked to call police:

If you see Ronald Berton, you should immediately call 9-1-1. Anyone with additional information on Berton’s location is urged to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Michael Austin at (703) 228-4241. Det. Austin can also be reached by email at [email protected].

Man Dies After Falling From Secure Office Building

By ARLnow.com

A man died this morning after falling from a secure government office building in Crystal City. Initial reports suggest the man may have purposely jumped from a second floor balcony into an outside stairwell adjacent to Crystal Drive.

The building, which houses a number of Department of Defense offices, is located at the corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street. Arlington County Police, Pentagon Police and other federal law enforcement officers were at the scene of the incident, which occurred shortly after 11:00 this morning.

Shortly before the incident, a Twitter user reported seeing a man in a suit jump onto the tracks at the Crystal City Metro station as a train was approaching. The man then jumped back onto the platform and ran out of the station, the user said. It’s currently not known if the two incidents are connected.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Ice Causing Big Problems for Drivers in Arlington Forest

By ARLnow.com

Police are urgently calling in salt trucks to the Arlington Forest neighborhood, where a number of cars have been sliding down a steep hill on North Edison Street.

Cops are starting to block off access to the road in the area of Carlin Springs Road and North Emerson Street. They’re reporting on the radio that the street is coated with ice.

At least two cars are reported to have been involved in a collision, and at least one county vehicle is stuck at the bottom of the hill.

Update at 9:55 a.m. — Dangerous, icy conditions are also being reported in the area of South Hayes Street and Fort Scott Drive in Aurora Hills.

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