Everybody knows that parking enforcement is strict in Arlington. So strict, apparently, that even this Crown Vic with an Arlington Police vest inside got ticketed on Clarendon Boulevard, near the Whole Foods.
We’ve also heard of federal government vehicles getting ticketed.
Unanswered question: If it was indeed a police vehicle, will Arlington use tax dollars to pay the fine to themselves?
Early this morning, police responded to the small shopping center at the corner of Columbia Pike and Glebe Road for a report of men throwing rocks through the front windows of several stores. One of the two stores targeted was Mom’s Pizza Restaurant. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
MISSILE INTO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING (SERIES) 09/01/10, 3200 block of Columbia Pike. On September 1 at 1:45 am, two subjects threw rocks into two occupied businesses, and two unoccupied businesses. Guillermo Rodriguez, 29, of Washington D.C., was charged with Drunk in Public. He was held until sober. Harris Rivera, 30, of Washington D.C., was charged with two counts of Throwing a Missile into an Occupied Dwelling and three counts of Destruction of Property. He was held without bond.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
Less than two weeks ago we warned you about the misleading parking meters in front of 1400 North Uhle Street, which seemed to suggest that you could park there on Saturday mornings. Which you can — until 5:00 a.m., when your car gets towed and you get fined (the result of parking restrictions for the Courthouse farmer’s market).
In any event, it seems that someone was listening. The meters have new stickers on them that indicate that parking is enforced Monday through Friday. The new stickers originally said there’s free parking on Saturday and Sunday, but the “SAT.” is crossed off.
Question: Is that enough? Or should there be a sticker on the meter itself indicating that parking is restricted and towing enforced on Saturday mornings (in addition to the “reserved for farmer’s market” signs on either side of the building)?
Update at 12:20 p.m. — Police have provided more details and this sounds more like mischief than malevolence. The suspect touched the girl’s rear end, then mooned her and her companion before running away, police say.
We’re hearing that police are investigating an attempted sex assault that occurred just before 1:00 last night in the Williamsburg neighborhood of north Arlington.
According to initial reports, a man in his late teens or early 20s dropped his pants and then grabbed the victim, a 17-year-old girl.
It happened at the intersection of North Tacoma Street and Williamsburg Blvd. A police K-9 was brought in to try to track the subject — no word yet on whether any arrests have been made.
Today’s complaint of the day isn’t so much a complaint so much as an amusing call to police.
Apparently, a neighbor called police after hearing noises coming from an apartment. The apartment in question belongs to a woman who’s diabetic, and the neighbor thought she might be having some sort of diabetic emergency. The caller said it sounded like the woman was yelling “yes, yes, yes.”
Shockingly, the woman did not come to the door when the neighbor knocked.
Arlington police and firefighters were dispatched to the scene.
This week’s Arlington County Crime Report contains a five creepy incidents that all occurred in north Arlington. Four incidents happened at night, but one happened yesterday in Ballston during the day. In the first incident, at least the suspect had the good sense to apologize.
SEXUAL BATTERY 08/22/10, 700 block of N. Wayne Street. On August 22 at 2:15 am, an unknown man approached a woman from behind and put his hand up her skirt. The victim confronted the suspect and he apologized and left the area. The suspect is described as an African American male in his late 20’s, 5’7″, wearing a black tank top and dark basketball shorts.
ATTEMPT SEXUAL BATTERY 08/24/10, 4300 block of Fairfax Drive. On August 24 at 3:45 pm, a woman was walking in a parking garage when an unknown suspect reached under her skirt. The suspect fled when she yelled. He is described as an African American male in his late 20’s, 5’8″ wearing dark clothing.
PEEPING TOM 08/21/10, 1200 block of N. Quinn Street. On August 21 at 2:45 am, a woman heard a noise outside her bedroom window. When she looked outside, a man wearing light colored pants fled from the area.
PEEPING TOM 08/21/10, 1600 block of N. 21st Street. On August 21 at 12:50 am, a witness saw an unknown man looking in apartment windows. The suspect was a tall and thin white male in his 20’s wearing a dark t-shirt and shorts.
PEEPING TOM 08/22/10, 1600 block of N. 21st Street. On August 22 at 10:30 pm, a woman noticed an unknown person peering into her apartment. There is no suspect description.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
Do you want to get your car towed to a spot 50 feet away and get fined $50 for the privilege? Then by all means park in front of this office building in Courthouse overnight tonight.
The reason for the towing may not be a surprise to patrons of Saturday morning’s Courthouse farmers market. But it is a surprise to many people who park in the far southwest corner of the large county parking lot Friday night, not looking for the special farmers market parking notice on either side of the seven otherwise unremarkable metered spaces.
Nothing on the meters indicates that marking is restricted on Saturday. In fact, the meter indicates that parking is enforced from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, when it is in fact reserved for the farmers market from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Want to fight the ticket? Well, you can do that if you can get out of work for the better part of a weekday morning — and if you’re willing to pay $61 in court costs if you lose the appeal.
Do yourself a favor, avoid parking in front of 1400 North Uhle Street tonight.
Disclosure: Yes, this was written from first-hand experience. And yes, I’ve already paid the fine. This post was written in the hopes that others won’t make the same costly error. For the record, there were at least two other cars that suffered the same fate as mine on this particular weekend.
A missile flew into occupied dwelling in Arlington last Wednesday, according to this week’s Arlington County Crime Report. And by missile, police are referring to a ring of keys.
MISSILE INTO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING-ARREST 08/11/10, 5100 block of S. 8th Road. On August 11 at 10 pm, a woman threw a ring of keys through the living room window in an attempt to hit the male inside. Makeba Sturge, 23, of Arlington, was charged with Throwing a Missile Into an Occupied Dwelling, and given a $500 bond.
Elsewhere, we learn what the large police response to a house on North Manchester Street was all about last week.
ASSAULT ON POLICE-ARREST 08/11/10, 200 block of N. Manchester Street. On August 11 at 4 pm, an officer responded for a parking complaint, and discovered that the owner of the car was wanted. The suspect assaulted the officer and attempted to flee. He was arrested at the scene. Jose Santos Vasquez, 35, of Arlington, was charged with Assault on a Police Officer and was served with the warrant for Working Without a License. He was held on a $3,500 bond.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
A late-night knock on the door led to a robbery and sexual assault in a south Arlington hotel room, according to information released by police today.
On Saturday night, investigators say a man knocked on the door of a hotel room at the Best Western (2480 South Glebe Road). When one of the two women who were inside the room at the time opened the door, the man forced his way in. He sexually assaulted one of the women then made off with electronics and money, according to a police statement.
Update on 8/19 — Fox 5 reports that the victims were a mother and daughter — in their 50s and 70s — visiting from Canada.
From the press release:
The suspect is described as an African American male approximately 40 years old, 5’8″ and 180 lbs. He appeared unshaven and was wearing a grey t-shirt with a design on it, tan cargo shorts, white shoes and a black baseball cap.
Anyone who has information about this robbery or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Detective Donald Fortunato of the Arlington County Police Department at (703) 228-4197. Det. Fortunato can also be reached by email at [email protected].
Witnesses can also call Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Callers to Crime Solvers do not have to give their names and do not need to testify in court.
Most people arrested for crimes in Arlington live outside Arlington, according to police department booking records.
In 2009, Arlington police arrested 4,599 individuals for crime ranging from eluding to homicide. Of those, only 1,731, or 37.6 percent, listed Arlington as their city of residence.
The remaining 62.4 percent either lived elsewhere or did not list a fixed address.
According to police, 538 individuals listed no fixed address — which amounts to 11.7 percent of all arrests.
Comparable statistics were not available from neighboring jurisdictions.
(Updated on 12/23/21 at 11:35 am.) An Arlington man was arrested outside the Wachovia Bank in Ballston Saturday morning after police say he passed a note demanding money.
[Name redacted], 54, was arrested outside the bank at Fairfax Drive and North Stafford, across from the IHOP. Police say he passed the note to a bank employee around 10:20 a.m.
[Redacted] was charged with robbery and held without bond.
Ballston was the scene of another bank robbery back in April. The HSBC bank was robbed by a white male who entered the bank and demanded cash. So far, police have not announced any arrests in the case.
