prostitution

Police: Potty Mouthed Prostitute Solicited Officer

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 9:30 p.m.) An Arlington County police officer had an unexpectedly eventful night on Wednesday, June 20, when he was approached by a prostitute with a potty mouth.

Police say the woman was at a bus stop in the 5000 block of Columbia Pike around 9:50 p.m., and started waving at the officer’s vehicle as he approached. The officer was in an unmarked car, wearing plain clothes.

According to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the woman leaned into the officer’s open window and said, “F–ky, f–ky.” The officer responded with, “Excuse me?” The alleged prostitute repeated, “F–ky, f–ky, 10 dollars.”

At that point, the officer called in the incident to headquarters and uniformed officers arrived on the scene to deal with 38-year-old Sherry Taylor of Arlington. Taylor was still at the scene and charged with solicitation and trespassing.

Crime Report: Woman Raped in Tara-Leeway Heights

By ARLnow.com

A woman was raped while visiting her sister in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood last Thursday, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The crime happened while the victim was visiting her sister’s apartment, in the basement of a home shared by several tenants, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. A man who lives in one of the rooms forced himself upon her while in one of the basement’s common areas, according to Sternbeck.

RAPE, 04/26/12, 2100 block of N. Patrick Henry Drive. At 3:30 pm on April 26, a victim was raped by a known subject at a multi-family residence. Carlos Montalban Pineda, 45, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with animate object sexual penetration.

On Saturday a man was arrested after police say he brandished a BB gun during a parking dispute at Gunston Middle School.

BRANDISHING A FIREARM, 04/28/12, 2700 block of S. Lang Street. On April 28 at 9:37 pm, a subject displayed a black handgun after arguing with the victim over a parking space. Officers located the suspect a short time later at a soccer field and learned the firearm was a BB gun. Mohamed Sesay, 30, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm on school property. He was held on no bond.

On Sunday, police responded to the Comfort Inn in Ballston for a report of two women who were advertising prostitution services on Backpage.com while using the hotel’s lobby computer. No arrests were made.

PROSTITUTION, 04/29/12, 1200 block of N. Glebe Road. At 8 pm on April 29, officers were alerted of two subjects engaged in prostitution at an area hotel. Upon arrival, it was learned that the subjects were placing online solicitations ads from the hotel lobby computer.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Expects Fewer Housing Dollars from Feds — Federal spending cuts and a reduction in poverty in Arlington have combined to result in a relatively steep drop in federal housing dollars for Arlington County. The county expects to receive $1.16 million in federal housing dollars in fiscal year 2013 — a nearly $400,000 drop compared to the prior year. [Sun Gazette]

‘Tebow Bill’ Advances in General Assembly — A bill that would allow home-schooled students in Virginia to play for public school sports teams has cleared a key legislative hurdle, reports the Associated Press. The bill’s nickname — the Tebow Bill — references NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who was home schooled but permitted to play on a public high school football team. [My Fox DC]

Fitch Affirms Arlington’s ‘AAA’ Rating — Bond rating agency Fitch has affirmed Arlington’s AAA debt rating in advance of an upcoming bond offering. Fitch praised Arlington’s “outstanding fiscal performance” and “exceptionally vibrant employment base” in a press release. “Conservative budgeting, timely tax and fee increases, and closely monitored expenditure controls consistently produce surplus operating results leading to solid reserve levels and liquidity,” the firm wrote. [Business Wire]

Prostitute Sexually Assaulted in Ballston — A prostitute was sexually assaulted at the Comfort Inn hotel on N. Glebe Road in Ballston on Wednesday, according to the Arlington County Police Department’s daily crime report. The woman did, however, manage to call her “bodyguard” during the attack. The bodyguard reportedly got in a scuffle with the woman’s attacker before the attacker fled the scene. [Patch]

Crystal City Man Convicted of Prostitute Attacks

By ARLnow.com

A man accused of forcing prostitutes to perform sex acts at gunpoint in Crystal City is facing a lengthy jail sentence after pleading guilty or being found guilty on an assortment of charges.

Last month, a pair of Arlington County Circuit Court juries found McKinley C. Joyner guilty on two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and one count of abduction with the intent to defile. He also entered an Alford plea on charges of rape, forcible sodomy and abduction.

Prosecutors say Joyner victimized three female escorts in two separate incidents between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2010. The women, who Joyner found via the web site Backpage.com, were each forced to engage in sexual activity at gunpoint at Joyner’s Crystal City apartment, according to prosecutors.

Joyner is facing up to 51 years in prison as a result of the convictions and the plea. His final sentencing dates are set for late next month.

Joyner’s legal troubles don’t end with there, however. He’s also facing a charge of possession with intent to distribute for the drug  N-Benzylpiperazine, also known as BZP or Legal X. A trial on that charge and an accompanying firearms charge is scheduled for March 27.

Prior to these alleged crimes, Joyner had a relatively clean record. Prosecutors say they were only aware of one past conviction — on a 1999 charge for possession of marijuana in Montgomery County, Md.

Even though the Joyner’s victims were prostitutes, prosecutors say that doesn’t diminish the serious nature of the crimes.

“These are difficult cases for a lot of reasons,” Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Lisa Bergman told ARLnow.com. “When you’re dealing with victims that are prostitutes, it obviously was our contention that they were worthy of the protection our system. And the jury came back and echoed that sentiment.”

Crime Report: Female Escort Sexually Assaulted

By ARLnow.com

A female escort was held against her will and sexually assaulted in a Crystal City hotel room last week, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.

ABDUCTION WITH INTENT TO DEFILE / SEXUAL ASSAULT, 01/19/12, 2000 block of S. Jefferson Davis Highway. On January 19, around 8 pm, a female escort was held against her will in a hotel room while an unknown male sexually assaulted her. The suspect is a black male, 30-39, 170 lbs.

This is the third time in recent memory that a crime against an escort has been reported in Crystal City. A local man was arrested on Nov. 4, 2010, after allegedly forcing two prostitutes to perform sex acts at gunpoint. Then on Dec. 15, 2011, a female escort was robbed of cash at gunpoint on the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway.

Also in Crystal City last week, several men are accused of going to a 23rd Street nail salon, then skipping out on the bill. One suspect even allegedly took $1,500 from an employee’s purse.

GRAND LARCENY, 01/18/12, 500 block of S. 23rd Street. On January 17 at 4 pm, five suspects entered a nail salon, received service and left without paying. While distracting salon staff, one of the subjects stole $1,500 cash from an employee’s purse. All suspects were black males, 25-30 years of age; however three were dressed in female clothes and wore wigs.

Finally, a young woman is accused of robbing a juvenile at gunpoint during a pot deal in the East Falls Church area.

ARMED ROBBERY, 01/24/12, 2600 block of N. Winchester Street. Shortly after 6 pm on January 24, an unknown female suspect brandished a handgun and robbed a juvenile for $100 cash during a marijuana deal. Immediately after, the female fled the scene in a green SUV driven by another party. The suspect is described as an Asian female, approximately 18 years old, 5’5″, 120lbs, with a dark mole under her left eye.

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

(more…)

Crime Report: Escort Robbed

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a female escort is robbed at gunpoint in Crystal City.

ROBBERY, 12/15/11, 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway. On December 15 at 10:50 am, a man brandishing a handgun robbed a female escort of cash. The suspect is described as an African American male in his late 20’s, 5’6″ and 180 lbs. He was wearing a white t-shirt reading “Myrtle Beach”, jeans, a black jacket, and a black knit cap.

The rest of this week’s crime report — including the trespassing charges against five BASE jumpers accused of climbing a radio tower near Big Walnut Park — after the jump.

(more…)

Six Detained at Columbia Pike Days Inn

By ARLnow.com

Six people were detained by police at the Columbia Pike Days Inn motel yesterday after a tip about prostitution led officers to a stolen vehicle.

Officers investigating a tip about prostitution activity at the Days Inn discovered an SUV that had been reported stolen out of Pennsylvania in the parking lot, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. Officers kept an eye on the SUV and, when several people got in and started to drive off yesterday afternoon, police swooped in in dramatic fashion, blocking the vehicle in and handcuffing the occupants.

Six people — four women and two men — were detained. As of this morning, charges have still not yet been filed against the six suspects, we’re told.

NBC4 — which had a photographer on the scene within minutes of the arrests — led its 11:00 p.m. newscast with the story. The station’s website says the arrests were related to a “suspected prostitution ring in Arlington.”

Board Approves Deregulation of Massage Businesses

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to deregulate the local massage industry.

Massage practitioners have been required to obtain county permits to perform massages and to operate a massage parlor in Arlington since the mid-1970s. At that time, massage parlors were often viewed as fronts for prostitution businesses.

That licensing process is now “superfluous,” according to county staff, because the Virginia Board of Nursing has been doing its own licensing for massage therapists since 1997. Plus, officials say, prostitution isn’t nearly as endemic as it once was in the massage industry.

“The whole field of massage has evolved and changed incredibly in the past couple of decades, such that there are a lot of very legitimate medical practitioners out there using massage for all kinds of health reasons,” Deputy County Manager Marsha Allgeier told ARLnow.com in September.

The Board agreed with county staff’s recommendation to do away with the massage licensing ordinance.

“This code is outdated, degrading and redundant,” Board member Jay Fisette said, adding that eliminating the ordinance would be an example of the Board following its New Years promise to break down some of “the barriers to small business.”

Before the Board’s vote last night, regulations required massage therapists to submit a form, a $50 fee, a massage school diploma or certificate, two passport size photos, a Virginia massage therapist certificate and an FBI record check including fingerprints. Now, message practitioners will only need a state license.

Arlington County Police will still investigate any accusation of prostitution activity related to a message business, county staff said.

Arlington May Deregulate Local Massage Businesses

By ARLnow.com

Arlington may be getting out of the business of licensing massage practitioners in the county.

The County Board is expected to vote in October on a request to advertise an ordinance change that would no longer require massage therapists to obtain a permit from the county’s health department. Instead, local massage therapists will only have to be certified by the state.

Arlington County’s massage regulation started decades ago, in response to a proliferation of prostitution operations masquerading as massage parlors. County officials say those days are largely past, and its time to look at massage therapists in a new light.

“The whole field of massage has evolved and changed incredibly in the past couple of decades, such that there are a lot of very legitimate medical practitioners out there using massage for all kinds of health reasons,” Deputy County Manager Marsha Allgeier told ARLnow.com. “In a way, it’s kind of an archaic law that we’re getting rid of… the old way of looking at massage therapists really does have to change.”

Allgeier said that the Arlington County Police department, not the health department, will be responsible for making sure that massage businesses — like the recently-opened Arlington Physical Center on Columbia Pike — are on the up and up.

“If there are illegal activities going on — that is, prostitution — that it needs to be treated as a police matter,” Allgeier said. “That’s the way to deal with the illegal activity that’s going on, not by requiring all massage professionals to go through an unnecessary… bureaucratic licensure process.”

Current regulations require massage practitioners to apply for a county Massage Therapist Permit by submitting a form, a $50 fee, a massage school diploma or certificate, two passport size photos, a Virginia massage therapist certificate and an FBI record check including fingerprints.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Guilty Plea in Arlington Child Prostitution Case — A former Westfield Wheaton mall security guard has pleaded guilty to enlisting a 16-year-old Arlington girl in his prostitution service. The 31-year-old Silver Spring man was accused of having sex with the girl, taking explicit photos of her and ordering her to have sex with eight men in Virginia and Maryland. [Gazette.Net]

Former O’Connell Teacher’s Car Found — The car of a former Bishop O’Connell High School teacher, missing since mid-June, has been found in a Rosslyn parking garage. The family of Tom Duesterhaus, who was last seen in Virginia Beach a day after the car was parked in the garage, says the discovery will likely not help with the search. [Patch]

Arlington Man’s Stamp Issued — Bill Bond, an Arlington resident and World War II veteran, designed “Owney the Postal Dog,” a new “Forever” stamp put into circulation by the United States Postal Service last week. [Beyond the Perf]

Planetarium Upgrades Could Begin Soon — Renovations to Arlington’s 45-year-old David M. Brown Planetarium, saved by private donations, could begin as soon as this fall. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Randy Realtor Charged With Unlawful Entry

By ARLnow.com

A real estate agent has been arrested after Arlington County police say he solicited the services of a prostitute inside a vacant, for-sale home.

Springfield, Va. resident Dennis [REDACTED], 55, was charged with unlawful entry and solicitation of prostitution after being apprehended on the 3700 block of South 2nd Street on Friday, March 11. Cops say they were tipped off when someone called to report a suspicious vehicle next to the home.

“Police were alerted when people saw a car in the driveway that did not belong there,” said police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

Nosal said that [REDACTED] was not the “listing agent” on the home, but had access via a key box on the door.

[REDACTED] has 24 years of real estate experience and is noted for his “award winning service,” according to a profile on the Coldwell Banker web site. He was held on a $5,000 bond.

The arrest was listed in this week’s Arlington County crime report.

View More Stories