stolen vehicle

Crime Report: Driving a Stolen Car While Drunk Is a Bad Idea

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Here’s a public service announcement, inspired by this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report: if you’re driving a stolen car, the least you can do is refrain from driving it while drunk.

An Ohio woman was arrested near the Virginia Square Metro station early Monday morning for allegedly doing just that.

RECOVERED STOLEN AUTO, 161024006, 3700 block of N. Fairfax Drive. At approximately 2:32 a.m. on October 24, an officer conducted a routine traffic stop. Upon investigation, it was determined that the vehicle was reported stolen. Maureen Elizabeth Burke, 22, of Xenia, Ohio, was arrested and charged with grand larceny auto and driving while intoxicated. She is being held without bond.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

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Pizza Delivery Driver’s Car Stolen Mid-Delivery

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA pizza delivery driver’s car was stolen while he was making a delivery in Courthouse yesterday afternoon.

Working with the Metropolitan Police Department, Arlington County Police say there were able to locate the vehicle in D.C. and take the suspect into custody.

From an ACPD crime report:

GRAND THEFT AUTO, 160428031, 1400 block of N. Uhle Street. At approximately 1:10 p.m. on April 28, a pizza delivery vehicle was stolen while the driver was on a delivery. Officers were able to locate the vehicle in Washington D.C. With the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Warrants were obtained for grand larceny auto for James Lee Thomas III, 38, of Washington D.C.

Police: Drunk Woman Steals Car from Rosslyn Hotel, Calls Cops on Herself

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn Hyatt (photo via Google Maps)(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) An Arlington woman spent part of Valentine’s Day in jail after police say she stole a car following a trip to a local taco restaurant.

Samantha, 22, told police she was intoxicated when she took an Uber to District Taco in Rosslyn Saturday night, intent on grabbing some food. Afterward, she walked down to the Hyatt hotel, on the 1300 block of Wilson Blvd, milled about a bit and then allegedly stole a car from the valet.

Samantha’s next recollection, according to police, is waking up in the back seat of the car around 1 a.m., in an unknown location in Arlington. She then drove home, went to sleep, and called police around 9 a.m. to come clean about what happened, said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Samantha has been charged with grand theft auto and was held on a $2,000 bond, according to a crime report.

RECOVERED STOLEN AUTO, 160214016, 1300 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 9:54 p.m. on February 13, an allegedly intoxicated female subject stole a vehicle outside of a HYATT hotel and drove it home. The subject informed police the next morning that she was in possession of a vehicle that was not hers. Samantha [Redacted], 22, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with grand theft auto. She was held on a $2000 unsecured bond.

Updated at 4:30 p.m. — Jeff Overand, an attorney for the suspect, says that Samantha was “involuntarily intoxicated and had been the victim of a sexual assault.” Police were called to a local hospital and took a report of a sexual assault Sunday evening, after the suspect was released from jail, ACPD confirmed after an inquiry from ARLnow.com. “That case is ongoing,” said Savage, the police spokeswoman. In light of this information, ARLnow.com has decided to redact the suspect’s last name.

Photo via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

D.C. sunrise, as seen from Arlington (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Brief Ebola Scare at EPA HQ — Hazmat and EMS teams were dispatched to the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Crystal City this morning for a possible Ebola patient. After an assessment by a doctor, it was determined that the patient — a man in his 50s — did not have the likely symptoms of Ebola.

Arlington Launches Startup Competition — Arlington County is partnering with the website Tech.Co to run a contest to attract new startups to Arlington. Starting today, startups can apply for the chance to receive three months of free work and living space, plus free legal advice and public transit funds. [Tech.Co, Arlington Economic Development]

Orange, Silver Line Delays — Inbound trains on the Orange and Silver lines are delayed due to a train with a door problem at the East Falls Church Metro station. [Twitter, Twitter]

Stolen Car Crashes in Fairlington — A stolen car crashed in a quiet Fairlington neighborhood early Tuesday morning, after fleeing from a traffic stop. The suspects fled the scene and police were unable to track them down. [Patch]

Arlington Artist Survey — Arlington Cultural Affairs is surveying local artists about their needs for space to create art. “We would like to understand the space requirements of artists so that we can optimize the use of our current facilities and plan for future growth… Arlington Cultural Affairs is working both internally and externally to ensure that Arlington’s cultural scene remains vibrant and engaging.” The survey deadline is Sept. 30. [Arlington Arts]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Crime Report: Purple Van Stolen

By ARLnow.com

Other than a notable bar fight in Ballston, this past week has been a rather slow one in Arlington crime-wise, at least according to the weekly county crime report.

One standout is a reported stolen vehicle. For some reason, someone stole an old purple van a couple of blocks from Campbell Elementary.

01/12/15, VA TX134307, 1996 Ford Econoline, Purple
5600 block of S. 7th Place

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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‘Bait Car’ Video Shows Arrests of Would-Be Thieves

By Katie Pyzyk

The Arlington County Police Department has released video showing would-be thieves getting arrested after getting into a police bait car.

According to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, Arlington was the first jurisdiction in the D.C. metro to start using bait cars, back in 2002. Since its inception, the bait car program has helped police levy 200 criminal charges, with a 100 percent conviction rate.

When a potential thief enters the car, it triggers an alarm that signals police, and the hidden camera starts recording. Sternbeck said most of the individuals are startled when approached by an arresting officer, and are usually compliant.

Police target certain parts of the county based on crime rates, and use vehicles popular with car thieves. The program is fully funded through insurance companies.

The youngest individual police have picked up in Arlington for allegedly attempting to steal a vehicle was 10-years-old. The youngest caught allegedly attempting to steal items from inside the vehicle was 7-years-old.

Stolen Pickup Truck Crashes into Park Fence

By ARLnow.com

A pickup truck that was reported stolen crashed into a fence in front of Hayes Park on Wednesday evening.

The incident happened just before 5:45 p.m., when police received a call for a truck that had crashed into a fence and a utility pole on the 1500 block of N. Lincon Street. The crash happened in front of Hayes Park and across from Arlington Science Focus school, in the Virginia Square neighborhood. The driver of the truck ran off after the accident, police were told.

After a short investigation officers determined that the truck’s owner had parked it with the keys still inside, and had just noticed that it was missing, according to police radio traffic. Police dogs were called in to try to track the suspect, but as of this morning there was no report of an arrest in the case.

Courtesy photo

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.”