Crime Report: Busy Weekend Edition
It was a very busy weekend for the Arlington County Police Department, as reflected in this week’s crime report.
Early Sunday morning, a man’s relaxing massage in Clarendon turned into anything but. According to the report, he allegedly robbed the masseuse and then, when police arrived, pulled a knife on officers. That move bought him some deep tissue stimulation courtesy of an officer’s Taser.
ASSAULT ON POLICE-ARREST 11/07/10, 3000 block of Washington Boulevard. On November 7 at 4:45 am, a man assaulted a woman that he had hired for a massage and also robbed her. When police approached him, he displayed a knife and was not compliant. An officer deployed a tazer and the suspect was taken into custody. Patrick Whitesell, 34, of Arlington was charged with Assault on Law Enforcement, Grand Larceny, Larceny from a Person and Assault and Battery. He was held without bond.
Thinking that getting assaulted by belligerent suspects sounds like a fun volunteer opportunity, one young man is accused of impersonating Johnny Law by installing police lights in his car.
IMPERSONATION OF POLICE-ARREST 11/05/10, 5200 block of S. 8th Road. On November 5 at 10:40 am, a man was seen driving a vehicle with police lights through traffic. Josue Chicas, 20, of Arlington, was charged with Impersonating a Police Officer. He was released on a summons.
Late Saturday night, a bridal shower got way out of control in Clarendon. After the glass bottles stopped flying, a 25-year-old Maryland woman was arrested.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT-ARREST 11/06/10, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. On November 6 at 11:30 pm, two women argued during a bridal shower at a bar. A glass bottle was thrown during the fight, and a bystander was struck in the face. Jazmine Geans, 25, of Lusby, MD, was charged with Disorderly Conduct. She was held on a $2,000 bond.
It was not a good weekend for cab drivers. One was carjacked, and another was assaulted with a belt.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING 11/07/10, 1800 block of N. Oak Street. On November 7 at 2:30 am, a man assaulted a cab driver with a belt rather than pay his fare. Nabil Guermoudi, 27, of Arlington, was charged with Malicious Wounding. He was held without bond.
CARJACKING-ARREST 11/07/10, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. On November 7 at 6 am, a man assaulted a cab driver, and then drove the cab away. Police apprehended the suspect. David Norman, 28, of Redondo Beach, CA, was charged with Carjacking. He was held without bond.
County Sets November Leaf Vacuum Schedule
If your neighborhood is filling up with leaves, don’t worry. Help is on the way.
Leaf bag collection started on Nov. 1 and will run through Jan. 14. Leaf bags — which must be biodegradable, not plastic — are collected in neighborhoods one business day after garbage collection. Free leaf bags are available at a number of community centers around the county.
Arlington will begin its vacuum leaf collection service on Monday. There will be a second round of leaf vacuuming in December, ending on Dec. 24.
See below for the dates when vacuum collection will start for specific neighborhoods.
November 15 — Alcova Heights, Arlington View, Ballston-Virginia Square, Boulevard Manor, Clarendon/Court House, Colonial Village, Columbia Heights, Columbia Heights West, Dominion Hills, Forest Glen, Forest Hills, Foxcroft Heights, Glen Carlyn, Langston Brown, Long Branch Creek, Nauck, North Highlands, North Rosslyn, Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights, Waycroft-Woodlawn
Big Bike Changes Planned for Pentagon City
Changes could be coming to Army Navy Drive that will make the intersection-laden and car-clogged stretch of road a lot friendlier to bicyclists.
This weekend, the county board is expected to accept $210,000 in federal grant money to help plan a bike route on the busy Pentagon City thoroughfare. The funds will also help plan a bike route on South Joyce Street that will connect Army Navy Drive, Columbia Pike and an existing pedestrian path.
Both routes are marked in yellow on the maps above.
County engineers currently envision a two-way bike lane on Army Navy Drive, made possible by narrowing the road’s comfortably wide lanes and shifting the median. South Joyce Street will likely only get a single bike lane, since its configuration is set by huge concrete structures that hold up the highways that run over it.
The grant-funded preliminary engineering phase is expected to last 8-9 months, according to Transportation Planning Bureau Chief Thomas Bruccoleri.
So far, no money has been made available for construction. Bruccoleri says the funds would most likely be allocated in the FY 2013 budget, meaning that the bike paths are at least a few years away.
Steal This Cocktail Recipe — It’s For a Good Cause
To help mark its upcoming 20th anniversary, Rosslyn Renaissance held an invite-only cocktail contest at the Hotel Palomar last night.
The neighborhood booster group pitted mixologists from three Rosslyn hotel bars against one another. Their goal: to concoct a drink worthy of being dubbed Rosslyn’s “Skyline cocktail.”
Guests sampled their spirits — multiple times, in some cases, to be thorough — and then voted for their favorite by placing dollar bills in each mixologist’s jar. The winner was the home team: with nearly 300 votes cast (and donated to A-SPAN) Hotel Palomar’s tropical, fruity cocktail beat out cocktails from the Marriott and the Hyatt.
With due respect to the Hotel Palomar, the Hyatt’s Michael Bryan was robbed. His cocktail, “At Ease,” was the a work of boozy art. Good news: if you weren’t there, you can either go to the Rosslyn Hyatt and order the drink, or make it yourself using the recipe below. Cheers!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 oz. Pernod
- 3/4 oz. Cognac (Bryan uses Courvoisier VS or Hennessey VS)
- 1/4 oz. Benedictine
- 3-4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
- 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Pour Pernod into an old fashioned glass. Add ice and let sit until Pernod turns opaque (this technique is called ‘louching’). Swirl Pernod so that it coast the inside of the glass and then dispose of excess mixture.
In a mixing glass, add the rest of the ingredients. Add ice. Strain mixing glass into Pernod-coated old fashioned glass.
Add a few cubes of ice, zest the rim of the glass with an orange peel, then drop the orange peel on top of the drink.
Photos courtesy of Monique O’Grady/Rosslyn BID
Attempted Robbery, Arlington Style
Only in Arlington would someone (allegedly) attempt a robbery using a wine opener as a weapon.
From ACPD:
ATTEMPT ROBBERY-ARREST, 11/8/2010, 2900 block of S. Glebe Road On November 6 at 11 pm, a man attempted to rob another man of money by threatening him with a wine opener. Police located the suspect. Carlos Leyton, 28, of Alexandria, was charged with Attempted Robbery and Possession of a Fake I.D. He was held without bond.
The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report should be released later today.
Happy Birthday, Marine Corps
Today is the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote the following on his blog to mark the occasion:
For 235 years, United States Marines have earned a privileged place in our hearts. For we know that when there is a tough job to do, we can “send in the Marines,” knowing that they will get the job done.
From Iwo Jima to Inchon, from Khe Sanh to Kandahar, Marines have always been ready to respond whenever and wherever the Nation calls … prepared to meet any challenge or foe … from sea to shore and beyond.
As long as the world is an unstable place, Marines will continue to fight and prevail with the high standards befitting their title … and with the spirit of the Corps that is in the DNA of every warrior privileged to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor.
To every Marine I say thank you. Thank you for your willingness to make the most profound commitment someone can make—to dedicate yourself completely to your service and your country. I also want to extend a special thanks to your families as well. The Marine Corps simply couldn’t be what it is without the extraordinary love and support of our Marine Corps families.
This week, in gatherings large and small, you will come together to honor the rich heritage of the Corps and the proud legacy of the Marines who have gone before you. On this occasion, a grateful Nation commends your service and joins you in celebration.
On behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Happy Birthday and Semper Fidelis!
Marines, what are you doing to celebrate?
Details About the Proposed Virginia Bag Law
Arlington’s Del. Adam Ebbin says he plans on introducing a bill that would impose a $0.05 fee on paper and plastic shopping bags, much like the current fee in place in the District.
Ebbin introduced the bill to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2009 and 2010, each time unsuccessful. He’s hoping for a different result in the upcoming 2011 legislative session.
If enacted into law, the bag fee would protect the environment, Ebbin said. Locally, he added, it would help make waterways like Four Mile Run cleaner.
When polled earlier this week, 52 percent of ARLnow.com readers supported a bag fee or ban.
Here’s the legislative summary of Ebbin’s 2010 bill, the Virginia Waterways Clean Up and Consumer Choice Act.
Paper and plastic bag fee. Imposes a fee of $0.05 on paper and plastic bags used by purchasers to carry tangible personal property from the place of purchase. Durable, reusable plastic bags and bags used for ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, leftover restaurant food, newspapers, dry cleaning and prescription drugs are exempt from the fee. Retailers are allowed to retain $0.01 of the $0.05 fee or $0.02 if the retailer has a customer bag credit program. The revenues raised by the fee will be deposited in the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund. Failure to collect and remit the fee will result in fines of $250, $500, and $1,000 for the first, second, third and thereafter offenses.
Morning Notes
Wilson Boulevard Paving – Paving on Wilson Boulevard between Courthouse and Clarendon tied up traffic for the better part of yesterday afternoon. At one point, the lone open lane was blocked thanks to a construction foreman arguing a parking ticket with a parking enforcement officer.
TangySweet’s Clarendon Salad Shop Gets Name — “Rabbit” is the new name of the salad component of the future TangySweet store in Clarendon. As we first reported in May, store owner Aaron Gordon wants Rabbit to “improve on the salad offerings of competitors like SweetGreen, Mixt Greens and Chop’t.” Rabbit’s opening date depends on the construction of the Clarendon Center project, in which it will be housed. Look for a March or an April opening, says the Washington City Paper.
Beer Garden Suggested for Rosslyn Gateway Park – The addition of an eatery or a beer garden is among the ideas proposed for sprucing up Rosslyn’s Gateway Park. More from TBD.
Redskins Visit Claremont Elementary — Redskins Clinton Portis and Brian Orakpo visited Claremont Elementary School yesterday as part of the NFL’s Play 60 initiative. “It’s nice to give back on my day off,” said Orakpo. More from NBC Washington and the Washington Post.
