Crime Report: Creeps, Bigots and Car Chases Edition
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a young man with a “baby face” exposed himself to a woman in Clarendon, followed her, and then ran off.
INDECENT EXPOSURE 04/05/11, 1000 block of N. Highland Street. On April 5 at 1 am, a woman was walking home when an unknown man jumped out from behind a tree. He exposed himself to her and followed her for a short time. The suspect is described as a white male around 20 years old, 5’8”, 140 lbs, with a “baby face”. He was wearing a dark sweater, jeans, and round gold framed glasses.
On Wednesday, March 30, a teenager in the Leeway Overlee area was spit on and called a racial slur by another teen.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY 03/30/11, 2400 block of N. Harrison Street. On March 30 at 5:25 pm, a teenager spit on the leg of another teenager and called him a racial slur. The suspect is described as a 17 year-old white male, 5’10” and 250 lbs. He was wearing jeans, a black baseball cap and black framed glasses.
Last Thursday two guys tried to flee from the police in the Penrose area. One of the suspects was caught and charged with pot possession and felony eluding.
ASSAULT ON POLICE-ARREST 03/31/11, 2300 block of S. 2nd Street. On March 31 at 2:30 am, police conducted a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle drove off while the officers were touching the vehicle. The driver and passenger fled on foot and left their car at a dead end. One subject was apprehended. Raymond Harris, 39, of Danville, was charged with Possession of Marijuana and Conspiring to Commit Felony Eluding. He was held without bond.
See the rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
The Day of Reckoning is Coming, According to RV Convoy
A slow-moving convoy of recreational vehicles drove through Arlington this afternoon declaring that the “day of reckoning” is coming.
A man with a bullhorn barked pronouncements of doom in passing, in case motorists were not able to see the graphics on the side of the half dozen RVs in the convoy.
We spotted the convoy driving south on Route 1 in the Crystal City area around 3:45 p.m. No word on where they were headed.
Update at 4:45 p.m. — Commenter CW has identified the likely culprits, who believe the apocalypse will come on May 21.
Car Crashes into House in Claremont
A Toyota Camry somehow hopped a curb, smashed a small stone wall and hit the side of a house in the Claremont neighborhood this afternoon.
The crash happened near the traffic circle at the intersection of S. Chesterfield Road and S. Dinwiddie Street, across the street from Wakefield High School. Only one vehicle was involved and there were no reported injuries. No word on whether any charges will be filed against the driver.
The car wound up in a homeowner’s garden, about five feet above street level. A large crack was visible in the base of the home’s brick chimney, about where the car struck, but it’s not known for sure whether it was actually caused by the collision.
Roads were temporarily blocked while a tow truck worked to extract the car from the yard. More photos, after the jump.
DEVELOPING STORY — Federal Shutdown Could Have “Severe Impact” on N. Virginia
On a conference call today, Rep. Jim Moran (D) said he believe the odds of a federal shutdown at the end of the week is about 50/50 — a dark omen for Arlington and other Northern Virginia jurisdictions whose economies rely heavily on federal employment.
If such a shutdown were to happen, Moran says he believes that furloughed federal employees would not be reimbursed for their time off due to Republican opposition to such a move. A shutdown could last several weeks and have a “severe impact” on the local economy, Moran warned.
“This is very, very, serious,” Moran said. “Federal employees need to understand that this is not 1995, when we closed down… and [employees] were fully reimbursed.”
“About a million federal employees will not be working, and it is highly unlikely they will ever be reimbursed,” Moran continued. “Not only is this going to hurt the overall economy in the metropolitan Washington area that I represent, but it is going to have a very severe impact on employee’s abilities to make their mortgage payments, their car payments, etc.”
“Every private sector element in my district’s economy is going to be adversely affected,” Moran added.
Others on the conference call pegged the number of federal employees who would be furloughed during a shut down at around 800,000 nationwide, including Department of Defense civilians. Moran said the impact would likely to extend to government contractors.
“If this continues I think there’s going to be a number of smaller contractors that will simply go out of business because the [federal agencies] aren’t giving them the kind of cash flow they need to survive,” he said. Backing up that suggestion, Moran’s office pointed out that 20 percent of government contracts in the D.C. area were adversely affected during the 1995 shutdown.
Taste of Arlington Adds Craft Beers to the Menu
Arlington’s largest food festival is adding a selection of craft beers to its menu.
Taste of Arlington features dozens of local restaurants and draws a crowd of thousands to the stretch of Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall. In years past the beer selection at the event has been limited, but organizers say they’re now “trying to make the drink selection as diverse as the food selection.”
A craft beer distributor will be bringing ten different brews to the festival, including varieties of Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Newcastle, Ommegang, Saranac, Franziskaner, Breckenridge, Gordon Biersch, Shiner and Magic Hat. As before, wine will also be available.
Now in its 24th year, Taste of Arlington will be held from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. Admission is free but tickets are required to sample the food and drinks. Tickets are currently for sale online for $20. Tickets sold on the day of the event are $25.
See a list of participating restaurants, after the jump.
Lyon Village Parking Restrictions In the Works?
What started as a fight over planned parking restrictions on one Lyon Park street seems to be spreading.
Last week, residents of N. Danville Street and several other Lyon Village streets noticed county staff measuring street widths. Staff were reportedly checking to see if the streets were too narrow for trash trucks and fire trucks, as was the case with N. Edgewood Street in Lyon Park.
According to Lyon Village Citizens Association President H.K. Park, the county is considering restricting parking to one side of Danville and other neighborhood streets that county staffers have deemed too narrow. On Monday, the LVCA will meet to discuss the possible parking changes with county staff.
According to an email sent to residents, the meeting will address:
- “The justification for this new policy–whether your street may be next and how the county will select which side.”
- “The frequency of garbage truck and fire truck problems.”
- “How this policy comports with policies that encourage fewer driveways and garages and more on-street parking.”
- “Whether any accommodation will be made for handicapped, elderly, and parents with infants who need close access to cars.”
- “Whether the ‘problem’ is caused primarily by construction, commuter, and other non-resident vehicles that might be regulated in some other way.”
- “Possible unintended consequences of any such restrictions, such as making it easier for cars to cut through the neighborhood and travel at higher speeds.”
Representatives from several other civic associations have said they plan to attend the meeting “because they believe their neighborhoods are next,” according to Park.
Among those who will be in attendance is Natalie Roy, president of the Lyon Park Citizens Association.
Body Found In Front of Ballston Building
(Updated at 10:10 p.m.) Police are investigating a body found in front of Randolph Towers (4001 9th Street N.) in Ballston.
A man died after jumping or falling from the building, according to police. The death is being investigated as a possible suicide.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.
Park Closure Update
Work is getting underway on the upper fields of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, to address a problem with the light poles.
The fields will be closed from sunrise to 3:00 p.m. for at least three weeks due to the light pole problem, which we first reported on March 9.
Work is already underway at Utah Park, in Fairlington. The park has also been closed due to light pole issues, but is expected to reopen by April 15, the start of the county’s sports season.
Meanwhile, the Powhatan Springs Skatepark will be closed from April 11 to May 27 for repairs to the concrete. The light pole and concrete issues were all found during routine inspections, according to Parks Department spokesperson Susan Kalish.
Morning Notes
Kaine Announces U.S. Senate Candidacy — Former Virginia governor Tim Kaine has quit his job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee to run for the U.S. Senate in Virginia. Kaine is running for the seat of the retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D). Announced Republican candidates for the seat include former governor George Allen and state Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke. [Washington Post]
Sorority to Hold Chili Cook-Off and Bingo Fundraiser — The Northern Virgina alumnae chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority will hold a chili cook-off and bingo fundraiser at the Lyon Village Community House (1920 N. Highland Street) on Saturday night. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. and benefits the blind and visually-impaired. Tickets are available online for $25 apiece. [Clarendon Nights]
Murky Coffee Tax Cheat Moves West — Former Murky Coffee owner Nick Cho has packed up and moved to California. Cho, who owes Arlington County $56,000 in back taxes from his Clarendon cafe, is trying to relaunch his coffee career in the Silicon Valley area. In addition to his Arlington debts, Cho owes D.C. about $190,000 in back sales taxes. [Washington Post]
Thank You! — A big thank you to everyone who voted for ARLnow.com in TBD’s #DCjournotweeps poll. ARLnow.com editor Scott Brodbeck narrowly edged out WTOP’s Neal Augenstein for the title of “best journalist using Twitter to cover local news.” [TBD]
Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99
