Police Respond to Dispute at Kitty O’Shea’s
There was more bad blood over the shuttering of Courthouse-area Irish pub Kitty O’Shea’s (2403 Wilson Blvd) this afternoon.
The pub closed over the weekend, the culmination of a long legal battle between owner Danny McFadden and landlord Ray Schupp over McFadden’s lease. Today, just after 3:00 p.m., police were called to Kitty O’Shea’s for a dispute.
McFadden told ARLnow.com that he was moving items out of the building and got into a disagreement with the landlord over what belonged to whom. Police told the two parties to resolve the issue amongst themselves, McFadden said.
Within the past five minutes, police were called to the pub again after McFadden said the landlord had changed the locks.
Crime Report: …in the Back Edition
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, police say a man in the Columbia Forest neighborhood was stabbed in the back by young woman after he refused to give her money to buy drugs.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING-ARREST, 08/24/11, 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. On August 24 at 5:30 am, a woman stabbed a man in the back when he refused to give her money to buy narcotics. The two people were acquainted. Melissa Diaz Marty, 21, of Arlington, was charged with Malicious Wounding and Possession of Cocaine. She was held without bond.
On Monday, a woman walking down the street in the Westover area was hit in the back by an egg thrown from a passing vehicle.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 08/29/11, 5700 block of N. 16th Street. On August 29 at 8:30 pm, a woman was walking when an unknown subject threw an egg at her from a passing vehicle. The egg struck her in the back. The suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored four-door sedan.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Residents of Building Near Construction Collapse Scramble to Find New Homes
First they were forced to flee their apartments as the ground around it slid into a huge construction pit. Then they were told that the money to pay for their hotel rooms was being cut off. Now, about 30 residents of the Swansen Apartments, at 1625 N. Ode Street in Ft. Myer Heights, are being evicted from the still-condemned apartment building, as a three-way legal battle brews.
What started on Aug. 7 as a construction site mishap — the failed retaining wall, the muddy landslide, the threat that the apartment building might collapse — has gone from bad to worse for the Swansen residents, who say they were being told as late as Aug. 23 that they would be able to move back in to their Rosslyn-area apartment building.
That all changed on Aug. 26, residents say, with an email from landlord Mark Swansen.
Currently, the building has been condemned by Arlington County due to the failure of sheeting and shoring on the adjacent construction site which has damaged gas lines as well as the property on the north side of the building… You should make alternative living arrangements in light of the uncertain status of the building. No rents will be due commencing in September and we encourage you to utilize the rent monies to find new living arrangements. At this time, due to this unfortunate and unexpected turn of events, we do not have a reasonable timeline for when the building will be put back into a usable, safe and satisfactory condition, if ever. It is unfortunate that it has come to this, but your safety is our primary concern. Please make arrangements to remove any belongings from the building directly through this office.
The email, obtained by ARLnow.com, was copied to three email address from the D.C.-based law firm of Braude & Margulies, which specializes in construction law. Swansen declined to comment on the email when reached by phone, and has not responded to subsequent requests for comment.
The apartment building’s gas lines must be turned back on before residents can be allowed back in, according to Arlington County Inspections Services Division Chief Shahriar Amiri, but residents say that necessary gas line work has been held up thanks to wrangling between Swansen, Clark Construction and developer JBG.
(The construction pit, located along Wilson Boulevard between Ode Street and Oak Street, will eventually transformed into JBG’s planned Sedona and Slate apartment complex.)
“The construction company told us that the building was stable; however, the gas lines for our apartment building were not holding pressure and thus it would need to be replaced,” one resident told us. “Our landlord… stalled this from happening and did not give the construction company permission to work on the building. So, from that point on, no work has been done to the building.”
“The tenants… are likely being used as pawns in their legal maneuvers,” said the relative of one resident.
Swansen residents say they’ve been given until Sept. 24 to move their belonging out of the apartment. Meanwhile, they say that developer JBG, which has been paying for hotel rooms and meals at the nearby Courtyard Marriott hotel, notified them on Friday afternoon — a day before the arrival of Hurricane Irene — that they would no longer pay for the hotel after Tuesday morning. Later, JBG sent an email saying they were pushing the checkout date back a week, to Sept. 6.
Finding a new apartment in the area at that’s as affordable at the Swansen Apartments is providing to be very difficult, residents say.
“The issue here, is that our building was super affordable, and quite a steal for the area,” one resident said. “The neighborhood of Rosslyn easily runs for $2,000 for a one bedroom, and over $1,900 for a studio. This is about $600 more than what I was paying for the apartment with Swansen.”
Attempted Sexual Assault Near Courthouse
Arlington Police are looking for a man suspected of trying to sexually assault one woman and improperly touching another last Friday.
The crimes took place near the Rosslyn and Courthouse areas.
Police say the man is first suspected of running up to a woman on the 1700 block of N. Quinn Street, near the 7-Eleven store, and grabbing her buttocks. That happened around 11:20 Friday night.
Then, a half hour later, the man allegedly knocked a woman to the ground on the 1800 block of N. Veitch Street, a couple of blocks from the Courthouse Metro station. Police say the man covered the woman’s head with his shirt, pulled at her shirt and “asked for sex.” Another woman who was walking with the victim ran off and called police. Police describe the crime as an attempted sexual assault.
Here are the two incidents as described in Monday’s daily police report:
ATTEMPT SEXUAL ASSAULT, 08/27/11, 1800 block of N. Veitch Street. On August 26 at 11:50 pm, two women were walking when an unknown man ran up to them. He knocked one woman to the ground covering her head with his blue plaid shirt. The suspect pulled at her shirt and asked for sex. The second female ran and called police. The suspect is described as an African American male in his late 20’s and 5’10”. He was wearing a white t-shirt and carrying his other shirt.
SEXUAL BATTERY, 08/26/11, 1700 block of N. Quinn Street. On August 26 at 11:20 pm, a woman was walking when an unknown man ran up and grabbed her buttocks. The suspect was a man in his 30’s with a dark complexion, 5’10” with a thin build. He was wearing a blue or green plaid button up shirt. This suspect is similar in description to the above incident.
Video: Arlington’s Post-9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
On a cold and windy October day, less than a month after the 9/11 terror attacks, local leaders gathered near the Pentagon at Washington-Lee High School for a “Day of Remembrance and Appreciation.”
The event, hosted by NBC4′s Doreen Gentzler, featured speeches from first responders, from military brass and from county and state officials, including Arlington County Manager Ron Carlee, then-County Board Chair Jay Fisette, Gov. Jim Gilmore and Rep. Jim Moran.
Arlington County has uploaded the entire hour and a half video to YouTube, in advance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Fast forward to 55:30 to see a three-minute video presentation recounting the attack on the Pentagon and the emergency response that followed.
Pauly Shore Coming to the Drafthouse
Pauly Shore will be performing stand-up comedy at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) next month.
The former MTV host also has writer, producer and director on his resume, but he’s best known for his starring roles in mediocre 1990s comedies like Encino Man, Son in Law, In the Army Now, Jury Duty and Bio-Dome. More recently, Shore has had guest roles on TV series like Entourage and the short-lived “reality” show Sunset Tan.
Shore is scheduled for four performances (an early show and a late show) on Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17. Tickets are currently on sale for $25.
“Shore’s stand-up is sprinkled with autobiographical tidbits from his wacky life,” according to the Cinema Drafthouse’s web site. “His goal is to make sure the fans leave the show learning something about him.”
Morning Notes
Car on Fire on I-395 — A car caught fire on southbound I-395 near Boundary Channel around 9:30 last night. The car was fully-engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on scene. No injuries were reported
Sun Gazette: Thumbs Down to Board’s ‘Walmart’ Action — The County Board’s last-minute, unannounced vote at the end of its final meeting before the summer recess is getting a “thumbs down” in the opinion pages of the Sun Gazette. The Board voted to advertise hearings on a zoning ordinance amendment that would prevent large-format retailers like Walmart from building a store without prior Board approval. “County staff so far have been unable to explain what the rush is – they want to get this approved by the County Board later in the month – and exactly what problem they are trying to solve,” the paper opined. [Sun Gazette]
School Board Challenger Drops Out — Independent Green candidate for school board Andrea Ochoa has withdrawn from the race, according to Arlington elections officials. Incumbent Democrat Abby Raphael will now run unopposed.
Street Sign Mistakes — Typos happen, including on street signs in Arlington. Among the examples: “22rd Road,” “Chian Br. Road” and an unspecified misspelling of “school” on a parking sign. [Falls Church News-Press]
Photo courtesy of @cmags44
