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Florida woman faces litany of charges after reported break-in and standoff

Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

(Updated at 4 p.m.) A Florida resident is facing 19 separate charges after police responded to a residential break-in yesterday.

Police were first dispatched to a home on N. Powhatan Street, in the Highland Park-Overlee Knolls neighborhood, around 4 p.m. for a reported burglary in progress. It’s unclear how that incident ended, but officers responded back to the same block just over three hours later and a standoff ensued.

“At approximately 7:23 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2300 block of N. Powhatan Street for the report of suspicious circumstances,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, the incident was determined to be a burglary in progress. Responding officers gave the female suspect commands to exit the residence which she refused to comply with and remained inside.”

Neighbors took note of the activity, with someone posting on the Ring Neighbors website that “ACPD currently has about 5 squad cars and 5+ officers standing outside a residence holding the door at gunpoint.”

“Officers continued to provide commands and subsequently took the suspect into custody,” Savage said. “She was taken into custody at approximately 8:49 p.m.”

Officers were subsequently dispatched to the home for evidence collection and scene security.

The suspect, Vivian Vann, is being held at the Arlington County jail on an array of charges, with alleged crimes in Arlington starting on Sept. 18.

“During a search of her property, police recovered identifications, credit cards and other documents related to fraudulent activity,” an ACPD crime report released Thursday afternoon added. “The investigation also determined the suspect had allegedly entered a residence in the 1400 block of S. Quincy Street.”

According to court and jail records, the charges against Vann include:

  • Grand larceny auto (x2)
  • Forging public records (x4)
  • Obtaining money or property >=$1,000 by false pretenses
  • Impersonating a law enforcement officer
  • Identity theft (x3)
  • Identity theft with over $1,000 in losses and 5+ victims, resulting in the arrest of a victim
  • Unlawful entry
  • Burglary
  • Credit card forgery
  • Procuring a vehicle with intent to defraud
  • Manufacturing, selling and/or possessing fake identification (x2)
  • Financially exploiting a mentally incapacitated person

Vann — listed as a resident of Dania Beach, Florida — is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 18, after an arraignment today.

News articles and court records show that she has faced a variety of theft, identity theft and fraud charges in Florida and elsewhere dating back to 2003 and as recently as 2022.

Hat tip to Matthew Young