Jared Serre | ARLnow

Arlington police warn of fake ‘missed deliveries’ and other scams

Published December 19, 2024 at 9:45AM

File photo

Arlington County police are urging residents to remain alert to a variety of commonly reported scams this holiday season.

Residents are encouraged to be suspicious of unsolicited communications, avoid clicking suspicious links and regularly monitor their bank accounts for unauthorized activity.

News

New chief public defender named for Arlington and Falls Church

By Jared Serre

Published December 18, 2024 at 9:45AM

Arlington chief public defender Allison Carpenter (staff photo by James Jarvis; photo via CUA)

A 15-year veteran of Arlington’s public defender’s office is now tasked with leading it.

Allison Carpenter has been named the new chief public defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, she confirmed to ARLnow on Tuesday.

Feature

Arlington-based company embraces AI to reform tech support

By Jared Serre

Published December 16, 2024 at 2:00PM

The Fixify team (photo courtesy of Fixify)

A company with Arlington roots is using AI to improve tech support for companies around the world.

A “new take on the IT help desk,” Fixify seeks to minimize the need for humans in resolving a range of problems that companies face, CEO and Arlington resident Matt Peters told ARLnow.

News

Security guard pleads guilty to shooting fleeing teen at Key Bridge Marriott

By Jared Serre

Published December 9, 2024 at 2:30PM | Updated December 10, 2024 at 10:44AM

Police on scene of the Key Bridge Marriott site after shooting, Nov. 2023 (photo courtesy anonymous)

A security guard has pleaded guilty to illegally shooting a trespassing teen at the Key Bridge Marriott site in Rosslyn.

Ahmed Namnoom, 54, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding last Thursday in Arlington circuit court, a charge that carries between one and five years in prison.

News

Man tied to mail thefts and Pentagon City robbery of postal worker is arrested

By Jared Serre

Published December 5, 2024 at 9:00AM | Updated December 5, 2024 at 11:25AM

Surveillance image allegedly showing Ibrahim Emmanuel De La Cruz during a package theft in Pentagon City, March 2024 (U.S. Attorney's Office, D.C.)

A man accused of robbing a postal carrier in Arlington before embarking on a series of mail thefts across the D.C. area has been arrested and is facing multiple charges.

Federal prosecutors believe that Ibrahim Emmanuel De La Cruz, 25, stole a universal key during the robbery and used it to improperly access nearly a dozen mailboxes across Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.

News

Ballston BID announces new CEO

By Jared Serre

Published December 2, 2024 at 11:15AM

Ballston BID CEO Danette Nguyen (photo courtesy of Ballston BID)

Five months after longtime leader Tina Leone stepped away, the Ballston Business Improvement District has named a new chief executive.

Danette Nguyen, formerly of the Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC), will helm the organization starting this Thursday, Dec. 5, the organization announced today.

News

Jury acquits Arlington father charged in death of 3-month-old

By Jared Serre

Published November 27, 2024 at 9:45AM | Updated November 27, 2024 at 10:08AM

Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

A jury has acquitted a 31-year-old Arlington man who had been charged with the murder of his 3-month-old daughter.

Jerard Stanley Hargrove was found not guilty of second-degree murder in Arlington County Circuit Court on Monday, more than a year and a half after he was indicted for the charge that would have carried a maximum of 40 years in prison.

Around Town

JUST IN: Mister Days has reopened in Clarendon

By Jared Serre

Published November 26, 2024 at 11:15AM

Mister Days in Clarendon (staff photo by Jared Serre)

One of Clarendon’s most storied nightlife brands is back after a five-year hiatus.

Mister Days Sports Rock Cafe opened its doors yesterday (Monday) at 1101 N. Highland Street — directly across the street from its former location, which closed in 2019.

News

Video: Alleged porch pirate absconds with sand-filled backpack in Bluemont

By Jared Serre

Published November 22, 2024 at 9:45AM

The suspect in an alleged porch piracy theft in Bluemont (courtesy anonymous)

Waking up one morning earlier this month, a Bluemont resident found himself down a backpack and a pair of shoes.

The items were airing out on a porch on 6th Street N., having been sprayed with bug spray, and were nowhere to be found come daybreak, the victim told ARLnow. Surveillance footage captured a suspect approaching and walking off with the items after midnight.

News

Suspect accused of crawling into Falls Church store to swipe $3K in wine

By Jared Serre

Published November 21, 2024 at 1:15PM

The suspect in the burglary of Dominion Wine and Beer (photo courtesy of Arash Tafakor)

An unusually determined suspect is accused of stealing about $3,000 worth of wine from a Falls Church store, after several hours of preparation.

The overnight intruder is believed to have smashed a window at Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church last week before cutting a hole in a wine cabinet and climbing through it to access the store, owner Arash Tafakor told ARLnow.

News

Arrest made in crime spree involving four Columbia Pike armed robberies

By Jared Serre

Published November 14, 2024 at 1:15PM | Updated November 14, 2024 at 3:59PM

A suspect, identified by prosecutors as Antonio Kingsbury, robs a Subway on Columbia Pike (via U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)

A man accused of carrying out a spate of armed robberies across the D.C. area — including four in Arlington — has been arrested.

Antonio Kingsbury, 36, is accused of committing at least 17 armed robberies between Jan. 9 and Nov. 7, including at several establishments along Columbia Pike, according to federal prosecutors.

News

ACPD to conduct ‘high-visibility’ enforcement tomorrow as part of safety campaign

By Jared Serre

Published November 13, 2024 at 11:15AM | Updated November 13, 2024 at 11:33AM

Rainy evening commute in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A pair of traffic enforcement events will be happening in Arlington in coming days as part of a fall safety campaign.

The Arlington County Police Department has scheduled two “high-visibility traffic education and enforcement activations” in connection to the region-wide “Street Smart” campaign, including one tomorrow: