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School’s Out for Summer — Today is the last day of school for elementary students in Arlington. High school students had their last day on Wednesday and middle school students had their last day on Thursday. [YouTube]

Man Charged With Pentagon Shootings — Alexandria resident Yonathan Melaku, 22, has been charged with destruction of property and firearm violations in five separate shootings at Northern Virginia military installations last year. Melaku was arrested in Arlington National Cemetery last Friday, authorities say, with a backpack containing a ammonium nitrate, a key component in certain explosives, and a notebook containing referencing Al Qaeda and jihad. Sources tell Fox News that Melaku was “self-radicalized through the internet,” but there’s “no indication he was planning to harm individuals.” [FBI, Fox News]


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When employees at one of those facilities — the YMCA Arlington Tennis & Squash Center at 3400 N. 13th Street — first heard yesterday that two men had finally been arrested for Carl’s 2009 murder, at least one woman burst into tears.

“We’ve all been sort of waiting around and hoping [police] find who did it,” said Audrey Giberman, who works at the Tennis Center and who formed a close bond with Carl through the years. “He’s always been on our mind. It was a horrible, horrible tragedy.”


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Diener, a 57-year-old Lyon Village resident, was found lying dead on a Clarendon street early on the morning of Dec. 29, 2009. Late last year, friends and family held a vigil to mark the one year anniversary of Diener’s death, and to draw public attention to the police department’s continued effort to find clues about the case. With today’s announcement, those efforts seem to have paid off.

The two men arrested are both in their early 20s. One was arrested in Montgomery County, Md. and the other was arrested in the District, according to police.


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In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a young woman was allegedly attacked by a man near Shirlington.

ABDUCTION-ARREST, 05/31/11, 2600 block of S. Arlington Mill Dr. On May 31 at 11 pm, a man grabbed a young woman walking and pulled her to the ground. The suspect covered her mouth with his hand, but she fought back and was able to run from the area. Police located the suspect. Marvin Mejia, 40, of no fixed address, was charged with Abduction and Assault and battery. He was held without bond.


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Police say 28-year-old Juanita Maxwell ignored orders to stay in her vehicle, then refused to comply with other police commands. According to the police report, she called 911 and then fought officers as they attempted to place her under arrest.

Maxwell was charged with resisting arrest and false summoning of law enforcement. She also received summons for an HOV violation and a window tint violation. She was released on a $1,250 bond.


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Police have apprehended a suspect after a foot chase through Ballston.

Initial reports suggest that a man fled on foot from some sort of incident in Ballston Common Mall while armed with a knife. Police chased the suspect for several blocks. He was finally apprehended near Carpool restaurant (4000 Fairfax Drive).


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(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) An Arlington man has been arrested and accused of running an international drug ring.

Federal prosecutors say Yonis M. Ishak of Arlington was the leader of a criminal conspiracy that imported millions of grams of the illegal African drug Khat into the United States from England, Holland and Canada. Public records show that Ishak lived in an apartment on the 2000 block of N. Vermont Street in Waverly Hills.


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Two men were arrested on exposure charges in this week’s Arlington County crime report.

EXPOSURE-ARREST, 05/11/11, 1700 block of S. 14th Street. On May 11 at 5 pm, police received a call regarding a disorderly intoxicated subject. When they located the suspect, he repeatedly exposed himself to the officers through a glass door. Samuel Crews, 27, of Arlington, was charged with Indecent Exposure. He was held on a $2,500 bond.


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In this week’s Arlington County crime report, we learn more about the suspect arrested after a series of foot chases Sunday night.

ABDUCTION-ARREST, 05/02/11, 4900 block of N. 19th Street. On May 1 at 11:15 pm, a 17 year-old female was attacked by a former acquaintance. The suspect grabbed the victim and pulled her to a wooded area where he attempted to sexually assault her. The victim managed to escape and call police. After an extensive search and several foot pursuits, police apprehended the suspect. Milton Masariego-Deleon, 22, of Arlington, was charged with Abduction with the Intent to Defile. He was held without bond.


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Police were investigating a possible attempted sexual assault just before midnight when a man took off running. After police lost track of him, the helicopter and a K-9 unit were called in to help search a neighborhood just west of Ballston Common Mall.

Around 12:50 a.m., police located the suspect, who took off running again. Officers were able to catch up with him and take him into custody outside the church at N. Carlin Springs Road and N. Thomas Street.


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In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a woman is accused of speeding around a police cruiser, with her hazard lights on, for no apparent reason. The officer tried to stop the vehicle but did not pursue it when the woman refused to pull over, per department policy, according to police. While doing a search of the area, however, police say the woman’s SUV was found parked in the middle of a busy street with music blaring. The woman was not in the car — she was allegedly found in a nearby office building.

(This item removed on 10/3/11, by request, due to outcome of trial.)


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Wilmoth was the president of Signature Masters, the firm that was contracted to collect signatures for last year’s unsuccessful attempt to change Arlington’s form of government. The petition drive was sponsored largely by Arlington’s police and fire unions.

Two of Wilmoth’s signature collectors, Cheryl Simmons and William Cockerham, pleaded guilty to election fraud charges in February. State law specifies that petition signatures must be witnessed by someone who is at least eligible to register to vote. As convicted felons, neither Simmons nor Cockerham were eligible.


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