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Crandal Mackey was born in a Confederate field ambulance at the conclusion of the Civil War, and lived long enough to catch the first glimpses of the space race.


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Crime continued to increase in Arlington last year, according to police department stats, with notable upticks in reported assaults and shoplifting incidents.

The overall number of more serious “Group A” offenses increased 11% between 2023 and 2024, according to the Arlington County Police Department’s annual report released today (Tuesday).


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A 42-year-old Arlington man is facing a number of charges, including DUI, after a crash that shut down a busy on-ramp Friday afternoon.

It started around 4:45 p.m., police say, when a driver veered off the road and struck another car at the Route 50 and Washington Blvd interchange. That driver then allegedly tried to climb a fence before returning to his car.


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Motor vehicle thefts were down significantly in Arlington over the first four months of this year, and a trend of fewer carjackings has continued.

Total offenses, meanwhile, have held fairly steady.


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A former coach accused of sexually assaulting one of his players at Washington-Liberty High School may avoid any jail time.

George Porcha, 54, was recently acquitted of two sex crime charges involving a former girls basketball player about 25 years ago. He still faces other charges, including carnal knowledge of a 13 to 15-year-old, for alleged acts involving a second player.


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Two people were arrested and another is being sought after a trio of notable police incidents during the latter half of last week.

In the first incident, Arlington County police say a teen driving a stolen car northbound on I-395 tried to evade officers and struck a police cruiser, before striking two other cars and fleeing on foot.


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A man accused of robbing a Columbia Pike bank last week is also suspected of trying to rob a bank in Alexandria the day before.

Steve Jamal Smith has a history of attempted heists, court records show. He was convicted back in 2017 of unsuccessfully trying to rob two banks on the same day.


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A former Washington-Liberty High School coach has been acquitted of two sex crime charges involving a former player.

George Porcha, who was the head girls basketball coach at the Arlington school from 2000-03, still faces another trial for similar charges this spring.


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(Updated at 4 p.m.) The charges filed against a U.S. Army soldier accused in a series of pride flag thefts have been dismissed.

General District Court Judge Cari M. Steele formally dismissed the charges against Matthew Henshaw on Monday following his completion of a restorative justice program, according to defense attorney Damon Colbert.


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An ex-Marine convicted of rape and multiple murders, including strangling a U.S. Navy petty officer to death in Arlington, has been taken off of death row.

Jorge Avila Torrez, 36, is one of 37 federal prisoners who saw their death sentences commuted by President Joe Biden today (Monday).


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Arlington’s police union and top prosecutor are in a war of words over a previous case involving the Pentagon City stabbing suspect.

Leonardo Reyes, the man accused of sending a mother and her toddler to the hospital with life-threatening stab wounds in a Saturday night attack, was out on probation for the attempted robbery of a drug store in 2021.


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Shoplifting cases in Arlington are up nearly 60% over all of 2023, even with almost four weeks left in the year.

That’s prompted a Christmastime crackdown by Arlington County police, which says it is “deploying additional police resources to keep shoppers and retail employees safe.”


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