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Morning Notes

Published May 16, 2012 at 9:05AM

New GOP County Board Candidate — Crystal City resident and Republican activist Matt Wavro has stepped up to run on the GOP ticket for Arlington County Board in the fall. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Cops Recognized — Five Arlington cops have been recognized by Virginia State Police for their exceptional work in deterring auto theft. The Law Enforcement Office Award competition — which recognizes efforts to combat car theft — is judged by partnering law enforcement agencies, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and insurance industry representatives. [Arlington County]

News

Woman Wakes Up to Find Neighbor Having Sex with Her

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2012 at 2:45PM | Updated May 15, 2012 at 9:20AM

The alleged incident happened early Sunday morning on the 300 block of N. Oxford Street in Ashton Heights. Police say the female victim and her boyfriend had been drinking earlier in the day at a cookout attended by some residents of their apartment complex. The pair later returned to their apartment and fell asleep on the couch.

According to police, the woman reported that she woke up in the middle of the night to find herself lying on the floor with someone having sexual intercourse with her. In the dark, the woman initially thought the individual was her boyfriend, but then discovered that it was the resident of a neighboring apartment who was on top of her, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

News

Police: Man Sent Ex-Girlfriend Topless Photo of Herself

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2012 at 1:45PM | Updated October 11, 2012 at 3:07PM

An Arlington man has been arrested after police say he sent his ex-girlfriend an authorized photo he took of her topless.

In addition to sending the topless photo, police say the suspect made more than 50 attempts to contact the woman over the weekend, via both phone calls and text messages, and then ~~broke into her Ballston apartment early Sunday morning and started banging on her bedroom door~~.

News

Suspicious Package in Aurora Highlands Park

By ARLnow.com

Published May 11, 2012 at 5:40PM | Updated May 12, 2012 at 4:01PM

Update at 7:05 p.m. — The suspicious package was “disrupted” by the bomb squad and found to be non-hazardous, according to police. The scene is in the process of being cleared.

Earlier: Police and the Arlington County bomb squad are on the scene of a suspicious package in Aurora Highlands Park near Pentagon City.

News

Former ACPD Officer Featured in Rockwell Painting Dies

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 10, 2012 at 11:15AM | Updated May 12, 2012 at 3:12PM

Richard Clemens was born in New York City and spent much of his career as a Massachusetts state trooper. Rockwell, who was Clemens’ neighbor, asked the trooper to pose for the 1958 painting with an 8-year-old boy. It shows an officer counseling a young boy who wants to leave home, and was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. It’s a well known painting in the law enforcement community, and can often be found in police stations across the country.

Before moving to Massachusetts, Clemens was a police officer in Arlington from July 1952 through August 1953. Records show his address as having been in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood.

News

Crime Report: Pulling Guns on the Ritz

By ARLnow.com

Published May 9, 2012 at 2:30PM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 11:12AM

(Updated on 12/23/21 at 11:10 a.m.) A man was arrested outside the Pentagon City Ritz-Carlton hotel early Wednesday morning after police say he became upset at the hotel’s rates and brandished two handguns.

The incident started around 1:30 a.m. when the intoxicated man entered the luxury hotel, asked for a room, and became incensed at the high rates, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The man also asked whether he could be served alcohol, but was denied, Sternbeck said.

News

UPDATED: Bomb Threat at Mental Health Facility

By ARLnow.com

Published May 8, 2012 at 2:54PM | Updated May 8, 2012 at 9:27PM

Earlier: The Drewry Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center at 1725 N. George Mason Drive has been evacuated due to a bomb threat.

The bomb threat was phoned in by an adult female caller around 12:30 this afternoon, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. A total of five bomb-sniffing dogs — two from Arlington and three Alexandria — were brought in to sweep the building for any possible explosives. Two of the dogs got a “hit” on a spot within the center, according to scanner traffic, prompting the evacuation.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 7, 2012 at 8:55AM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 1:32PM

ACPD Cruiser Hits Dog — An Arlington County police cruiser hit a dog Thursday night. The dog’s owner is accusing the police officer of speeding at the time the dog was struck, but a police spokesman suggests that that the dog’s injuries — it survived and is expected “to make a full recovery” — would have been worse if the officer was actually speeding. [WUSA 9]

Ballston Craft Market Season Starts — The Ballston Arts & Crafts Market will open its 2012 season on Saturday, May 12. It will take place on the second Saturday of the month through October. [Sun Gazette]

News

UPDATED: Woman Sexually Assaulted Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2012 at 2:45PM | Updated May 4, 2012 at 4:11PM

The alleged incident happened around 9:00 p.m., in front of a church on the 600 block of N. Vermont Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood near Ballston. Police say a woman noticed a man following her while she was out walking her dog. She tried to alter her route and at one point shouted “stop following me,” but the man then grabbed her from behind, fondled her, and tried to pull down her pants, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

During the attack the woman managed to knee or kick the suspect in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. She ran away and sought help, while the suspect was seen by a witness fleeing in the direction of Ballston Common Mall, according to Sternbeck.

News

ACPD Members Awarded for Fighting Crimes Against the Elderly

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 3, 2012 at 9:45AM | Updated May 3, 2012 at 11:40AM

One police official said the pair’s efforts were part of the department’s “War on Woodchucks” — a reference to the name sometimes given to scam artists who prey on senior citizens by performing unnecessary yard work and charging exorbitant amounts of money for it. Some of the offenders repeatedly target the same victims, or inform other scam artists of who to target. It’s not unusual for some of the victims to lose tens of thousands of dollars during interactions with woodchucks.

Even after being asked about winning the award, Everest turned the attention back to helping the elderly. She encouraged people to watch out for their neighbors and to call the police if they notice something suspicious. She added that there’s still a long road ahead in the fight to end these kinds of crimes in Arlington, and she’d like to see tougher laws put in place to bring the scam artists to justice.

News

Crime Report: Woman Raped in Tara-Leeway Heights

By ARLnow.com

Published May 2, 2012 at 4:10PM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 3:14PM

A woman was raped while visiting her sister in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood last Thursday, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The crime happened while the victim was visiting her sister’s apartment, in the basement of a home shared by several tenants, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. A man who lives in one of the rooms forced himself upon her while in one of the basement’s common areas, according to Sternbeck.

News

UPDATED: Bomb Threat at Ballston Common Mall

By ARLnow.com

Published May 2, 2012 at 10:47AM | Updated May 2, 2012 at 12:05PM

(Updated at 12:05 a.m.) Police are now clearing the scene at Ballston Common Mall after a phoned-in bomb threat.

Three separate bomb threats were phoned in to authorities: one to Prince George’s County dispatchers, one to Arlington, and one directly to the mall, according to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. It’s not clear if the threats all were made by the same individual.