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Man Pleads Guilty to Firing Bullets at Pentagon

Published January 26, 2012 at 3:06PM | Updated January 26, 2012 at 6:26PM

Yonathan Melaku, 23, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty to three counts of: damaging government property, using a firearm during a crime, and attempted injury to veterans’ memorials. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have jointly asked for a 25-year sentence.

As part of the plea, Melaku admitted that on or around the early morning of Oct. 19, 2010 he fired multiple 9mm rounds at the Pentagon building. He also admitted to firing bullets at the National Museum of the Marine Corps (twice), a Marine Corps recruiting sub-station in Chantilly, and a U.S. Coast Guard recruiting office in Woodbridge. The shootings took place between Oct. 17, 2010 and Nov. 2, 2010.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 26, 2012 at 9:03AM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:48PM

Artisphere Gets Exclusive Photo Exhibit — Artisphere has scored a bit of a coup by becoming the first and only venue in the United States to host an exhibit of the personal photos of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. “These images reveal a little-known side of the artist and lifelong resident of Mexico City suburb and Arlington, Va. sister city, Coyoacán,” Artisphere said in a press release. “The collection of photographs in this exhibition reflect Kahlo’s tastes and interests, the experiences she shared with those close to her, and her complicated, but also thrilling, personal life.” [Artisphere]

General Assembly May Ban Motorcycle Checkpoints — State legislators are considering a bill that would ban police from setting up motorcycle-only safety checkpoints. Arlington is one of the jurisdictions cited as having conducted such a “discriminatory” checkpoint — during last year’s Rolling Thunder ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. [Virginian-Pilot]

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Crime Report: Female Escort Sexually Assaulted

By ARLnow.com

Published January 25, 2012 at 6:20PM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 3:08PM

A female escort was held against her will and sexually assaulted in a Crystal City hotel room last week, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.

ABDUCTION WITH INTENT TO DEFILE / SEXUAL ASSAULT, 01/19/12, 2000 block of S. Jefferson Davis Highway. On January 19, around 8 pm, a female escort was held against her will in a hotel room while an unknown male sexually assaulted her. The suspect is a black male, 30-39, 170 lbs.

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Crime Report: Burka Armed Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Published January 19, 2012 at 9:30AM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 3:07PM

On Monday, two armed men robbed a jewelry store on Lee Highway, holding employees at gunpoint while snatching the store’s merchandise. One of the suspects was wearing a “one-piece burka with a hood,” according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

ARMED ROBBERY, 01/16/12, 5100 block of N Lee Highway. On January 16 at 7:42 pm, two unknown suspects entered a jewelry store, brandished a firearm and while one suspect held the employees at gunpoint, the other suspect took an unknown amount of jewelry. Suspect description is two black males; one age 35-45, 6′ 250 lbs wearing a black hoody and jeans and the other 5’8 155 lbs wearing a one-piece burka with a hood.

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Missing Woman Found in Library

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2012 at 12:30PM

Buckingham resident Julienne Erisnor, 70, was located just hours after Arlington County Police issued a press release asking for the public’s help in finding her. Quick-thinking library staffers spotted Erisnor in Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) and immediately called police, we’re told.

Police came to the library and Ms. Erisnor was reunited with her daughter.

Traffic

Accident Knocks Out Traffic Lights at Clarendon Intersection

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2012 at 2:28AM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 1:36PM

The traffic light sat the busy Clarendon intersection of Washington Boulevard, 10th Street and Fillmore Street is expected to remain dark throughout the morning rush hour following a car accident Thursday night.

Around 7:15 last night a car hopped the curb and took out the traffic signal control box near the Virginia ABC store. One minor injury was reported.

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ACPD Asks for Help Finding Missing Adult

By ARLnow.com

Published January 12, 2012 at 3:18PM

Erisnor is described as a black female, approximately 5’2” tall and 150 lbs. She has black hair and occasionally wears a curly black wig. Police say Erisnor is required to take regular medication but does not have the medication with her.

“Anyone with any information about Ms. Erisnor’s whereabouts is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department at 703-558-2222 or Detective Alan Lowery at 703 228-4199,” police said.

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Crime Report: Church Burglary Edition

By ARLnow.com

Published January 11, 2012 at 1:45PM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 3:07PM

Someone had the nerve to break into the Greenbrier Baptist Church and steal a laptop last week, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.

BURGLARY, 01/05/12, 5400 block of S. 7th Road. Between 7:30 pm on January 4, and 6:20 am on January 5, an unknown subject entered through a basement window of a local church. A laptop computer was stolen. There is no suspect description.

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Arlington Hires New Police Spokesman

By ARLnow.com

Published January 6, 2012 at 3:30PM

Dustin Sternbeck is taking over the role of Public Information Officer later this month, as the ACPD spokeswoman for the past 4 years, Det. Crystal Nosal, is heading back to the department’s patrol division. Nosal, a familiar face on local news broadcasts when a significant crime or accident happens in Arlington, is a uniformed police officer while Sternbeck comes to the department as a civilian employee.

Sternbeck was formerly a uniformed Public Information Officer for the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management. More recently, he served as the spokesman for Northern Virginia Community College.

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Police Seek ‘Armed and Dangerous’ Suspect

By ARLnow.com

Published January 5, 2012 at 3:55PM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 11:58AM

(Updated at 11:55 a.m. on 12/23/21) Arlington County Police are looking for a suspect who they describe as “armed and dangerous.”

Police say 43-year-old [name redacted] has been charged with Malicious Wounding in connection with an assault back in mid-December, but is currently at large. [Redacted] — described as a 5’10”, 230 lbs African American male — is known to frequent Arlington’s Buckingham neighborhood, police say, and should be considered armed and dangerous.

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Crime Report: Assault With Food Edition

By ARLnow.com

Published January 5, 2012 at 9:30AM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 3:07PM

Early Monday morning, a convenience store clerk on Columbia Pike was assaulted with “various packaged food items” by a man who wanted to use the store’s phone. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 01/02/12, 4900 block of Columbia Pike. On January 2 at 3 am, an unknown man assaulted a convenience store clerk with various packaged food items when the clerk refused to let the suspect use the store phone. The suspect is described as a black Ethiopian male, in his 30’s, 5’8″ and 180 lbs. He was wearing a black jacket, jeans and a white knit hat.

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UPDATED: Missing Teen Couple Found in Fairfax County

By ARLnow.com

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

Earlier: Arlington County Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a teenage couple that have been missing since yesterday afternoon.

Police say Nathalie Benitah, 14, and Christian Manzano, 15, both left their Arlington homes around 4:00 p.m. yesterday. Christian called his parents around 7:00 last night, but the couple has otherwise not been seen or heard from since.