News

Another Jury Duty Scam — Scammers are once against targeting Arlington residents with phony phone calls about jury duty. At least 15 cases were reported in September of residents receiving calls from someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer and demanding a “good faith” payment over the phone for failing to appear for jury duty. The calls are fraudulent and police are investigating. [Arlington County]

Deaf Inmate’s Lawsuit Against Arlington — A deaf Ethiopian immigrant says the six weeks he spent in the Arlington County jail was torturous. Abreham Zemedagegehu has a limited ability to read or write English, and as a result missed meals and went without needed pain medication during his stay. A lawsuit against the county, filed pro bono by the law firm Akin Gump, says the jail should have had a sign language interpreter. [Washington Post]


News

The 1-395 overpass above S. Glebe Road will now be known as the Trooper Jacqueline Vernon Memorial Bridge.

Vernon was the first female and black Virginia State Trooper to be killed in the line of duty. She was hit by a commuter bus on I-395 as she stopped a car for an HOV lane violation in 1988. She was 32 years old.


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At about 2:00 p.m., according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller, the trooper was out of his vehicle during a traffic stop just before the exit for I-495 North when a passing car ran off the road. The vehicle struck both stopped cars, Geller said, and the collision sent vehicles into the unprotected trooper.

The trooper and three others were transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. The trooper suffered serious injuries and “the extent of those injuries are still being assessed,” Geller wrote. The other three have non-life-threatening injuries.


News

A D.C. man is facing felony charges following a police chase that ended in Arlington yesterday, all because of an expired inspection sticker.

Police say 27-year-old Kenneth Kelley, Jr. was driving a 1995 Chevy Tahoe in Dale City yesterday around 1:00 p.m., when a Virginia state trooper noticed the expired inspection sticker. The trooper tried to make a traffic stop, but Kelley refused to pull over and sped away, according to a Virginia State Police press release.


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A police chase that started in Prince William County ended in Arlington’s Arna Valley neighborhood this afternoon.

Virginia State Police reportedly began pursuing a green Chevrolet SUV in Prince William , following it up I-95 and I-395. The SUV took the Glebe Road exit off I-395 around 1:00 p.m., speeding toward the residential neighborhood of Arna Valley, near Shirlington.


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Police were called to Washington Blvd near I-395 at 2:20 a.m. for reports of a single-vehicle crash. When police arrived on the scene they found the victim’s motorcycle, but not the driver. After a search, 27-year-old Joel A. Morales of Woodbridge was found in a nearby wooded area. He died at the scene.

Police believe Morales was driving westbound on Washington Blvd from the I-395 off ramp when he apparently struck a jersey barrier. He was thrown from his motorcycle and landed below the overpass in the wooded area. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.


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The Arlington County Board passed a resolution asking the General Assembly to rename the bridge in Vernon’s honor. Vernon was killed Aug. 4, 1988, after pulling over an HOV violator on a nearby stretch of I-395 when, while speaking to the driver, a Metrobus struck and killed her.

Vernon, who was born in West Virginia during segregation in 1955, was the first woman and first African American Virginia state trooper to be killed in the line of duty.


News

Chamber Wants State Control of Energy Plan — One of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s legislative goals this year is to have the state take control of energy efficiency and green building standards. The Chamber’s call for statewide objectives and policies comes as Arlington is in the latter stages of developing its own Community Energy Plan. “The Chamber does not support the delegation of authority to localities to establish green-building codes and requirements on a locality-by-locality basis,” the group wrote. [Sun Gazette]

VSP Responds to Crashes During Storm — Yesterday’s snow, ice and rain storm resulted in dozens of crashes on Northern Virginia highways. Virginia State Police’s Fairfax division (which includes Arlington) responded to 69 crashes, 46 disabled vehicles and a total of 328 calls for service yesterday, according to VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Statewide, VSP responded to 686 crashes, including one fatal wreck in Campbell County, near Lynchburg.


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This afternoon Metro announced that bus and rail service will remain suspended Tuesday morning due to the impacts of Hurricane Sandy.

Metrorail and Metrobus service will not resume service Tuesday morning. An announcement on when service may be restored will be made after Metro is able to assess damage and weather conditions in the morning. Metro personnel will need to perform a comprehensive damage assessment, including inspections of track, bridges, aerial structures, stations and facilities. Metrorail service restoration is also contingent on adequate commercial power to support operations and repair of any storm-related damage. For Metrobus, service restoration will vary by route and depend on road conditions.


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Virginia State Police were pursuing a vehicle on eastbound I-66 around 1:15 a.m. when it  exited onto Glebe Road in Arlington. The fleeing driver was then involved in a collision with another vehicle near the intersection of Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive, according to scanner traffic.

The chase ended when the driver apparently tried to bail out near the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Monroe Street, in front of the Virginia Square Metro station. Police apprehended the man in front of the station’s elevator entrance, according to a witness. Arlington County police were not involved in the chase, ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said, but did arrive on the scene after the driver bailed out.


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The incident started around 5:30 a.m., when police were called for a man spotted banging on a vehicle in a parking garage on the 1900 block of N. Lynn Street, in Rosslyn. The man fled on foot before police arrived, and building security witnessed him heading in the direction of I-66, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Minutes later, police received a call for a pedestrian struck on I-66 near Route 110.


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Virginia Department of Transportation officials say they’re waiting for the results of a state police investigation into the death of Alexandria paramedic Joshua Weissman before deciding what to do about the gaps. As of today the investigation is “still ongoing,” according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Weissman fell through one of the gaps while trying to reach a burning vehicle in the HOV lanes of I-395 on Feb. 8. He fell some 20 to 30 feet into the creek and was knocked unconscious, authorities said at the time. Weissman later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.


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