Virginia PTA Official Resigns after Fairfax County Rally — Virginia Parent Teacher Association Vice President of Training Michelle Leete resigned Saturday (July 17) after drawing heat for her speech at a rally in support of transgender students before the Fairfax County School Board’s meeting on July 15. Leete is also a leader of the Fairfax County NAACP, which said in a statement yesterday (Sunday) that it stands “firmly” by her and that her remarks have been taken out of context. [The Washington Post]

Man Arrested for Reston Town Center Carjacking — Last Wednesday (July 14), Fairfax County patrol officers found a stolen car in the parking lot of Kohl’s in Herndon and arrested the man inside, charging him with grand larceny, possession of stolen items, and two drug-related charges. Police believe he was also responsible for a carjacking that occurred in Reston Town Center on June 12. [FCPD]

Gerry Connolly Trail Partially Closes Starting Today — “The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail will be closed between mile markers 3.2 and 3.8 in the Difficult Run Stream Valley Park from Monday, July 19 through Friday, Aug. 6, 2021…The closure of this section of trail north of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) will allow crews to perform maintenance on the Potomac Interceptor sanitary sewer.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]

Reston Kindergartener Awarded Grant — The Reston Accessibility Committee awarded a grant through its Financial Aid Outreach Program to a Reston kindergarten student with special needs. The grant will help the student’s family purchase sensory toys for a home-based therapeutic program. It’s the third grant that RAC has distributed as part of the program. [RAC]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Police Investigate Offensive KKK Flyers — Bigotry-filled flyers aimed at the Fairfax County School Board were found earlier this week in the Springfield and Sully Districts, apparently distributed by the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. School board members and local leaders, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay and the president of the county’s NAACP chapter, denounced the flyers, which are under investigation by county police and the FBI. [Patch]

Carjacking Reported in Reston Town Center — A man with a gun told a person in the passenger seat of a 2004 Toyota Corolla to get out and drove away in the car. The incident occurred at 5:25 a.m. on June 12 in the 1800 block of Presidents Street. The victim was not injured, police say. [FCPD]

A History of Slavery in Herndon — Ahead of Juneteenth, which commemorates the abolition of slavery in the U.S., Herndon Historical Society member Barbara Glakas delves into the lives of some past Herndon residents known to have held slaves. She notes that information about individual enslaved people is difficult to find due to the limited availability of written records. [Patch]

Reston Station Releases Showcase Video — Reston Station released a video yesterday (Thursday) showcasing the vision for the mixed-use development by the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. The video breaks the area up into the Metro Plaza District, the Reston Row District that will be anchored by a JW Marriott hotel, the health-oriented West District, and the office-heavy Commerce District. [Reston Station/Facebook]

D.C. Area Sees More Hunger During Pandemic — “More families in Virginia and Maryland, and significantly more Latino families, were pushed into food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report on hunger in the D.C. area, which a nonprofit official called a ‘dramatic shift in the face of hunger.'” [WTOP]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Two Maryland men were arrested on Labor Day in connection with a robbery, officer-involved shooting and carjacking on the 700 block of Elden Street.

Edward Maul Mejia Sandoval, 22, was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of threatening to abduct with the intent to defile. Manual Enrique Casco, 34, was charged with robbery, carjacking and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Police believe the suspects attempted to rob a local business on Labor Day after assaulting two female employees. A Town of Herndon police officer chased the suspect on foot when one suspect brandished a handgun. 

After a brief exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the officer, police officers arrested Sandoval. Casco was arrested a short time later after an armed carjacking on the 1000 block of Elden Street.

No injuries were reported.

Detectives are actively investigating the incident. A handgun was recovered during the initial investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call FCPD’s major crimes bureau at 703-246-7800.

Photos via FCPD

Virginia State Police arrested a Caroline County Man and a juvenile in connection with a carjacking that started in Reston on Wednesday (June 19).

Police believe Jaquan McNeil, 21, of Ruther Glen, and a juvenile suspect, assaulted a man as he was leaving his car on the 11400 block of Isaac Newtown Square at around 5 a.m.

The suspects then stole the BMW X5 and sped down I-95 when state police spotted them, according to police.

An officer spotted the car traveling south near a line marker in Prince William County and called more troopers to help. As police approached, the car swerved suddenly to the right shoulder and sped away from approaching law enforcement.

The pursuit continued for some time until the car crashed into a curve on the exit ramp and struck the guardrail.

McNeil fled the scene on foot, but was arrested a short while later. He was charged with one felony count of eluding police, one count of driving on a suspended license, one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of reckless driving. McNeil is being held at the Stafford County Jail. 

The 15-year-old passenger was taken into custody without incident. Both suspects declined medical assistance for injuries that happened during the crash.

Police continue to investigate the incident.

Logo via Virginia State Police

A 17-year-old from Maryland was arrested in connection with a carjacking on Sunrise Valley Drive last week.

On Monday, May 13, police say that a masked suspect pointed a shotgun at a man who was putting air into his car’s tires and demanded the keys.

The suspect drove away in the stolen car, but police caught up with him a short while later.

The teen was caught with the help of the police’s K9 team, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. He was charged with carjacking and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

In a separate incident, a man entered a home on the 2600 block of New Concorde Court on Wednesday, May 15 at around 3:50 a.m.

Residents discovered the man in their garage after they heard the garage door open. The man ran away when one resident confronted him.

Nothing was reported missing, police said.

FCPD also reported the following incidents in recent days:

LARCENIES:

11300 block of Chestnut Grove Square, documents from vehicle

2200 block of Quartermaster Lane, bicycle from residence

2600 block of William Short Circle, bicycle from residence

11600 block of Windbluff Court, license plates from vehicle

STOLEN VEHICLES:

2500 block of Brenton Point Drive, 2015 Vespa motorcycle

File photo