Fairfax County Police are investigating a burglary that took place in the 11400 block of Sunset Hills Road on Monday.

An employee reported someone entered the business, which is located near Reston Station Boulevard and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station, and took property.

In other crime news reported by the Reston District Station:

LARCENIES

12000 block of Town Square, merchandise from business.

700 block of Walker Road, property from residence.

1700 block of Business Center Drive, property and wallet from business.

1700 block of Business Center Drive, property, wallet and cash from business.

11800 block of Spectrum Center, merchandise from business.

Photo: Sunset Hills Road/File photo

Capt. Mike Wall, Commander of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station, said overall crime in Reston is down 14 percent when compared to this time last year.

Wall gave the station’s semi-annual “state of crime in the district” report to the Reston Association Board at its regular meeting on Thursday.

“We are very happy to have crime numbers down this year,” he said.

Some of the highlights, according to Wall:

• Robberies down 53 percent in 2014,  “which is huge,” he said. There have been 15 reported so far in 2014. There were 32 at this time last year, he said.
• Larceny and theft are down 19 percent:  825 compared with 1,023 at this point in 2013.
• Burglaries are down 27 percent: 69 compared to 97.
• Destruction of property is down 19 percent, with reports of 465 compared to 574.

“The reduction is a result of proactive patrols, arrests being made, and sometimes blind luck,” said Wall. “You never know how many crimes you prevented, but we are happy to see numbers trending downward.”

One area in which numbers are rising are DUI arrests, said Wall. The Captain said DUI arrests are up 27 percent from this time in 2013. There have been 210 this year compared with 150 through October 2013.

“DUIs are always a double-edged sword,” he said. ” We are glad to see that many arrests, but sad to see that many drunks on the road and wondering how many we are missing that are out there.”

In other crime trends, Wall said the department has worked on several projects to deter crime.
Read More

Fairfax County Police are investigating an armed robbery that took place last Tuesday in the parking lot of the Stratford Condominiums near the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Reston Parkway.

Police said they were called to the 1800 block of Stratford Park Place at 8 p.m. on Oct. 14. The victim told police she was approached by a man. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money, the victim said. The suspect took cash from the woman, who did not require medical treatment, police said.

 The suspect was described by the victim as Hispanic and wearing dark clothing.

In other crime news from the Reston District Station this week:

BURGLARY, 11800 block of Fawn Ridge Lane, Oct. 16. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

LARCENIES

1500 block of Northgate Square, cash from business.

12000 block of Greywing Square, bicycle from residence.

2400 block of Pyrenees Court, property from residence.

1700 block of Seagull Court, property from residence.

230 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, beverages from business.

STOLEN VEHICLES

11400 block of South Lakes Drive, 2005 Scion.

A man walking near the entrance of Hidden Creek County Club was attacked and robbed in broad daylight Thursday.

The victim was approached from behind at North Shore and Wainwright drives by two teen boys at about 5:45 p.m., Fairfax County Police said. One of the teens punched the man and stole property from him. The victim did not suffer serious injuries, police said.

In other crime news from Reston District Station through Monday, Oct. 6:

INDECENT EXPOSURE: A woman was walking on the sidewalk of the 2500 block of Cornelia Road on Sept. 30 when a man exposed himself. The suspect is in his 20s and stands about 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7.

BURGLARIES

• 1100 block of Round Pebble Lane, Oct. 4. Someone entered a home and took cash from a vehicle in a garage
• 2400 block of Founders Way, Sept. 22. Someone entered and stole from a home.

LARCENIES

• 2800 block of Rolling Fork Circle, cash stolen from a home
• 11400 block of Orchard Lane, property stolen from a home
• 10500 block of Wynfield Woods Drive, property stolen from a home
• 900 block of Locust Street, purse stolen from a vehicle, near the American Chinese School in Herndon
• 13200 block of Coppermill Drive, purse stolen from a vehicle
• 11700 block of Newbridge Court, license plate stolen from a vehicle
• 11900 block of Market Street, property stolen from a business in Reston Town Center Plaza
• 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise stolen from a business in Hunters Woods Plaza
• 11700 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, cash stolen from a business

The Fairfax County Police Department has released two new videos on how to prevent human trafficking.

Det. Bill Woolf of the FCPD’s Human Trafficking Unit advises parents to monitor their teenagers’ online activity to protect them from predators.

“If parents aren’t engaged, if they’re not monitoring their kids’ activities and behaviors, it’s very possible that they could be being scouted and manipulated into teen sex trafficking,” Woolf said.

Police promoted the videos on Tuesday for the one-year anniversary of the “Just Ask” Prevention Project, for which the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force received a $1 million federal grant.

More than 250 human trafficking victims were identified in Northern Virginia in the past year, Woolf told The Centreville Independent. Help was offered to victims after police received 141 tips from locals, Woolf said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIi7tTrA28E

A Reston man was charged with sex trafficking in May after he manipulated a mentally incapacitated woman into prostitution, police said.

Fairfax County Police said report a burglary near Hunters Woods Village Center in Reston on Sept. 23.

Police said a resident in the 12000 block of Greywing Square resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

A previous burglary took place in the 2400 block of Founders Way in Herndon on Sept. 22. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

In other news from the Reston District Station this week:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2400 block of Masons Ferry Drive, Herndon, Sept. 21. A woman was in a parking lot when a man exposed himself. The suspect was described as black, in his 30’s and about 5 feet 11 inches tall.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 1300 block of Mason Mill Court, Herndon, Sept. 20. 3:04 a.m. The victim was approached by a man while in the garage of his residence. The suspect produced a handgun and demanded money. The victim resisted and the suspect fled on foot.  The victim did not require rescue. The suspect was described as white, between 5 feet 10 and 6 feet 2 inches tall.

LARCENIES

• 11400 block of Isaac Newton Square, purse from vehicle.
• 11200 block of Chestnut Grove Square, briefcase from vehicle.
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beverages from residence.
• 9400 block of Oak Falls Court, jewelry from residence.
• 2300 block of Elm Tree Court, bicycles from residence.
• 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, bicycle from business.
• 11800 block of Spectrum Center, beverages from business.
•  2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, beverages from business.
• 1800 block of Explorer Street, wallet from business.
• 900 block of Locust Street, phone from business.
• 1200 block of Rowland Drive, license plate from vehicle.

A Reston man has been charged with aggravated assault and tampering with evidence after a stabbing near Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Police said that William “Tony” Rivera, 21, of Reston, a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, was a passenger in a car driven by Giovanni Brown, also 21, about 5:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Robert Muir, Rivera’s attorney, said his client acted in self defense. He told the Associated Press that Rivera, who was released on $5,000 bond, has withdrawn from school and has returned home to live in Reston with his parents.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more details of the incident:

Brown told officers he was leaning into the driver’s door of a vehicle that stopped in the entrance of Monroe Muffler when he was stabbed, according to a criminal complaint filed by Indiana Borough police.

Police interviewed a man to whom the vehicle is registered later that evening. He said his friend “Tony” Rivera, who was in the back passenger seat, pulled the knife and stabbed Mr. Brown, the complaint continues.

A second man in that vehicle told police the same story. Both said that three men then drove away and washed the blood from the driver’s side door before Rivera threw the knife outside an apartment on Carter Avenue.

Police wrote that Mr. Rivera told them a folding knife with a red handle “was thrown from the suspect vehicle on a gravel alley” near Carter. Officers recovered it that day.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.

Photo: William “Tony” Rivera/Credit: Indiana Gazette

Fairfax County Police said they charged three drivers with driving while intoxicated during a sobriety checkpoint at Fairfax County Parkway and North Walnut Branch Road Friday night.

Six-hundred-four vehicles passed through the checkpoint, police said. Police issued three summonses were issued and made one criminal arrest.

FCPS officers from the Sully, Reston and Fair Oaks Police districts also participated in a directed patrol on Friday, charging three with DWI and issuing 49 summonses.

In other crime news for the week ending Sept. 15:

BURGLARY

• 13000 block of Poener Place, Sept. 14.  A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

LARCENIES

• 11900 block of Freedom Drive, laptop computer and electronic device from vehicle.
• 11700 block of Ledura Court, bicycle from residence.
• 1800 block of Explorer Street, wallet from business.
• 1800 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, beverages from business.
• 1400 block of North Point Village Center, merchandise from business.
• 13100 block of Parcher Avenue, beverages from business.
• 1700 block of Port Place, wallet from business.
• 1600 block of Becontree Lane, purse from vehicle.
• 600 block of Brockman Court, wallet and phone from business.
• 2100 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from business.
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, beverages from business.
• 9000 block of Weant Drive, cash and property from residence.

A Reston basketball coach who pleaded no contest in June to sexually assaulting a minor, was sentenced in Loudoun County last week to 15 years in prison.

Marlow Mikassas Afshartous, 40, who also goes by the name Marlow Talley, was arrested Aug. 3, 2013, and charged with sexual assault and solicitation of child pornography.

Afshartous coached youth basketball for more than 12 years at Claude Moore Recreation Center in Sterling, the former Hoop Magic in Chantilly, and Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Afshartous in June 2013 and was able to arrest him with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department.

According to previous court testimony, the abuse of a 12-year-old girl took place from April to November 2012 at three locations: Claude Moore Recreation Center; a church off Evergreen Mills Road; and in Fairfax County at an outdoor basketball court on Braddock Road.

The victim testified to police that Afshartous molested her on multiple occasions. Investigators also retrieved approximately 8,600 text and email messages between the vistim nd Afshartous.

In addition to the 15-year prison sentence, Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge J. Howell Brown also gave Afshartous an indefinite probation sentence.

Once he’s released from prison, Afshartous must register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised contact with children.

Photo: Marlow Mikassas Afshartous/Courtesy Loudoun Commonwealth Attorney’s Office

Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station are investigating two burglaries that took place earlier this week.

Both incidents were on Tuesday. One was at North Point Village Center, where a store employee said someone entered the business and took property.

The other was in the 11700 block of North Shore Drive, where a resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

Earlier in the week, several other break-ins were reported.

Police do not yet know if the incidents are related.

Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station arrested three suspects following a robbery at a convenience store in the 9900 block of Georgetown Pike early Monday.

Police said three men entered the 7-Eleven in Great Falls and took beer without paying. While fleeing, the suspects assaulted a store employee ,who was subsequently transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Responding police officers located all three suspects and took them into custody. Diego Anticona, 28, of Herndon was charged with robbery and resisting arrest. Jorge Anticona-Choy, 27, of Herndon was charged with robbery. Juan Ramos-Marroquin, 33, of Chantilly was charged with robbery.

In other crime news:

Fairfax County Police report that four break-ins occurred in Reston in the last week. In two incidents, property was stolen.

In the first incident, a resident reported an unknown man walked into a home in the 2300 block of Colts Brook Drive. The man entered through an unlocked door, police said. The suspect also entered the victim’s vehicle. Nothing was taken.

There was another attempted burglary in the 11700 block of Olde English Drive on Aug. 22 at 1:41 a.m. A resident reported an unknown man entered the residence through an unsecured door. The suspect left immediately when the he heard someone was in the home. Nothing was taken.

The resident described the suspect was described as black and approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall.

There were two burglaries reported on Aug. 21. A resident of the 1800 block of Old Reston Ave, told police someone entered the residence and took property. The other burglary was in the 11700 block of North Shore Drive. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

LARCENIES

• 1400 block of North Point Village Center, electronic equipment from business.
• 2200 block of Colts Neck Road, electronic equipment from vehicle.
• 400 block of Arnon Chapel Road, laptop computer, and purse from residence.
• 9600 block of Beach Mill Road, property from vehicle.
• 12000 block of Bowman Towne Drive, cell phone from business.
• 2200 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, wine from business.
• 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, merchandise from business.
• 2100 block of Monaghan Drive, bicycle from residence.
• 1200 block of Rowland Rive, wallet from vehicle.
• Springwood Drive/Karbon Hill Court, cell phone from vehicle.
• 11400 block of South Lakes Drive, wallet from school.
• 12000 block of Holly Leaf Court, wallet from location
• 12500 block of Thunder Chase Drive, license plate from vehicle
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, boxes of candies from business.
• 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, lighter from business.
• 2300 block of Meadow Willow circle, bicycle from residence.

As Reston prepares to become a transit-oriented community, it is also preparing to for urban-style issues. Among them: The opportunity for crime.

Metro’s first five Silver Line stations, including Wiehle-Reston East, open on Saturday. Fairfax County Police

Chief Ed Roessler says that combining an increased population with urban-style gathering spots does increase the chances for crime. But it doesn’t mean it has to increase actual crime rates.

“The opportunity for crime is more prevalent when you open up a Metro station,” says Roessler. “What you see are breaking into cars late at night and more people traveling corridors from platform to garage and pedestrian pathways. That is what we are concerned about and we have taken action to prevent that.”

Roessler says FCPD has been planning for crime prevention around the new transit areas for many years — about as long as Metro’s five-year course of building the Silver Line.

The FCPD, boosted by additional funding from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to add nine positions to the department, created the Tysons Urban Team in 2013. The police department’s five-year strategic plan calls for a similar unit in Reston, says Roessler.

However, officers at all stations have been undergoing urban police training for much longer, the chief said. Reston Town Center has always had bike and foot patrols — two of the core urban policing strategies. Additional bike and foot patrols are also in place at Hunters Woods Village Center, and will be at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.

Crime around Metro stations is actually quite low in Virginia, says Metro. The transportation agency says there were 7.1 serious crimes per million riders overall in 2013, with far more in D.C. and parts of Maryland. The majority — 70 percent — were thefts, says Metro Police Chief Ron Pavlik. He said that the Virginia stations are some of the safest in the system.

“Typically, crime on Metro is reflective of crime rates in the surrounding communities,” he says. “We don’t see a lot of ‘Part I’ (violent) offenses in Virginia.”

Fairfax County saw a drop in every violent crime category in 2013. In the Reston District in 2013, there were 654 assaults (compared to 765 the previous year). There was a rise in robberies though, from 27 in 2012 to 37 in 2013.

Still, Metro’s 491 sworn officers are being prepared to prevent crime. The agency hired 26 officers and 15 civilian employees in advance of the Silver Line opening. Transit police have trained with county police. Reston District Station officers have also done safety seminars for students, said Lt. Ken Baine, Reston Assistant Commander.

Pavlik says riders will see a high police presence the first few weeks the Silver Line is open. But riders still need to be aware to stay safe. He offers these tips:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Put yourself close to other customers if you feel you are being followed.
• Put your cell phone away when not in use.
• If you see something, say something. You can text tips to Metro police dispatch at “MyMTPD” or 202-962-2121 or 911.
• Use the emergency call buttons located throughout each station. It will ring through to the station manager.

A man was injured in Reston when two suspects robbed and assaulted him early Wednesday, Fairfax County Police said.

The man was walking at 12:20 a.m. in the 11700 block of Sunset Hills Road, near Plaza America, when the two suspects approached him, police said.

The suspects assaulted the victim and took property, police said..

The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both suspects were described as black males, about 17 to 22 years old and about 5 feet 6 inches tall.

A Reston man was arrested in Pittsburgh earlier this week after authorities said he traveled there to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex.

On Monday, agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section received information that the teen from East Deer Township had been chatting with Joshua Munoz, 23, through a teen chat website.

According to the criminal complaint, Munoz and the child met online on May 31 and began private messaging each other and exchanging text messages, which included conversations about discussing meeting each other for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, including anal intercourse.

Undercover agents posed as the teen online on Monday. They contacted Munoz to arrange a meeting for later the same day. Munoz was taken into custody when he arrived at a prearranged meeting location in Pittsburgh.

He is charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, one count of criminal attempt, one count of criminal attempt indecent assault and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Munoz is currently in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting a preliminary arraignment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m., June 11.

Munoz’ attorney, David Shrager, told a Pittsburgh TV station that Munoz is a dance major at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. 

Photo: Joshua Munoz/Credit: Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office

Sunrise Valley Elementary School administrators said there was a break-in at the school at 1824 Cross School Road over the weekend.

In an email to parents, Principal Tim Stanley said equipment was taken in the burglary. School officials are working with Fairfax County Police, and they are also urging the community to speak up if they have any leads.

In other recent crime news (May 1-12) from the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station:

BURGLARY: A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property May 2 in the 2200 block of Astoria Circle.

BURGLARY: A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property May 5 in the 9400 block of Arnon Chapel Road.

BURGLARY: A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property May 8 in the 13300 block of Hungerford Place.

LARCENIES:

2300 block of Bally Cairne Court, license plates from vehicle Read More