Spurred in part by the arrest of an allegedly drunk and naked Reston woman after a St. Patrick’s Day party last month, the Arlington County Police Department is stepping up police presence at pub crawls.
A 26-year-old Reston woman was arrested on March 15 after allegedly showing up naked at the Arlington Magistrate’s Office. She and her husband had reportedly participated in the Shamrock Crawl in Clarendon earlier that day, and her husband had been arrested. The woman arrived at the magistrate’s office around 11 p.m. seeking to visit her husband.
She was drunk, completely naked and refused to get dressed or leave in a cab, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The woman was charged with indecent exposure and drunk in public. She was held in jail until sober, police said.
The incident speaks to the number and popularity of bar crawls in Arlington. At the Arlington County Board’s budget mark-up meeting earlier this week, the County Board approved an addition $42,000 to the police specifically for “pub crawl support.” Pub crawls in Clarendon, Courthouse and Ballston have drawn crowds close to 5,000-6,000 people, County Board Chair Jay Fisette said.
“I’m becoming a pub crawl expert, not by choice,” Arlington Police Chief Doug Scott told the Board Wednesday. “We are receiving crawl requests at a very escalated pace because they’ve been very popular. We thought we were going to have three, that went to nine, and it’s growing.”
Scott told ARLnow.com he’s planning a meeting with the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association on April 30. He and the Board discussed the potential for regulatory measures for potentially reining in the crawls, or requesting the restaurants and/or organizers provide the funds for the police support.
“There are a lot of legal issues around some of the choices the manager and board will have in terms of how we address these crawls in the future,” Scott said.
Board Member Libby Garvey asked Scott if the crawls were “a little like Mardi Gras except all year long.” Board Member Mary Hynes, who lives near Clarendon, said she has had a hard time wading through the revelers when she wants “to go to the grocery store.”
Lines for bars extend far down the sidewalk for many of the bar crawls, which include crawls on St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and other holidays. One bar crawl in late June last year led to 13 alcohol-related arrests, ARLnow.com reports.
“Our level of disorderliness really escalates on days where we have pub crawls,” said Scott. “I just signed off today on a comprehensive ground response. I think there’s no aspect of the community, especially around some of these bar locations, that are not impacted.”
Ethan Rothstein contributed to this story.
Fairfax County Police are investigating a burglary that took place in the 1600 block of Washington Plaza on Tuesday.
An employee of a business at Lake Anne Plaza told police someone entered the business and took property.
Police did not say which business or what was taken.
In other crime news from the Reston District Station this week:
LARCENIES
11900 block of Democracy Drive, purse from vehicle
11400 block of North Shore Drive, property from business
2400 block of Centreville Road, jacket from business
A 26-year-old Reston woman was arrested Saturday night after allegedly showing up naked at the Arlington Magistrate’s Office.
Police say Maura Fussell arrived at the magistrate’s office around 11:00 p.m. seeking to visit her husband, who had been arrested in Clarendon earlier that day.
She was drunk, completely naked and refused to get dressed or leave in a cab, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Sternbeck was unable to say whether Fussell arrived at the office wearing clothes and subsequently removed them, or whether she arrived there naked.
Fussell was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and drunk in public. She was held in jail until sober, police said.
Fairfax County Police are investigating a burglary in the area around Hidden Creek Country Club.
Police said an employee of a business in the 1700 block of Clubhouse Road reported that someone entered the business and took property on March 7.
In other, unrelated Reston crime news this week:
LARCENIES
11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue, merchandise from business
2500 block of James Madison Circle, license plate from vehicle
2000 block of Maleady Drive, money from vehicle
2200 block of Astoria Circle, property from residence
11900 block of Bowman Towne Drive, cell phone from business
1800 block of Sycamore Valley Drive, airbags from vehicle
9900 block of Georgetown Pike, merchandise from business
1700 block of Ascot Way, jacket from business
1800 block of Presidents Street, personal items from business
Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station reports the following larcenies for the week ending Feb. 27:
11100 block of Beaver Trail Court, laptop computer from vehicle
7900 block of Community Drive, cell phone from business
8900 block of Leesburg Pike, purse from vehicle
11400 block of South Lakes Drive, cell phone from location
2100 block of Freda Drive, credit cards from location
1700 block of Lake Shore Crest Drive, cash from residence
11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business
13300 block of Parcher Avenue, items from vehicle
1600 block of Washington Plaza, laptop computer from business
1600 block of Bachan Court, wallet from location
STOLEN VEHICLES:
2400 block of Masons Ferry Drive, Ford Escort
Officers from Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station report a large number of larcenies in Reston in the last week. Among them:
12100 block of Kinsley Place, watch from vehicle
11800 block of Breton Court, electronic device from vehicle
1700 block of Dressage Drive, license plate from vehicle
2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, beer from business
1500 block of Scandia Circle, bag from vehicle
11800 block of Spectrum Center, wallet from business
11100 block of Boathouse Court, license plate from vehicle
700 block of Leigh Mill Road, electronic device from business
13100 block of Parcher Avenue, cell phone from business
2000 block of Wethersfield Court, jewelry from residence
2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, beverages from business
11200 block of Lagoon Lane, license plate from vehicle
11400 block of Ridge Heights Road, shoes from school
Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station charged nine people with trespassing with intent to damage on Saturday after they allegedly broke into a homeowner’s association community building.
Police were called to the clubhouse in the 13000 block of Keach Place in unincorporated Herndon at 10:43 p.m. after a resident reported that several individuals had broken into the building and were having a party. Responding officers caught nine suspects and charged all with trespassing with intent to damage.
In other crime news in the last week:
LARCENIES
11300 block of Baron Cameron Avenue, purse from vehicle
11900 block of Democracy Drive, cell phone from business
2500 block of John Milton Drive, beer from business
900 block of Locust Street, book, jacket, sneakers and cell phone from school
2000 block of Royal Fern Court, electronic device from residence
2300 block of Saddle View Court, purse and cell phone from vehicle
10300 block of Saddle View Court, purse and cell phone from vehicle
1300 block of Vintage Place, purse from vehicle
11200 block of Lagoon Lane, license plate from vehicle
11400 block of Ridge Heights Road, shoes from school
STOLEN VEHICLES
2300 block of Freetown Court, 2007 Chrysler PT cruiser
Thefts of property from South Lakes and Herndon High Schools are in the crime report from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station this week.
Police said a wallet was reported stolen at Herndon High and a cell phone was taken at South Lakes. They did not specify whether the thefts were from students or staff.
Complete crime reports for the week ending Feb. 4:
LARCENIES
2100 block of San Moritz Circle, items from vehicle
11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, merchandise from business
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, beverages from business
11900 block of Market Street, jewelry from business
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, electronic device from business
700 block of Bennett Street, wallet from school
2500 block of John Milton Drive, liquor from business
11400 block of South Lakes Drive, cell phone from school
STOLEN VEHICLES
11200 block of Chestnut Grove Square, 1999 Ford F250
11700 block of Ledura Court, 2006 Toyota Scion
Fairfax County Public Schools has discovered it mistakenly hired seven convicted felons — and did not notice the error until years later.
Schools superintendent Karen Garza who joined FCPS in July, told The Washington Post that human error contributed to the hirings, which were discovered when a James Madison High School special education teacher inquired whether her past conviction for heroin smuggling would hamper her shot at a promotion.
“The hirings all occurred before 2009, when Fairfax schools switched to an online application,” Garza said in a statement. “The new system automatically disqualifies potential employees who disclose felonies on their application. Human error played a part in these hirings and we deeply regret this mistake.”
None of the felonies were crimes against children, the school system says. However, Virginia school law bans school systems from hiring felons.
Still, Deilia Butler was hired by FCPS 2006 — after serving nearly four years in prison. She says she stated she was a convicted felon on her application. So did the other six employees, school officials said.
All seven of the employees have been relieved of their jobs, school officials said. Four, including Butler, were placed on administrative leave after school officials uncovered the error. Three others left the school system. School officials have not identified the other employees, specified what jobs they held or the nature of their crimes.
FCPS now has an online application system that automatically disqualifies an applicant if he or she states they have been convicted of a felony. All applicants go through background searches that are supposed to include checking FBI, police and child abuse databases, says FCPS.
The hirings of the felons all occurred before 2009, before the online system was in place.
The Post reports that Butler is fighting FCPS’ efforts to fire her, saying that Virginia law did not prevent the school system from hiring her. Butler was among dozens charged in a 34-count federal indictment of conspiring to import more than a kilogram of heroin into the United States. She served 42 months in prison, then earned her teacher’s license and later joined Fairfax schools, according to court records.
Do potential felons in the school system concern you? Are you confident FCPS has new security checks in place? Tell us in the comments.
A man and woman from Reston are facing theft charges for stealing grocery carts in Frederick, Md.
Frederick Police officers on a patrol beat at the Country Hill Apartments complex in the 1000 block of Heather Ridge Drive observed a pick-up truck with several shopping carts in the bed, according to a police news release.
Officers contacted the driver, identified as Richard Henry Johnson, of the 11000 block of Olde Tiverton Circle, Reston, and the passenger, identified as Haydee Melendez, of the same address, and determined they were stealing the carts to sell for scrap metal, according to the news release.
Police arrested both of Johnson and Melendez and transported them to the Frederick County Detention Center’s central booking unit. The two faces charges of theft less than $1,000 and theft scheme less than $1,000.
Photos: Richard Henry Johnson, Haydee Melendez/Frederick Police
The Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reports two area break-ins in this week’s crime report.
On Nov. 10, a resident reported someone entered a residence in the 11500 block of Cedar Chase Road in Herndon and took property.
On Nov. 12 at 1:28 a.m., police responded to an alarm at an apartment complex clubhouse in the 2300 block of Glen Echo Road in Herndon. They charged John Paul Diaz, 22, of Herndon, with unlawful entry. Nothing was taken.
In other crime news from the Reston District Station:
LARCENIES:
2200 block of Colts Neck Road, wallet from vehicle
13100 block of Parcher Avenue, cigarettes from business
400 block of River Bend Road, jewelry from residence
1500 block of Woodcrest Drive, cash and electronic device from residence
10200 block of Colvin Run Road, medications from hospital
1300 block of Pellow Circle Trial, laptop computers from vehicle
10300 block of Colvin Run Road, key from vehicle
11500 block of Lake Newport Road, cash from residence
13200 block of Parcher Avenue, electronic device and cell phone from school
South Lakes Drive/Southgate Square, license plate from vehicle
A Reston man was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison for child pornography and failure to appear in court.
Alex Ernesto Calderon Velasquez, 27, pleaded guilty on July 25. Court documents said Calderon Velasquez used his computer to communicate with a 14-year-old girl in Texas. He then extorted the victim to strip and engage in sexual activity over Skype chats, which Calderon Velasquez recorded and kept on his computer along with other child pornography, U.S. Justice Department authorities said in a press release.
In 2011, Calderon Velasquez persuaded and enticed another 14-year-old girl in Arizona to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing video recordings, which the defendant then stored on his laptop computer, authorities said.
Calderon Velasquez was scheduled to plead guilty to production of child pornography on May 24. On the morning of his guilty plea hearing, he fled. He was captured June 7 in Texas.
A resident in the 1000 block of Esplanade Court reported that someone entered the home and took property on Wednesday, Fairfax County Police said.
That was the only major incident reported by Reston District Station this week.
In other crime news reported by the Reston District Station:
LARCENIES
2300 block of Woodland Crossing Drive, cash from vehicle
1500 block of Becontree Lane, trumpet from school
12700 block of Bradwell Road, ring from residence
2400 block of Centreville Road, GPS from vehicle
1800 block of Michael Faraday Drive, eyeglasses from business
STOLEN VEHICLES:
13400 block of FarmCrest Court, 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
A traffic stop in which three young people fled from police caused three Reston schools to go on lockdown Thursday.
Fairfax County Police public information officer Lucy Caldwell said officers stopped a car in the 2100 block of Whisper Way at 12:05 p.m. Three people fled from the car, she said. Police searched for the people on the ground and by helicopter, and South Lakes High School, Langston Hughes Middle School and Terraset Elementary were all briefly place on lockdown, and then secure building mode, until the community’s safety could be determined, Caldwell said.
Schools sent out an email to parents at 1 p.m.
A juvenile female was quickly found, and two male suspects were found shortly afterwards, said Caldwell.
One of the males was charged with an outstanding warrant for unlawful entry and numerous traffic charges. Petitions are pending against the other male, a juvenile, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, Caldwell said.
Fairfax County Police arrested a Reston man with unlawful entry after he was found sleeping in a home on Thursday.
A resident reported an unknown man was sleeping in a home in the 1600 block of Becontree Lane about 3 p.m. on Oct. 24. Entry was made through an unlocked door. Police arrested Suliman Abdelrahman, 51. Nothing was reported missing from the home, police said.
In other police news:
BURGLARIES
1000 block of Vintage Place, Oct, 21. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
12000 block of Greywing Square, Oct, 23. A resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.
LARCENIES:
2400 block of Centreville Road, cell phone and wallet from business
11400 block of South Lakes Drive, cell phone from school
1200 block of Trotting Horse Lane, purse from residence
Information provided by the Fairfax County Police. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.
