Raphael Schklowsky, a drama teacher at Herndon High School, faces 20 felony charges of possession of child pornography and one felony charge of unlawful filming.Â
Detectives discovered more than 3,500 videos on multiple electronic devices, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Schklowsky, 36, was originally charged with four misdemeanor counts of unlawful filming on April 8.Â
He was charged with the additional offenses today when he attended a hearing at the Fairfax County Courthouse. He is now being held on no bond.
Schklowsky has been on leave since his April 8 arrest. He was initially charged in early April when a woman told police she found a hidden camera inside an air conditioning vent in a home where she was working. Detectives found evidence of unlawful filming and arrested Schklowsky.
Photo via FCPD
Fairfax County’s violent crime rate dipped slightly this year over last year, according to data compiled by the police department.
FCPD’s annual report finds that violence crime rates decreased between 2017 and 2018 for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
The data, which were released Friday, show that homicide decreased from 201to 13, rape decreased from 98 to 92, and robbery decreased from 428 to 354. Aggravated assault also dipped from 283 to 260. Of FCPD’s eight police districts, the Reston District stations fell on the lower end for the number of driving while intoxicated arrests for last year.
Movement is also expected on a body worn camera pilot program that had a test run in Reston last year. FCPD Chief Edwin Roessler plans to share findings about the program — compiled in partnership with American University researchers —Â with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor this year.
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A Herndon man pleaded guilty today to cyberstalking a victim in New York, according to a release by U.S. Attorney Zachary Terwilliger.
Brandon Theresa, 21, took part in a “cyberstalking campaign against a victim” between May 2015 through December last year, according to the office. His plea was released today (April 16).
Investigators said Theresa accessed the individual’s online accounts without permission and impersonated the victim and the victim’s friend to get information about the individual. Court documents indicate Theresa used U.S. Postal Service accounts, which give information about mail received at specific addresses, to find other ways to watch the victim.
Theresa pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and faces a maximum of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentencing.
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A parking dispute turned violent in Reston last week, police said.
Two people got into an argument in the parking lot of McDonalds at 11265 Roger Bacon Drive on April 11 at around 9:37 a.m., according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The victim got out of their car and tried to block the other car from leaving by standing in front of it. The driver allegedly struck the victim in the leg with his car and left the scene,” FCPD said.
No injuries were reported and the police are treating the incident as an assault. It’s unclear if the driver was charged.
In other news, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
2200 block of Centreville Road, purse from location
2200 block of Centreville Road, purse from location
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, property from vehicle
9800 block of Faust Drive, license plate from vehicle
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business
STOLEN VEHICLES:
None reported
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Two brothers from Reston are facing multiple felony charges after local police found weapons and drugs worth $80,000 in their home.
Fairfax County police arrested Jonathan Dailey, 27, and Timothy Dailey, 22, after a rifle, shotgun, handgun, body armor, and narcotics were found in their home, the police department reported today.
The investigation started when police discovered information about drugs being sold out of the home, police said. After receiving a search warrant, a SWAT team found seven pounds of marijuana and 250 hash oil cartridges along with the guns.
Jonathan Dailey, 27, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possessing a gun with drugs. Timothy Dailey, 22, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and distribution of hash oil.
Photos via Fairfax County Police Department
A Herndon woman has been arrested in connection with a homicide on Clearwater Court in Herndon earlier this month.
The Herndon Police Department arrested Stephanie Fyfe, 29, on Tuesday (April 9). The victim, David Puryear, 45, of Clinton, Md., was found unresponsive on April 5 at around 1 a.m. at the 600 block of Clearwater Court.
According to a crime report, Puryear had a stab wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at Reston Hospital. Police said the victim and the suspect know each other.
Anyone with information should contact the police department at 703-435-6843.
In other news, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
2100 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from business
9900 block of Georgetown Pike, beer from business
11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business
2400 block of Masons Ferry Drive, cash from location
11800 block of Spectrum Center, cash from business
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business
12000 block of Town Square Street, merchandise from business
11400 block of Washington Plaza, wallet from residence
STOLEN VEHICLES
None reported
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Updated at 9:42 p.m. —Â The teacher has been placed on leave, according to a spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Fairfax County Police have arrested Raphael Schklowsky, the theater director for Herndon High School, on charges of unlawful filming at a Reston home.
A woman told police she found a hidden camera in an air conditioning vent at a home on the 1800 block of Cranberry Lane in Reston, where she was working, according to a crime report.
FCPD arrested and charged Schklowsky, a 36-year-old Reston resident, with four misdemeanor counts of unlawful filming after detectives conducted an investigation and “found evidence of unlawful filming.”
He was held at the Adult Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
Photo via FCPD
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a case of a stolen check that someone tried to cash at a Herndon bank, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
A man in Ashburn reported to police that an envelope containing a check was stolen from his mailbox, according to the police report.
The Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, backpack from residence
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, tools from vehicle
1800 block of Campus Commons Drive, cable from business
2400 block of Centreville Road, electronic devices from business
2400 block of Centreville Road, cell phone from location
2500 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from location
2300 block of Emerald Heights Court, bicycles from residence
800 block of Grace Meadow Court, jewelry from residence
2300 block of Harley Ford Court, tools from vehicle
11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business
STOLEN VEHICLES:
None reported
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(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) A Herndon man is facing charges after Vienna police say he was caught placing posters for a white nationalist group around the town, Reston Now has learned.
Last Saturday afternoon, a caller told police that two men were placing posters on light posts at a shopping center at 180 Maple Avenue, according to Vienna police.
Officers responded and observed one of the men placing a Patriot Front poster on a Town of Vienna utility box in the area of Nutley Street and Maple Avenue, Vienna officials told Reston Now.
Patriot Front is identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “white nationalist hate group.” It was described as a “political activist organization” in Vienna’s weekly crime report; an inquiry from Reston Now confirmed that Patriot Front was the group behind the posts.
Police issued a summons to a 21-year-old Herndon man, Brendan Smith, for destruction of property, according to a town spokesman. The man was released on his signature, the report says.
Earlier this year, Patriot Front tweeted that its “activists” put up the posters around Herndon and Reston in January and then in Reston again in February and March. Posters were also recently placed around Vienna and Arlington, according to the group’s social media account.
The posters include slogans like “reclaim America” and “better dead than red.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front broke off from the alt-right group Vanguard America in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.
City of Fairfax police arrested a Herndon man after police received reports that his car rental had not been returned on time.
Police arrested the 32-year-old Herndon resident on the afternoon of March 7, the police report says.
He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on a secured bond of $1,000.
The Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, cash from location
12100 block of Eddyspark Drive, wallet from vehicle
12000 block of Heather Down Drive, jewelry from residence
1400 block of North Point Village Center, merchandise from business
1800 block of Old Reston Avenue, laptop computers from residence
11800 block of Spectrum Center, merchandise from business
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, merchandise from business
STOLEN VEHICLES:
1300 block of Pavilion Club Way, 2009 Nissan Murano
1100 block of Vantage Hill Road, 2008 Ford Expeditio
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A Great Falls homeowner found on Sunday (March 10) a broken rear window and evidence that people had been inside the home, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Police said that nothing of value was taken because the house in the 9700 block of Mill Run Drive was vacant.
The Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents in recent days:
LARCENIES:
1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, cash from vehicle
2500 block of Centreville Road, wallet from location
2200 block of Colts Neck Road, jewelry from residence
2200 block of Colts Neck Road, bag and jewelry from residence
12800 block of Fantasia Drive, medication from residence
12000 block of Greywing Square, airbag from vehicle
12000 block of Greywing Square airbags from vehicle
12000 block of Greywing Square airbag and steering wheel from vehicle
11400 block of Heritage Commons Way, wallet from residence
1200 block of Lamplighter Way, license plates from vehicle
1400 block of North Point Village Center, merchandise from business
11600 block of North Shore Drive, medication from residence
1200 block of Reston Avenue, electronic device from vehicle
10100 block of Walker Lake, pistols from residence
2200 block of White Cornus Lane, airbags from vehicle
1800 block of Wiehle Avenue, beer from business
11900 block of Winterthur Lane, airbag from vehicle
STOLEN VEHICLES:
None reported
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After two years on the force, Leon recently retired from his police dog duties at the Herndon Police Department.
The 4-year-old German Shepherd was diagnosed with advanced stages of an undetermined form of cancer, a spokeswoman for the Town of Herndon told Reston Now.
Leon graduated from the Fairfax County K9 School in late December 2016. He was trained in tracking and narcotics detection.
In 2017, Leon received his ballistic vests from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s, which provides vests for police dogs in honor of fallen K9s.
Officer Trent Ashman, Leon’s handler and partner, told Reston Now that Leon has been deployed to the field 125 times since his 2016 graduation. Leon helped police discover and seize narcotics and weapons 49 different times, he added.
During his time at the police department, Leon aided with nine criminal apprehensions, Ashman said.
A highlight was when Leon tracked and found two suspects in a stolen vehicle case who were hiding in a creek miles away. “The stolen gun used in the crime was also located approximately 20 yards away from where the suspects were taken into custody,” Ashman said.
Leon officially retired on Feb. 22. “He will remain comfortably at home surrounded by his family,” the Herndon Police Department tweeted. “Thank you for your service, Leon. You’re a good boy.”
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the retirement of #K9 Leon for medical reasons. He will remain comfortably at home surrounded by his family, including his handler and partner, PFC Ashman. Thank you for your service, Leon. You're a good boy. #herndonpd pic.twitter.com/yVt9mqsqPt
— Herndon Police (@HerndonPolice) March 4, 2019
Photos via Herndon Police DepartmentÂ
Loudoun County police charged a Reston man with attempted capital murder in connection with a shootout last Thursday (Jan. 17) with deputies in Paeonian Springs.
Deputies responded to the 39000 block of Peacock Circle around 3:30 p.m. for a trespassing complaint after a witness said that a male forced entry into a trailer on the property, which contained firearms, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Before the deputies arrived, the suspect, now identified as Hyeong J. Suh, 29, of Reston, was heard firing a weapon on the property, the report said.
An investigation by the Sheriff’s Office indicates that Suh “fired a weapon several times, including firing rounds at two responding deputies.” The deputies exchanged gunfire and wounded Suh, who then “subsequently barricaded himself in the trailer, but exited a short time later and surrendered without further incident,” the report says.
Suh was immediately transported to a local hospital for a non-life threatening injury.
Suh was arrested and charged with one count of attempted capital murder and breaking and entering, according to the report. Currently, Suh is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Two deputies have been placed on routine, paid administrative leave until the end of the investigation, per Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office policy.
Photo via LCSO
A Herndon man pleaded guilty on Friday to running a prostitution ring with a man from Sterling.
After a nearly year-long investigation, 32-year-old Luis Bonilla-Hernandez of Sterling and 23-year-old Eliazar Duran Mota of Herndon were charged in July with two counts of felony receiving money from earnings of a female prostitute and two misdemeanor counts of using vehicles to promote prostitution, Reston Now previously reported.
The two men, who ran the prostitution business out of their homes, picked up women each week from Union Station before transporting them around northern Virginia to commercial sex customers — charging between $30 and $40 each for dozens of “commercial sex transactions,” according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The defendants would advertise the women with business cards purporting to be tied to an automobile shop, and they would tell Hispanic patrons via word of mouth that the cards related to prostitution,” according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Police found evidence of prostitution and over $14,000 in cash when they searched Bonilla-Hernandez’s house.
Duran Mota and Bonilla-Hernandez both pleaded guilty in connection to the prostitution of five adults and to one count of interstate travel or transportation in aid of a racketeering enterprise.
They each face up to five years in prison. Their sentencing is set for April 12.
More from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:
Two men pleaded guilty today to running a prostitution business that catered to the Hispanic population in northern Virginia over the past three years.
According to court documents, Luis Bonilla-Hernandez, 32, of Sterling, and Eliazar Duran Mota, 23, of Herndon, ran the prostitution business out of their homes. Each week, the defendants would obtain a woman to work in prostitution for a week at a time. The women, known as “Treinteras,” would travel by bus to Union Station in Washington, D.C. from states such as Pennsylvania and New York. The defendants then picked up the women from Union Station and transported them throughout northern Virginia to commercial sex customers. The defendants would advertise the women with business cards purporting to be tied to an automobile shop, and they would tell Hispanic patrons via word of mouth that the cards related to prostitution.
The women performed over a dozen commercial sex transactions each day, charging between $30 and $40 each time. After the prostitution dates, the women were required to turn all of their money over to the defendants, with a portion of the proceeds returned to the women at the end of the week. After a woman worked for a week, the defendants would switch out their “inventory” by obtaining a new woman from Union Station to work in prostitution throughout northern Virginia.
When law enforcement executed a search warrant on Bonilla Hernandez’s house, they recovered evidence of prostitution and over $14,000 in cash. Both defendants pleaded guilty in connection with the prostitution of five adult victims.
Bonilla-Hernandez and Duran Mota pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel or transportation in aid of a racketeering enterprise. The defendants each face a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced on April 12, 2019. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with detectives from the Fairfax County Police, Arlington County Police, Prince William County Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police, Alexandria City Police, Washington Metropolitan Police, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, George Mason University Police, United States Marshal’s Service, and agents of various Office of Inspector Generals. This matter was brought to the task force by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain is prosecuting the case, with significant assistance provided by the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Photo via LCSO
A GoFundMe page is raising funds for the family of the South Lakes High School student Marvin Daniel Cruz Serrano, who was struck and killed by a car nearly two weeks ago.
The campaign, which was created on Jan. 5 and activated today (Jan. 10), aims to help Serrano’s family and friends cover funeral costs and any other expenses.
People can also send donations to the Biblica Bautista Emanuel Church at 21770 Beaumeade Circle in Ashburn, Va., which will also disperse all of the funds raised to Serrano’s family.
The GoFundMe page says the following:
Friends and family of Daniel Serrano suffered a heart breaking loss on December 29 when Daniel was killed by a hit and run driver as he was attempting to cross South Lakes Drive in Reston, Virginia. Daniel had just exited the bus he was taking to return home after his work shift at a restaurant. Daniel was 16 years-old and attended South Lakes High School. He is remembered as a kind, generous and loving young man who will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Many have asked where to donate to help with funeral and other expenses. Donations can be made here or to Biblica Bautista Emanuel Church, 21770 Beaumeade Circle, Ashburn, VA 20147. The church will disperse all funds raised.
Reston Now previously reported that Principal Kim Retzer said funeral arrangements are still being planned.
The day after Serrano was killed by a driver while crossing South Lakes Drive, family and friends gathered at the spot for a vigil.
Fairfax County Police are still looking for the driver, who fled the scene, and are asking anyone with information to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit witness phone line at 703-280-0543 or to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Solvers.
Detectives believe the sedan involved “may possibly be gray or silver, and it likely has significant front end damage.”
Photo via GoFundMe
