Two men robbed a taxi cab driver in Reston in the early hours of June 24, Fairfax County Police said.

The driver was in the 11300 block of Baron Cameron Avenue about 4:20 .m. when the passengers implied that they had a weapon, threatened the driver and demanded money, police said.

The driver handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and was not injured.

The suspects fled on foot toward Wiehle Avenue. One suspect was described as black, very tall. He was wearing a multi-colored shirt and jeans. The second suspect was described as Hispanic, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall. He was wearing an orange shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

Fairfax County Police have located a man reported missing from Herndon last week.

Kenneth R Hirsh and his dog were found dead Saturday about 8 p.m. in a wooded area near the 12200 block of Parkstream Terrace, police said.

Hirsch was reported missing on June 22. He voluntarily left a residence in the 1400 block of Kingstream Drive in Herndon on Tuesday, June 21 around 4:45 p.m. with his dog.

Hirsch  was believed to be experiencing emotional distress and be in possession of a firearm.

Police said there are no apparent suspicious circumstances related to this case.

Photo: Kenneth Hirsch/FCPD

Adam Torres, the former Fairfax County police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man at his home in 2013 was sentenced Friday to a year in jail for involuntary manslaughter.

Since Torres has already served more than 10 months in jail, he will be released next week, Fairfax County sheriff’s officials said.

In April, Torres, 33,  pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter just as his second-degree murder trial was about to begin.

The victim, John Geer, then 46, was in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend at his Springfield home in August of 2013. Police spoke with him for about 45 minutes in the doorway and seemingly had the situation under control when Torres fired a shot at Geer from about 17 feet away.

Torres told investigators he thought Geer was reaching for a gun. When police later went into the home, they found the gun on the floor several feet away.

Fairfax County Police did not release many details — including the name of the shooting officer — on the incident for more than a year. After a civil suit was filed by Geer’s family, the department was forced to release information about it in January 2015. The case prompted the county to form a special commission to review the police policies and practices.

“The death of John Geer was a tragic event and a painful chapter in Fairfax County history,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. “With today’s sentencing, the justice system has done its part. Although Adam Torres’ act cannot be undone, there are many things Fairfax County can do to ensure future tragedies such as this never happen again. … We are committed to promoting community trust and making our Police Department a national model moving forward.” Read More

The Fairfax County Police have a new tool to help residents stay aware of and report crime in the community.

FCPD has teamed with CrimeReports.com, an online mapping and analysis service provided by Public Engines, Inc., for the improved system.

CrimeReports.com combines the value of police data with the ease-of-use of Google-based mapping and an analytics module so that members of the public can view police data in a high-impact map and summary format, FCPD says.

Says FCPD:

CrimeReports.com provides a convenient, web-based platform that will allow us to proactively share local, police related information with the community.

Events reported to the Fairfax County Police Department and stored in our I/LEADS records management system are automatically published in an interactive map that is free and accessible to the public on desktop or mobile device.

For over 10 years, the police department has published calls for service data through the “My Neighborhood” application available on the Fairfax County website. The new CrimeReports.com experience will now provide residents with the opportunity to view police activity at their leisure, to sign up for updates, and to instantly send secure, anonymous tips to the Fairfax County Crime Solvers network.

Functions that are currently accessed on Fairfax County’s My Neighborhood site will remain available to the public, but will now include a redirect to CrimeReports.com.

To check out Crimereports.com, visit the site and type in a Fairfax County address. FCPD also has a Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

Fairfax County Police detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing person.

On Wednesday, June 22, Kenneth R. Hirsch was reported missing. He voluntarily left a residence in the 1400 block of Kingstream Drive in Herndon on Tuesday, June 21 around 4:45 pm with his dog.

Hirsch may be experiencing emotional distress and be in possession of a firearm; he should not be approached.

Anyone with information pertaining to the whereabouts of Kenneth Hirsch is asked to contact Detective Connie Morris at 703-856-8543 or the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.

Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station report two burglaries in recent days.

The first was Saturday, June 18 in the 11800 block of Breton Court. A resident reported to police that someone entered their home though an unlocked door and took property.

The second burglary tool place Sunday. A resident of the 1200 block of Mason Mill Court in unincorporated Herndon told police someone entered their home and took property.

In other crime news from the last week:

• LARCENIES
• 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, wallet from business
• 2100 block of Centreville Road, bicycles from business
• 12200 block of Laurel Glade Court, bicycle from residence
• 11500 block of North Shore Drive, bicycle from residence
• 12100 block of Sandy Court, license plate from vehicle
• 12100 block of Sanibel Court, laptop computer from vehicle
• 2200 block of Springwood Drive, property from business
• 13000 block of Marcey Creek Road, radio from vehicle
• 11200 block of Crossbeam Court, check from residence
• 11500 block of Olde Tiverton Circle, bicycle from residence
• 2200 block of Cartwright Place, property from residence
• 11800 block of Fawn Ridge Lane, purse from vehicle
• 12900 block of Highland Crossing Drive, cash from residence
• 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, property from residence
• 12100 block of Sunset Hills, wallet from business

Editor’s note: An incorrect version of this story accidentally posted earlier today. This is the correct version.

Metal pellets from a BB gun were aimed at a Reston Association official’s Reston home on Sunday night, police confirmed.

Sometime late Sunday night, someone shot at the front and back deck of the home, according to a report filed with Fairfax County Police. The Reston Association official’s name and home location are not being used for privacy reasons.

The RA official was out of town at the time. No other houses in the area were believed to be damaged and there were no injuries, police said. Detectives took BBs from the scene and will further investigate the incident.

The RA official is concerned that the shooting was done by someone in the community “who has an issue” with Reston Association.

Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station report that two burglaries took place May 29 and 30.

The first incident was in the 10000 block of Scenic View Terrace in the Vienna area on May 29. A resident reported that someone came into his garage and took property.

The second was on May 30 in the 500 block of Haven Lane in Great Falls. A resident told police someone came into their home and took property.

In other police report news in the last week:

LARCENIES

• 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, license plate from vehicle.
• 2500 block of Reston Parkway, mulch from business.
• 2500 block of John Milton Drive, alcohol from business.
• 12000 block of Lake Newport Road, laptop computer and phone from residence.
• 11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business.
• 11900 block of Market Street, property from residence.
• 1300 block of Stable Farm Court, jewelry from residence.
• 2500 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from business.
• 700 block of Ellsworth Avenue, wallet from vehicle.
• 1500 block of Hiddenbrook Drive, jewelry and medication from residence.
• 2500 block of John Milton Drive, liquor from business.
• 2400 block of Old Silo Court, jewelry and cash from residence.
• 13200 block of Overcup Oak Court, wallet from vehicle.
• 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, bicycle from residence.

STOLEN VEHICLES

1200 block of Difficult Run Court, 2016 Infinity G37X.

Fairfax County Police report that Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers was involved in a vehicle crash Thursday morning that left the other driver injured.

From Fairfax County Police:

On Thursday, May 26 at 8:01 a.m., Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers called the Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) to report that he had just been involved in a motor vehicle crash on Lee Highway (Rt. 29) at the intersection of the Fairfax County Parkway (Rt. 286).

Patrol officers from the Fair Oaks District Station responded and located the crash. The investigation is underway.

Chief Bowers was on-duty, operating his assigned county vehicle, a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, southbound on the Rt. 29 ramp approaching the ramp to northbound Rt. 286.

The other vehicle involved was a 2002 BMW, driven by a 36-year-old man from the Fairfax area. The BMW was on the northbound Rt. 286 ramp approaching Rt. 29.

The front of the Tahoe collided with the right side of the BMW, in the intersection.

The driver of the BMW was transported to Inova Fair Oaks Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Chief Bowers was not injured.

Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department Crash Reconstruction Unit are assisting with the crash investigation. An administrative investigation will be conducted by the Deputy County Executive for Public Safety, David M. Rohrer.

Anyone who witnessed this crash, or who has information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at703-691-2131 .

**Text STOP to 274637 to cancel. Text HELP to 274637 for help. Msg & data rates may apply. Go to crimesolvers.net for Terms & Conditions.

Drive carefully this holiday weekend.

Fairfax County Police will be holding a sobriety checkpoint in the Reston District between Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturday at 2 a.m.

FCPD regularly holds checkpoints in various parts of the county in order to monitor for intoxicated drivers. They do not announce the location ahead of time.

The last Reston checkpoint took place in late April at Walnut Branch Road and the Fairfax County Parkway.

Police said 623 vehicles passed through that screening point, resulting in one DWI arrest, one criminal charge, and three traffic summonses.

Photo courtesy FCPD

A former Fairfax County Police officer and public information spokesman pleaded guilty Monday to 10 counts of possessing child pornography.

William M. “Bud” Walker, 50, was a FCPD officer for 15 years, the last six years spent as a spokesman in the police public information unit where he handled inquiries from the news media. He also was a former school resource officer at Fairfax County Public Schools’  South County High School. Read More

A Reston woman said she was the target of local abduction scammers — a trend Fairfax County Police warned residents about last week. Quick thinking and following advice from police helped thwart the would-be scammers, she said.

In the last two months, scammers have been calling people and telling them they have their children and demanding money, police said.

The woman, who works in human resources for a Herndon company, said she received a call at 3:30 p.m. Friday from an unknown caller who had a female on the line who sounded “exactly like my [23-year-old] daughter. She was crying and speaking incoherently.”

Here’s what happened next:

“I wrote a note to my co-worker to call 911,” said the woman, who asked her name not be used. “The caller said he kidnapped my daughter and was demanding that I pay a ransom. His instructions were not to hang up, not put the phone on speaker or mute and to go directly to my car and then to a bank. He made demands that I call him ‘son’ that I not try to call the police or contact anyone else.

“My co-workers jumped into action,” she said. “They called and met the police, kept me calm and called family members trying to confirm that my daughter was in fact okay. This lasted about 25 minutes until my daughter answered the call from the Fairfax County police.” Read More

Fairfax County Police are still looking for a man who allegedly robbed the 7-Eleven at 2303 Soapstone Drive early Friday morning.

Detectives have good security camera footage though, and are seeking the public’s help to identify and arrest the suspect.

The man entered the store about 6 a.m. on Friday, May 20, announced that he had a weapon, and then fled the store with merchandise.

The suspect was described as white, 35 to 45 years old, 5 feet inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, police said.

He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, green camouflaged hat, green cargo shorts, black socks, and black shoes. The suspect may have left in a vehicle that was waiting for him near Underoak Court.

FCPD officers searched for the suspect by air and ground for about an hour after the incident but were unable to locate him.

If you recognize him, or if you have any information about the suspect, please contact Detective F.K. Chambers at (703) 246-7800.

You may also contact Crime Solvers of Fairfax County by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), via web-based email at http://www. fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or, text “TIP187” plus your message* to CRIMES (274637). Tipsters who provide their information through Crime Solvers are eligible for a cash reward of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest. Tipsters remain anonymous and never have to give their names or appear in court.

Fairfax County Police are warning parents of a new trend: scammers that are telling adults their children have been kidnapped. It’s an attempt to get money — and don’t fall for it, police say.

From the FCPD:

Since April, police have responded to several reports of what appear to be a trending scam for money. This scam utilizes fear as a catalyst. A parent gets a phone call during a school day and they hear a child crying or a child stating they have been kidnapped. Then, a stranger gets on the phone and tells the parent their child has been abducted and demands ransom for the child’s return. The scammer tells the victim to wire the money to a specific location.

Instinctively, many parents will do whatever it takes to get their sons or daughters back home to safety. The victims may not think about calling their child’s school to verify that they are safe and where they’re supposed to be until it’s too late and realize they have just been swindled.

These scammers will try to keep you on the phone with them so you cannot call police or anyone else and keep your mind distracted and frazzled for fear of your child’s safety.

Police encourage any parent who receives a ransom call about their child being abducted to immediately call your child’s school (or the location where they are supposed to be) to verify whether they are, in fact, there.

Financial scams are prevalent in today’s technological and connected society. Scammers target unsuspecting victims through phone calls, e-mails and face-to-face. They prey upon your emotions from excitement and joy to fear and intimidation and the types and styles of ruses are countless. The common thread is that all scammers hope to catch you off-guard and keep you off-balance so you act without thinking and don’t realize what’s happened until your money is already gone.