Fairfax County Police are investigating the death of man who had wandered away from his group home outing and died after a struggle with police on Wednesday.
The incident happened on the other side of the Fairfax County, in Roundtree Park in Falls Church. The deceased has been identified as Paul Arthur Gianelos, 45, of Annandale.
The death will be investigated by the Major Crimes Division and the Internal Affairs Division. No weapons were used on the man, who suffered from cognitive disabilities, police said.
Police said on Wednesday about 1 p.m., patrol officers were dispatched to the area of Round Tree Park at 3320 Annandale Rd., for a report of a missing man who had wandered from the park on foot.
Officers located the man and were attempting to return him to caretakers when a struggle ensued. While attempting to take him into custody, he experienced an apparent medical emergency. Read More
Fairfax County Police detectives said they are seeing a new trend in area drug consumption involving highly concentrated marijuana resin boiled into various forms of hash or hash oil.
Some of the common street names: BHO (Butane Honey Oil), Wax or Earwax, dab or dabs, budder/butter, crumble, honeycomb, pull, snap, 710 (OIL upside down) and Shatter.
Police are urging residents to be particularly wary of Shatter, a “hard form marijuana derivative and has an extremely high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content.” Read More
A woman who formerly worked as a student teacher at a Herndon elementary school has been charged with four counts of using the Internet to solicit a child, Fairfax County Police said.
Fairfax County Police and the FBI said Kathleen Antonina Capitano, 24, of Shallotte, North Carolina, arrived in Herndon on Saturday with the apparent intent of meeting a 13-year-old boy for the purposes of engaging in sex.
Officials said Capitano originally met the boy when she was a student teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools’ Coates Elementary School in Herndon in 2015.
Unbeknownst to Capitano, law enforcement authorities had been alerted to her online communication with the child and were waiting for her in Virginia. She was taken into custody.
Detectives said they met with the teen and his parents prior to Capitano’s arrival in Fairfax County.
The case is still under investigation and additional charges are possible. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting http://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 at 703-691-2131Call: 703-691-2131.
Photo: Kathleen Antonina Capitano/FCPD
Former Fairfax County Police officer Adam Torres pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Monday for his involvement in the fatal 2013 shooting of an unarmed man at a domestic disturbance call.
The murder trial for Torres, now 33, was scheduled to begin at the Fairfax County Courthouse on Monday.
Torres, who was fired from the department last summer, apologized to the family of John Geer during the plea hearing in Fairfax Circuit Court before Circuit Judge Robert J. Smith.
Torres was one of several officers at the scene when police were called to Geer’s Springfield home in August of 2013. Geer had been fighting with his girlfriend, and police were talking to him in the doorway of his home.
Torres said during the investigation he thought he saw Geer, 46, reach for a gun and he then fired a shot at Geer’s chest. A gun was later found nearby, but was not in Geer’s hand at the time.
“I am truly sorry for my actions. I’m heartbroken for Mr. Geer’s children,” The Washington Post reported Torres said in court. “There are no words I can say today that can adequately express my remorse.”
Prosecutors and the defense had agreed to a 12-month sentence for Torres, who has been in jail without bond, but Judge Smith declined to accept that on Monday, the Post reported. Instead, Smith asked for a standard pre-sentencing report and scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 24. By then, Torres will have served 10 months.
The plea marks a quick end to a lengthy case. The FCPD received marked criticism for not saying anything about it for over a year. The department was also part of a nearly $3 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by Geer’s family.
In the wake of the shooting, Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova last year created an Ad Hoc Commission to review police policies on use of force, communications, recruiting practices, mental health and independent oversight of the department. The commission issued a detailed report last fall.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the Geer family, the friends of Mr. Geer, our community, and the men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department as the justice system concludes its course in this tragic loss of life,” FCPD Chief Edwin Roessler said in a statement following the plea.
“The men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department have fully cooperated with all authorities during this investigation,” Roessler said. “The action of one former employee is not reflective of the honorable work done day-in and day-out by all members of our department.”
Adam Torres/FCPD photo
Fairfax County Police said overall crime decreased in the county in 2015, but rose in a couple areas within the Reston District Station.
FCPD this week released the 2015 Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) crime statistical data for Group A offenses. This report summarizes the Fairfax County Police Department’s CY2015 crime data as reported to theVirginia State Police Incident-Based Reporting System.
The IBR system was adopted in 1989 and is used to uniformly categorize reported crimes committed throughout the nation. Under Group A offenses, there are 22 categories of crimes, involving 46 different offenses.
“The police department’s multifaceted community engagement contributes to the mission of preventing and fighting crime through building stronger bonds of trust between police officers and community members,” says Edwin C. Roessler, Chief of Police.
“We are truly blessed to have an engaged community which partners with us to accomplish our vision and mission, which continues to allow all of us to make our county motto a reality: Fairfax County–a great place to live, work, play and grow old.”
According to the report, crime across all categories had an overall decrease of .66 percent in 2015 compared to 2014.
The 2015 IBR categories that cover all types of reported crimes are:
- Crimes Against Persons (increased .92% from 2014)
- Crimes Against Property (decreased 2.17% from CY2014)
- Crimes Against Society (increased 4.52% from CY2014)
(Note: Crime Against Persons are calculated based on the number of victims. Crime Against Property and Crimes Against Society are calculated based on the number of events)
Breaking it down by district, here is how the Reston District fared in 2015 as compared to 2014.
- Robberies nearly doubled. There were 24 reported robberies in 2014; 42 in 2015.
- Assaults: rose from 657 in 2014 to 715 in 2015
- Homicides: There was one in the Reston District in 2015; none in 2014.
- Abduction: 11 in both years
- Sex offenses: 21 in 2015 (down from 24 in 2014)
See the entire report, including mapping of reported incidents by district, below. See a greater breakdown of stats on the FCPD website.
Officers from the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station reported the following incidents this week.
The list includes a number of items stolen from cars, which is an ongoing issue in Reston. The best way to prevent those is to make sure your car doors are locked, police say.
LARCENIES
- 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, phone from business
- 1600 block of Bentana Way, checks from vehicle
- 11200 block of Leatherwood Drive, watch from vehicle
- 1100 block of Trotting Horse Lane, briefcase from residence
- 1600 block of Valencia Way, purse from vehicle
- 2100 block of Centreville Road, merchandise from business
- 1200 block of Delta Glen Court, license plates from vehicle
STOLEN VEHICLES:
11500 block of Olde Tiverton Circle, 2004 Suzuki Vitara
A teenage girl was walking home from school Friday when she was grabbed by a stranger in a red car, Fairfax County Police said.
Officers from the Reston District Station said the girl, 13, was walking home from school about 3 p.m. She was at Parcher Avenue and Springer Drive when she was approached by a man
She reported the man approached her in a red vehicle and tried engaging her in conversation. At one point, he exited the vehicle and grabbed a hold of her arm, but she broke free and fled. The victim did not require medical attention.
The suspect was described as Hispanic, in his 30s, with dark-colored hair and was wearing a dark-colored shirt. Detectives are not excluding the possibilities of a prior contact between the victim and suspect.
In other weekend crime news:
BURGLARY: 1500 block of Regatta Lane, Reston, between 8:30 p.m. on April 7 and 9:15 a.m. April 8. A woman reported someone entered her open garage and stole a purse from her vehicle.
LARCENIES:
- 11000 block of Granby Court, property stolen from vehicles
- 2000 block of Beacon Heights Drive, purse stolen from vehicle
- 2000 block of Approach Lane, bag stolen from vehicle
- 1800 block of Presidents Street, backpack stolen from business
Fairfax County Police arrested a man and two women whom they say stole thousands of dollars worth of clothing from the Lord & Taylor store at Tysons Corner on Friday.
FCPD’s Tysons Urban Team (TUT) was called to the store about 8:30 p.m. after a store security official notified them of of suspicious activity.
Store security informed TUT that a male and two female suspects involved in a retail theft ring were currently in their store. The suspects exited the store and attempted to flee in a vehicle, but were detained in the parking lot, police said. In the car, officers found stolen merchandise along with tools geared to defeat the store security systems.
Police said more than $76,000 worth of property was seized from the retail theft ring. Arrested were:
Oleg Lazanovitch, 39, of Florida. Charged with grand larceny, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, and possession of a burglarious tool.
Iryna Karp, 28, of Florida. Charged with grand larceny, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, and possession of a burglarious tool.
Kateryna Nosul, 20, of Florida. Charged with providing false identify to law enforcement.
Photos: Some of the items stolen from Lord & Taylor/Credit: FCPD
Two drivers racing one another early on Saturday in Reston ended with a police chase, a crash, fleeing on foot and charges.
Police said two vehicles were observed racing at Leesburg Pike and Bishopsgate Way about 1:49 a.m. on Saturday, April 2.
An officer from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station attempted to stop one car, but the driver failed to yield and sped away from the officer.
A brief traffic pursuit ensued, police said. The pursuit ended when the suspect lost control of his vehicle, drove into a yard and struck a tree.
The driver fled from the vehicle on foot. Three other passengers attempted to flee on foot but two were apprehended. Rebecca A. Shires, 23, of Springfield, and Aaron M. Chew, 23, of Burke, were transported to jail and charged with drunk in public.
The officer obtained two warrants for the driver, Corey A. Gonzalez, 25, of Springfield; he turned himself in the following day and was charged with reckless driving and driving on a revoked operator’s license.
In other weekend crime news:
LARCENIES
- 9700 block of Days Farm Drive, cash and credit cards from vehicle
- 1600 block of Fremont Lane, wallet from vehicle
- 1600 block of Wainwright Drive, kayak from residence
Here is information from the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station from March 23 to March 30:
UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 11200 block of South Shore Road. A resident reported on March 22 that unknown subjects have been inside his house while it is being remodeled. Nothing was taken.
LARCENIES
9800 block of Georgetown Pike, wallet from vehicle
12000 block of Sunset Hills, backpack from business
12000 block of Greywing Square, license plates from vehicle
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, phone from business
600 block Miller Avenue, cash and property stolen from a vehicle.
11900 block of Freedom Drive, property stolen from a vehicle.
1800 block of Fountain Drive, merchandise from business
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, purse from business
STOLEN VEHICLES
2100 block of Astoria Circle, 2008 Nissan 350Z
11900 Freedom Dr. 2004 Honda CRV
2500 block of Peter Jefferson Lane, 2016 Toyota Camry
A Herndon man who was found with more than 600,000 child pornography images on his computer will face jail time.
A Fairfax County circuit court jury last week found Adrantes Bruzual, 34, of Herndon guilty, and sentenced him to 12 years in prison with a $4,000 fine, WTOP reports.
In February 2014, a Fairfax County Police detective who was monitoring a file sharing network for people trading child porn, discovered an Internet Protocol (IP) address within Fairfax County.
After confirming the files contained child pornography, detectives traced the address of the IP to a home on Missouri Avenue in Herndon.
Police executed a search warrant and took two computer towers and two monitors from Bruzual’s basement bedroom. A forensic search found several hard drives, containing over 600,00 images of child porn.
Bruzual was charged with, and later indicted on, 20 counts of child pornography. In his trial, Bruzual testified that other people used the computers found in his room. He said he had no idea the images were on the computers.
A Reston man is facing several criminal charges after he entered a Great Falls home and passed out in the basement.
Police said the owner of a home in the 700 block of Seneca Road in Great Falls was away from home and checking his security camera online at about 5:20 a.m. Monday when he saw an unknown male trying to enter the house.
Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station arrived and found Christopher Jones, 25, of Reston, passed out in the basement.
Police also found a vehicle registered to Jones not far from the home. The vehicle had struck a mailbox and then become stuck in a ditch.
Jones was charged with unlawful entry and hit and run, police said.
Photo: Christopher Jones/Credit: FCPD
A black bear and a bear cub were spotted by residents in the 1500 block of Windstone Drive over the weekend, Fairfax County Police said.
Spring is the time when black bears and cubs emerge from their winter dens, so it is not unusual to see bears from mid-March to early May in Virginia.
The residents told police they saw the bears Sunday about 7 p.m. This location is near Difficult Run Stream Valley Park and Wolftrap Stream Valley Park. Police said the bears posed no problems or issues, but did stay on the property for about an hour.
Here are some bear behavior tips from FCPD:
Bears typically avoid humans, but may wander into residential areas in their search for food. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food.
Mother bears are protective over their cubs. If encountered, bears and their cubs should not be approached. When sensing danger, a female bear will typically send her cubs up a tree and leave the area. In such cases, the female will almost always return to gather up the cubs when no people or pets are around, usually after dark.
If a bear huffs or woofs, clacks its teeth, growls or slaps the ground, it is warning you that you are too close.
The Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries suggest residents take the following precautions to minimize encounters with black bears:
Keep a respectful distance! In most cases, the bear will move on quickly.
If a bear is up a tree on or near your property, give it space. Do not approach, and bring your pets inside to provide the bear a clear path to leave your property.If you see a very small cub, do not try to remove it from the area or “save it.” The best way to encourage the bear not to return is to remove food sources.
Do not store household trash, or anything that smells like food, in vehicles, on porches or decks.
Keep your full or empty trash containers secured in a garage, shed or basement.
Take your garbage to the dump frequently.
If you have a trash collection service, put your trash out the morning of the pickup, not the night before.
Take down your birdfeeder for 3-4 weeks after the bear visits.
Unless the animal is sick or injured, or poses a threat to public safety, Animal Control Officers do not take actions to attempt to remove bears from a neighborhood.
Black bears have a natural fear of humans, and in most cases, would rather flee than encounter people.
You may contact the Fairfax County Animal Services Division, Animal Control Section at (703) 691-2131 , for further information. Bear sightings should be reported to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at (855) 571-9003 .
Photo: Bear in Fairfax County/FCPD file photo
A traffic stop turned into a police pursuit and drug charges for a Reston man on Friday.
Fairfax County Police said officers attempted a traffic stop for a traffic violation in the 1800 block of Old Reston Ave. about 10 p.m.
The suspect vehicle continued and finally stopped in the 11600 block of Charter Oak Court, police said. The driver was placed under arrest without incident. William A. Butler, 28, of Reston, was charged with possession of marijuana, disregard police signal to stop, and driving on a suspended license.
In other news from the FCPD’s Reston District Station:
PERSON IN EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, 11300 block of Geddys Court,, March 18 at 9:03 a.m. Officers responded to a call from Adult Protective Services that a man was in crisis. The social worker was at the scene and another resident were escorted out of the house for safety purposes. Officers were initially unable to make contact with the man, but he voluntarily exited the house and was transported for mental health treatment.
BURGLARY, 1700 block of Clubhouse Road, March 17, 10:36 p.m. Police officers responded to a burglar alarm at a business. One officer observed an unknown male holding property. The suspect was described as 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, 130 to 150 pounds, wearing a black shirt, dark pants, black backpack, and black winter cap, inside the business. The suspect was not located.
LARCENIES
- 11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue, snacks from business
- 1500 block of Coat Ridge Road, license plate from vehicle
- 11900 block of Democracy Drive, tip jar from business
- 11600 block of Plaza America Drive, wallet from business
- 11800 block of Spectrum Center, phone from business
- 12000 block of Town Square, merchandise from business
Three teenagers in a stolen car crashed the vehicle and fled from police in a chase on Sunrise Valley Drive Tuesday.
Fairfax County Police said a patrol officer was driving past South Lakes High School on South Lakes Drive Wednesday about 12:30 p.m. when a 2004 silver Honda pulled out of the lot in front of him.
The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle, which was just stolen from the Reston Town Center, sped away.
A short pursuit ensued and ended when the vehicle crashed in front of the Sheraton Reston Hotel on Sunrise Valley Drive.
The two passengers were apprehended right away, but the driver fled on foot. Other responding officers located and arrested him a short time later, police said.
All three subjects were juveniles. Drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle, police said.
