A 30-year-old man from Reston died yesterday (Tuesday) after being transported to a hospital from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.
Identified as Christopher Fojt by Fairfax County police, the man was found unresponsive in his cell around 11 p.m. last Thursday (April 22) by a post deputy.
“The deputy immediately rendered aid until relieved by ADC medical personnel,” the sheriff’s office says in a news release. “Rescue arrived, continued lifesaving measures and transported the inmate to a hospital.”
Fojt was was pronounced dead by hospital personnel at 7:29 p.m. on April 27.
In its own news release, the Fairfax County Police Department says that an autopsy will be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but “preliminarily, there are no signs of foul play.”
Detectives from the FCPD’s major crimes bureau are currently investigating the incident as an in-custody death, as required by the sheriff’s office’s policies.
According to the sheriff’s office, Fojt was being held without bond at the adult detention center since the evening of April 21. He faced multiple charges, including “possession of a schedule I or II drug with a firearm on or about his person.”
Our detectives are coordinating with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office to gather the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic event,” the FCPD said.
Reston’s Embry Rucker Community Shelter is set to receive later this month quilts made by inmates in a sewing program.
A class member who benefited from the shelter’s services at 11975 Bowman Towne Drive requested that quilts go there, according to Fairfax County.
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office created the sewing class at the Alternative Incarceration Branch of the Adult Detention Center (10520B Judicial Drive) in July to offer inmates a marketable life skill and help cut back costs. The program kicked off after an investment of $3,600 paid for the sewing machines and equipment.
The Adult Detention Center has an average population of roughly 1,000 inmates, who all wear jumpsuits. The Sheriff’s Office usually spends about $12,000 per year repairing jumpsuits, with an average of 200 jumpsuits sent out every month at a cost of $5 each last year, according to the county. Replacing them is even more expensive at about $15 to $17 each.
Now, inmates repair all of the jumpsuits in-house.
The quilting program emerged to fill their spare time after the inmates consistently finished jumpsuit repairs before the end of each class period. Inmates use donated pieces of fabric to create the quilts.
Photo via Fairfax County
A jury duty scam that circulated in 2014 has returned, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.
Several Fairfax County residents have recently reported phone calls from a man claiming to be named “Sergeant Davis.” Victims are told that they have an outstanding warrant and must provide credit card information or purchase a Green Dot money card from Walgreens or CVS to wire over to the scammer.
The perpetrator has attempted several angles in order to scam money off residents. People have been told that they have missed a jury duty court date, failed to pay a utility bill or owe the IRS for unpaid taxes.
SCAM ALERT! Caller claims to be “Sgt Davis” & says you failed to appear in court/jury duty. Hang up! Do not give out personal info or $.
— Fairfax Sheriff (@fairfaxsheriff) July 20, 2017
According to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office:
Telephone scammers, FALSELY claiming to be Sheriff’s deputies, are seeking personal information and threatening you with arrest so that they can take your money. The scammers may request credit card information for court costs and provide you with a “new” court date. Or they will direct you to go to Walmart, CVS or Rite Aid and purchase a green dot money card. PLEASE HANG UP on these scammers! Do not give out personal information such as your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, passwords or any other identifying information about yourself or your family members. Regularly monitor all of your monetary accounts and always use strong passwords.
Learn more about avoiding various scams, how to recover from identity theft and how to report if you have been the victim of a financial crime. Please share this information with your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
Anyone who thinks they have fallen victim to one of these scams should report it through the county’s Financial Crimes Information and Reporting System.
Similar scams have been reported in other jurisdictions, including Arlington.
A man who died in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center over the weekend has been identified as a 53-year-old Herndon man.
Fairfax County Police Detectives from the Major Crimes Division said the man who died on Saturday was Kelly Maurice Scott, 53, of Herndon.
Scott had been incarcerated since his arrest on Sept. 15, 2015. Police said they could not comment on what charges Scott was facing.
Scott was found unresponsive in his cell about 6:40 a.m. on Saturday. Sheriff’s deputies immediately initiated CPR, police said. Rescue personnel arrived at 6:45, and additional police personnel arrived at 6:53. Scott was pronounced dead after extensive efforts to revive him inmate were unsuccessful, police said.
Scott was assigned to a Direct Supervision Unit, where inmates are routinely checked every 30 minutes. Police said nothing appeared to be suspicious.
An autopsy was completed on Monday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; the cause and manner of death will be included in their formal report.
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office is warning county residents about the return of phone scammers.
A spokesman for Fairfax Sheriff Stacey Kincaid said they thought they had eradicated the scam in April.
From the sheriff:
We would like to warn people again that we would never call asking for money or threatening arrest
Scammers, identifying themselves as deputy sheriffs, are calling residents of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax and the Towns of Herndon and Vienna, threatening that they will be arrested unless they purchase a money card, such as Green Dot MoneyPak, or wire money through Western Union.
Usually, the scammer claims that the resident failed to appear for jury duty or did not pay a tax balance. To add to the confusion, the scammer may use the name of a real sheriff’s deputy or judge, both easily found on the official Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office website.
Please be aware! The Sheriff’s Office is in no way associated with this scam. Sheriff’s deputies will NOT call to ask you for money nor threaten you with arrest.
If you receive a threatening phone call related to jury duty or tax payments, please hang up immediately. Do NOT give out personal information such as your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, passwords or any other identifying information. Regularly monitor all of your accounts and always use strong passwords.
To confirm a jury duty summons, contact the Circuit Court jury duty clerk at 703-246-7816 (press 0). For information about tax scams, visit the IRS consumer alerts page.
