Friday, May 18, 2012
Virginia has appealed a federal judge’s decision to vacate the convictions and sentences regarding Daniel Robert Petrole Jr.’s 2001 murder.
Virginia’s appeal of a federal court decision to vacate the conviction and sentence of Justin Michael Wolfe—who a Prince William County jury sent to death row in 2002 for murder-for-hire—goes before the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond on May 17. Owen Merton Barber IV, of Centreville, testified before a federal judge in 2010 that he made up his testimony against Wolfe, of Chantilly, under pressure from prosecutors and his own defense attorney. Barber followed Daniel Robert Petrole Jr. for more than an hour before blocking his car along a dead-end street in front of Petrole’s Bristow home and killing him. In his order vacating the convictions, U.S. District Court Judge Raymond A. Jackson said prosecutors withheld exculpatory …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A couple left their collection in the car for 10 minutes after pulling into their driveway. When they returned, everything was gone.
After attending an antique coin show in Charlottesville on April 14, an elderly couple returned home only to have their collection—worth hundreds of thousands of dollars—stolen right out of the car in their own driveway, police said Tuesday. Detectives believe the victims were targeted and that the suspect may have followed them to their Annandale-area home from the coin show. The couple, who live in the 3800 block of Stuart Circle, left the coins and bank notes in the car for "no more than 10 minutes," after they returned home, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. The items were inside three brown leather briefcases, two document holders and a leather backpack, which were all hidden under a blanket in the rear hatch area of…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Bethany Decker disappeared last January.
Kim Nelson wants more than flowers for Mother's Day. She wants her daughter back. Ashburn resident Bethany Decker disappeared on Jan. 29, 2011. She turns 23 today. Families and friends in Ashburn and throughout Northern Virginia plan to hold their own personal vigils for Decker's safe return. "We want Bethany to know if she's out there that there isn't a moment that goes by that we don't think think about her and miss her," Nelson said. "We believe in a big God who knows where she is and has her in His hands. There is power in prayer!" Nelson created a Facebook fan page and group with the help of those searching for the man who killed Morgan Harrington and raped a Fairfax City woman. Together they're working to keep Decker's disappearance …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Judge says Fairfax officer had no reason to pull Babbitt over
A judge dismissed charges against the former Federal Aviation Administration chief Thursday, according to The Washington Post. The Post reports: Fairfax City General District Court Judge Ian O’Flaherty dropped the case after watching video of the Fairfax City traffic stop. In it, Randy Babbitt makes a left hand turn off of southbound Lee Highway. "In the process, Babbitt crossed double yellow lines and a northbound lane, but he did not drive on the wrong side of the road as Fairfax City Officer Mike Morris alleged in the criminal complaint." The judge also considered a breathalyzer reading of .oo7, just under the state's legal limit. He did not consider later breathalyzer results that put Babbitt over the legal limit. O'Flaherty ended the …
Group allegedly smuggled cocaine into Northern Virginia, wired money to South America
Local men allegedly smuggled cocaine into Northern Virginia and distributed it across the East Coast, which wired more than $1 million back to suppliers in Honduras over several years. Twenty-eight people were charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine in connection with the case, officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations announced Wednesday. The charge carries a minimum mandatory of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Peter Carr said. Click here for a list of alleged smugglers. According to case documents, those charged — largely Honduran immigrants who have lived in Northern Virginia for the past seven years — …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Neighbors were shocked when police searched the home.
Moore Street residents were surprised when police cruisers and officers amassed on a neighbor's house in December, but only until recently have Fairfax County Police discussed what happened. Residents watched for hours as officers carried items out of the home in trash bags on Dec. 15. FCPD served warrants and charged two men with possession and intent to distribute marijuana in mid-April. In addition to the possession and distribution of marijuana charges: Both were arrested on April 19. They posted bond that night, according to FCPD. The December search took place after a confidential informant purchased marijuana from a man known as "Alex" twice in November and December, according to the search warrant on file at Fairfax County …
Corbin G. Shannon charged with reckless driving
An Oakton man has been charged in a Monday night incident in which he leaped onto cars in oncoming traffic, leaving the scene of a car accident on Interstate 66, NBC4 reports. Corbin G. Shannon, 21, has been charged with destruction of property, reckless driving, pedestrian on the interstate and interfering with passing vehicles on a highway. Around 6:15 p.m. Monday, Virginia State Police were called to a two-vehicle crash in which a Honda sitting in the right shoulder of westbound I-66 near Exit 147 reportedly swerved into traffic, where it collided with a van, NBC reports. As the driver of the van started to approach him to check on his condition, Shannon ran out into the westbound traffic and jumped on four vehicles traveling westbound…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
May 8 marks the anniversary of an attack that killed two Fairfax County Police Department officers.
May is a difficult month for Fairfax County Police Chief David Rohrer and his department. May 8 marks the sixth anniversary of the tragic shooting deaths of two FCPD officers, and memorial vigils for fallen local and national comrades will be held on May 13 and 15. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed May 13-19 as Police Week and May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in Fairfax County. On a dreary afternoon on May 8, 2006, Michael Kennedy, a Centreville teen, opened fire at Detective Vicky Armel and Officer Michael Garbarino in the back parking lot of the Sully District Station. Armel was killed and Garbarino was severely injured. He died from his wounds nine days later. “The officers of the Fairfax County Police …
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Fairfax center will close by May 14 unless funding can be found to keep it running.
A safe place for children who suffered sexual abuse may not last the month. The Childhelp Advocacy Center on Waples Mill Road just outside the city limits will lose its national funding on May 14. Representatives from public and private agencies, including the Fairfax County Police Department, Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Commonwealth's Attorney, along with Childhelp board members and private citizens, met Friday to discuss their options and see what can be done to save the center. Childhelp is a national non-profit that helps victims of child sexual abuse. It funds five advocacy centers across the nation. These advocacy centers, like the one in Fairfax, use a different, more victim-friendly approach to investigating…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Police chief says drones will monitor traffic.
Unmanned aerial drones could soon be flying over Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County Police Department Chief David Rohrer, WTOP reports. "Drones will certainly have a purpose and a reason to be in this region in the next coming years," Rohrer said Monday on WTOP. Rohrer appeared on the station's "Ask the Chief" show. Rohrer said the drones could be used to monitor traffic conditions and backups on area roadways. The Federal Aviation Administration recently released a list of organizations that are authorized to use drones. In Virginia, some government agencies based in the state and Virginia Tech have received drone certificates, though the list does not include information about where the drones are flying. In February, Virginia…
Edward Faggen
8:57 am on Saturday, May 12, 2012
I used to work for the FAA but left before Randy Babbit became Administrator. People I know and whose opinion I value say he was an excellent Administrator. I live in the City of Fairfax, near where this incident occurred and I was particularly saddend when he was arrested and yet another public servant had to leave his office due to personal foibles. So, now it turns out that a judge says these … more ›