July 11, 2002
<sh>Computer Solicitation is Charged
<bt>A New Jersey man is facing a possible 10 years in prison after being nabbed in a sting operation by a Fairfax County police detective. He is John Benjamin Desper, 33, of 38 Franklin St., Swedesboro Township, N.J. Police say he allegedly used a computer to solicit someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sexual activities.
According to police, Desper and the girl were reportedly supposed to meet each other in Centreville. Employed as a systems manager for Gloucester County Communications, Desper was arrested June 28 in New Jersey and was transported last Tuesday, July 2, to Fairfax County's Adult Detention Center.
Police charged him with using a communications system to solicit a minor for certain offenses. He was released, the same day, on $10,000 bond. Desper was arraigned Wednesday, July 3, and has an Aug. 27 court date.
<sh>Fireworks Cause House Fire
<bt>Fire department officials say fireworks caused a $50,000 house fire, Fourth of July night, off Stone Road in Centreville. The blaze broke out at a two-story townhouse at 6002 Raina Drive in the Woodgate Manor community — about a block from the West Centreville Fire Station 38.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Lorenzo Thrower said a neighbor called and reported the fire, early Friday, July 5, around 3:55 a.m. "First arriving units reported heavy fire coming from the rear of the townhouse," he said. "The fire caused major damage to the back of the townhouse and attic."
Some 30 firefighters from both Centreville stations (17 and 38) responded, along with firefighters and equipment from the Chantilly, Fair Oaks and Frying Pan stations. They brought the flames under control in about 15 minutes. The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no one was injured.
<sh>Carwash Saturday for Ashley
<bt>Girl Scout Service Unit 5411 will hold a fund-raising carwash, Saturday, July 20, for Centreville's Ashley Dubey, 5. It will be at the Mobil gas station in the Centreville Square Shopping Center, off Routes 28/29, from 8 a.m.-noon.
Ashley is in a rehabilitation hospital in Charlottesville after being struck, May 2, by a hit-and-run driver on Old Centreville Road. Proceeds from the carwash will help her family with her medical bills. Contributions, payable to Harsh and Dubey, may also be sent to: Bank of America, 14122 Lee Highway, Centreville, VA 20120.
Ashley's mother, Seema Dubey, is a hairdresser at Salon Cielo in the Tysons II Galleria. The past two Sundays, the salon held a cut-a-thon for Ashley, raising $638 total.
<sh>Crime Solvers Bias Case
<bt>Fairfax County Crime Solvers is asking the public to help identify whoever's responsible for a bias incident/destruction of property that occurred in Centreville's Sully Station community. It happened sometime between June 18 at 9 p.m. and June 19 at 8:30 a.m. in the 5600 block of Flagler Drive.
Police say a homeowner noticed some discoloration on his front lawn and, when it became more prominent, he discovered that it spelled out the word "JEW." Anyone with information about this incident or the perpetrator is asked to call Crime Solvers at 703-691-8888 or 1-800-673-2777. Callers may remain anonymous, and a $1,000 cash reward will be paid for information leading to an arrest.
<sh>WFCCA Quarterly Meeting Monday
<bt>Transportation and education will be the topics of the two guest speakers at the Monday, July 15, quarterly meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA).
The speakers are Tom Farley, Northern Virginia District Administrator for VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) and Kathy Smith, Sully District School Board representative. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in Supervisor Michael R. Frey's (R-Sully) conference room in the Fort Hill Building, 5900 Centreville Road in Centreville.
<sh>WFCCA Land-Use Mtg. Tuesday
<bt>The West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee will meet Tuesday, July 16, at 7 p.m., in Supervisor Michael R. Frey's (R-Sully) conference room. It's in the Fort Hill Building, 5900 Centreville Road in Centreville, and the public is welcome. To be discussed are:
* The county Park Authority's plans for the Hunter/Hacor property near the Pleasant Valley/Braddock roads intersection;
* St. Timothy Catholic Church's desire to build a two-story, 7,500-square-foot library and add an on-site preschool;
* The timing of the construction of certain roads in the Westfields Corporate Center;
* A proposal by Eastwood Properties to build five, single-family homes next to Willoughby Woods, off Old Centreville Road; and
* An amendment to the county's Comprehensive Plan dealing with residential development criteria.
<sh>WFCM Food Pantry Needs
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministry's (WFCM) food pantry — which provides food to local needy families — is in serious need of several items. They are: Breakfast cereal, canned pastas, fruit, juices and meats (salmon and chicken), peanut butter, jelly and spaghetti sauce.
To donate, call 703-815-3238, or bring these things to the Shepherd Center. It's open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and is between Fashion Bug and Payless Shoes in the Sully Plaza Shopping Center at 13924 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly.
<sh>Kids in Crisis Ministry
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministry's (WFCM) Kids in Crisis Ministry provides emergency assistance to families impacted by a child's illness. Since such families are too distracted to research all the organizations that might help them, If anyone knows of a family in need, please advise them to call the hotline at 703-378-3045. Leave a message on the "Kids in Crisis" box, and a volunteer will return the call.
This program offers a safety net for families whose income or expenses are affected by a child's illness. Besides medical bills, they'll incur costs such as travel, babysitting, special equipment and home health care.
Even families with adequate health insurance may find it difficult to meet these expenses. Kids in Crisis aids in areas not covered by traditional health insurance policies. For more information, call the hotline or Karen Dolan at 703-266-3144.
<sh>Blood Urgently Needed
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They are accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. To make an appointment to give blood, call (703) 322-1970, or just drop in at your own convenience.
<sh>WFCM Personnel Needs
<bt>The Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) has several volunteer positions available.
* It needs a client coordinator to make follow-up calls to members of the community who have recently received assistance. This person would also cross-reference recipients with other WFCM services (food and clothing ministry). It would be a good job for someone who has to stay close to home.
* On-call volunteers are also needed. After receiving training, they'll monitor requests for help, coming from the local community, via a telephone mailbox. There's a social worker on staff, plus an extensive network of support to help and encourage people in self-sufficiency.
* WFCM's food pantry needs volunteers to work Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturdays, noon-2 p.m. To volunteer for any of these positions. or for more information, call 703-378-3045 and leave a message on box 7.
<sh>Food Pantry Needs
<bt>The Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) food pantry is in need of several items. They are: Jelly, coffee, tea, juice boxes, syrup, oil, sugar, cereal, crackers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning products and diapers larger than infant and newborn.
The food pantry also needs volunteers, Thursdays, from noon-2 p.m. Needed, as well, are: Volunteers with trucks to help move heavy items, a volunteer handy-person good with phones, copy machines, faxes and thermostats, a volunteer to wash the Shepherd Center glass front entrance, artwork suitable for display in pantry waiting area, a vacuum, newer-model frost-free refrigerators and a laptop computer.
<sh>WFCM Needs Drivers
<bt>The Western Fairfax Christian Ministries is in need of drivers to take elderly people to medical appointments. Call (703) 378-3045 and press 7 to volunteer for this or any other WFCM ministry.
<sh>Meals on Wheels
<bt>The Clifton Meals on Wheels program urgently needs a volunteer to coordinate the delivery of meals to frail, elderly residents. Call the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging at (703) 324-5406.